THE DUMP — MAY 16, 2025
Originally posted May 16, 2025
Your weekly look into the weird, the wild, and Williamson County.
This week, it’s all about values — property values, moral values, and the kind of values that inspire a commissioner to Google Chromebook prices mid-meeting.
The budget’s a billion dollars.
Your house is apparently priceless.
And one Brentwood official read the election results and Irish-exited before the lights even dimmed.
Also: crawfish.
Let’s dump it out.
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REAPPRAISALPALOOZA: COUNTY SENDS POSTCARDS, DESTROYS SERENITY
Well, let’s just call this the tax edition of The Dump.
Homeowners across the county opened their mailboxes this week to find a little white postcard from Property Assessor Brad Coleman. It was not a birthday card. It was not a coupon. It was a notice that your house is now worth 62% more, according to the government, and you should feel really good about that while chewing through your own molars.
“There’s a lot of fear that is evoked in that postcard,” said Coleman.
Translation: Y’all are about to freak out.
The county’s latest reappraisal cycle clocked in at a modest 52% average increase, with residential properties spiking 62% — the biggest jump in county history, all packed into the shortest reappraisal window ever. That’s what the kids call speedrunning your tax trauma.
But don’t worry — your tax rate will drop from $1.88 to probably around $1.2483.
A bargain! Unless, of course, your home value shot up more than 52%, in which case your tax bill is going up, your mood is going down, and Coleman’s postcard is going into the fireplace.
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THE MATH OF PAIN
Commissioners were assured that this is “revenue neutral,” which is government-speak for “someone else will pay more, just not the budget.”
“Each penny now generates just shy of $3 million,” said Commissioner Drew Torres.
“Unfathomable,” said Commissioner Matt Williams, referencing the new certified rate like he’d just seen the face of God in a balance sheet.
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ENTER: THE 3-YEAR CYCLE
Rather than taking a breather, the commission voted 17–6 to do this every three years now. Why?
“We lost about $7 million in the last cycle,” Coleman warned.
Which, in budget terms, is roughly one middle school and a paved road in Leiper’s Fork.
Some commissioners worried this might be too aggressive — after all, if property values drop (ha), or we enter a recession (again), or aliens invade (maybe), we might regret the decision (certainly).
But others were already looking ahead:
“In the next reappraisal, we might even hit a two-digit tax rate,” Coleman quipped — proving once and for all that gallows humor is a job requirement in the Assessor’s Office.
A man can dream. A taxpayer can scream.
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SENIORS! PLEASE PANIC RESPONSIBLY
Concerned about retirees on fixed incomes? Good news: There’s a tax freeze, but only if you make less than $60,000 total household income, apply through the Trustee’s Office, and sacrifice three goats under a blood moon.
Okay — not the goats, but definitely the paperwork… and your sanity.
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WW CORRECTION:
Turns out, Williamson — we were wrong.
(You see what we did there, right?)
Last week, we said you had four years to enjoy your invisible equity before the taxman returned.
But nope. It’s now three.
Because nothing says “fiscally conservative” like speeding up the schedule for reminding you how much your house is worth on paper — and how much more they’d like from your bank account.
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COMMISSION DOWN: MACMILLAN NOPES OUT AFTER ELECTION SHAKE-UP
Well, that didn’t take long.
Just days after Brentwood voters recalled Mayor Mark Gorman and Commissioner Allison Spears, similar to how Commissioner Rhea Little recalled that fateful errant email, Commissioner Susannah Macmillan announced she’s out too — resigning her post and declaring it’s time to “move on and allow someone else this privilege.” That’s polite speak for I’ve read the room and I don’t want a front-row seat to whatever’s coming next.
In her resignation letter, Macmillan cited “deep division,” “acrimony,” and “contention” — which is Brentwood code for “no mas” regarding charter fights, tennis tantrums, and passive-aggressive emails.
“The newly elected and re-elected members of this Commission deserve the chance to govern without this acrimony and conflict,” she wrote — then vanished, leaving only a racquet-shaped dent on the exit door.
To her credit, she thanked city staff and reminded everyone to attend the Thursday morning briefings — like some kind of post-breakup wellness check.
But the timing has tongues wagging: Was Macmillan a quiet backer of the racquet facility? A behind-the-scenes vote aligned with Rep. Gino Bulso’s charter maneuvering? Now that the majority has flipped, maybe the house of cards is crumbling.
Let’s be clear: resigning before the new majority even sits down is the cleanest political exit Brentwood’s seen in years. No ethics complaint. No press conference. Just a well-timed Irish goodbye.
So long, Susannah. You didn’t stick around to watch the fireworks — but at least you didn’t light the fuse.
(Or maybe you just lit it last year and left the match on the table.)
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HARLAN PUD: BEAUTIFUL PLAN, BROKEN ROADS, AND A COMMUNITY SLAMMING THE BRAKES
Franklin has a proud tradition of preserving the past while pretending traffic doesn’t exist. But at the May 13 Board of Mayor and Aldermen work session, reality caught up to rhetoric — and Hillview Lane, a scenic slice of old Franklin, became ground zero in the fight between smart growth and dumb timing.
Boyle Investment Company came armed with a slick proposal: the Harlan PUD, a 242-home development with 32,000 square feet of commercial space, an 80-room hotel, and 70% open space across 311 acres. On paper, it’s the kind of project that makes planners swoon — walkable trails, historic preservation, and that elusive phrase: “Village Green.”
But when you slap all that on a rural corner of southwest Franklin with two failing roads and no imminent state help, it stops sounding like “vision” and starts looking like gridlock on purpose.
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“THAT ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE IS FAILING”
Alderman Greg Caesar said what everyone in Williamson County knows but few in government like to say out loud:
“That road infrastructure is failing… I can’t in good conscience sit here and say this area of town is ready for this development yet.”
He wasn’t throwing darts at the developers — he was just trying to get to lunch on Mack Hatcher without aging a decade in traffic.
Alderman Beverly Burger echoed the point:
“The timing of this is just not right. And in good conscience, I can’t support it.”
And Alderman Patrick Baggett drove it home:
“We now know Mack Hatcher is not until a 2023 — or 2032, I’m sorry. Columbia Avenue is still limping… all of this is hitting.”
Meanwhile, the traffic impact study insists only 40 cars will be added at peak hour.
That’s cute. So is the Easter Bunny.
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THE HILLVIEW FLASHPOINT
This wasn’t just a war over rooftops — it was a defense of an old road with roots.
Residents of Hillview Lane turned out in force, delivering one of the most unified and articulate community responses in recent memory. The concern wasn’t growth — it was access.
“Hillview Lane was not in the equation. That’s what the developers came to us all and told us — that they were not going to use Hillview Lane as their primary access. It was emergency services only. We’re fine with that.” said Blair Garner
An exasperated Anglea Lovell said the obvious, “Adding… at least 500 more cars on that lane — that’s insane. It defies logic for me.”
Rob Dodson drove the point home, “We just don’t want our quiet little country road destroyed.”
Alderman Brandy Blanton backed them to the hilt: “I will not support in any shape or fashion any kind of access through Hillview Lane.”
She clearly wasn’t alone.
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INFRASTRUCTURE PROMISES VS. REALITY
Boyle tried to meet concerns with compromise:
• Turn lanes and synchronized signals at Coleman and Henpeck
• A multi-use trail where Hillview’s roadside ditch currently lives
• Guardrails, underground drainage, and vague “traffic calming” features
They promised that construction traffic would use Coleman, not Hillview. They even said they’d support gating Hillview Lane to residents only — but stopped short of full closure unless the city required it.
Boyle's Adam Ballash claimed “We have offered… that we would support gating Hillview Lane. I think it should be gated to residents of the Harlan project and not just emergency access.”
But the city’s engineering staff threw cold water on the idea: City Engineer, Paul Holzen stated “Just generally, gating a public road is not something [we support]… for our fire department to respond to this efficiently, quickly, effectively, they gotta have Hillview Lane.”
Translation: Hope is not a traffic plan.
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“IF WE DON’T DO THIS, THE COUNTY WILL”
Supporters offered a familiar fallback: If Franklin doesn’t annex and approve the Harlan PUD, Williamson County might allow development without any of the nice touches — no Village Green, no historic overlay, just rooftops and regrets.
Vice Mayor Jason Potts claimed “If this stays in the County, then you’re going to see these hilltop houses where they just clear-cut everything and just drop houses on top.”
Maybe. But as Alderman Baggett pointed out, that’s not a reason to rush a bad call: “I think the residents should… talk to county commissioners and really understand what not having this — if this doesn’t happen — what the alternative is in the County.”
“Approve it or else” is not sound planning.
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WW BOTTOM LINE
The Harlan PUD is a beautiful concept — pitched at the wrong time on roads that can’t handle it.
This isn’t a fight about density. It’s a fight about infrastructure timing, government credibility, and local quality of life. You can’t slap a walking trail on a two-lane country road and call it “mobility.” And you can’t model 2032 peak traffic and ignore the 2025 screaming match at Columbia and Mack Hatcher.
Alderman Caeser surmised, “Good development and good planning looks like not allowing planning to precede infrastructure.”
Exactly.
This one needs to slow down — before the city speeds past the people who already live there.
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DATELINE: CAROTHERS & CRAWFISH — FRANKLIN GETS BOILED FOR A GOOD CAUSE
It’s back. The 12th Annual Crawfish Boil at Tony’s Eat & Drink is throwing down on Saturday, May 17, and you’re invited to ditch your plans, crack some shells, and do something good with your Saturday.
This year’s boil benefits We Care Williamson County, with all proceeds going to help Lance Cossey — local legend, motocross champ, and family man — who’s recovering from a recent stroke.
You eat crawfish. He gets support. That’s the deal.
Live music? Yes.
Auctions? Yes.
Crawfish by the pound with sausage and potatoes? Absolutely.
Not into crawfish?
Nobody cares.
This is about the community, the cause, and the chance to stand in a parking lot holding a beer while zydeco music plays and someone yells “MORE CORN!”
Tailgate meets Mardi Gras meets fundraiser — with fewer beads and better seasoning.
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WW BOTTOM LINE:
Just show up in shorts, roll up your sleeves, and pass a good time.
Stay for the cause. Leave with your soul slightly less withered.
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FINAL FLUSH: MATH IS HARD, LET’S VOTE NO
It was bold.
It was confident.
It was — let’s be honest — completely unserious.
In the middle of the Williamson County Budget Committee meeting, Commissioner Mary Smith attempted a fiscal sleight of hand: yank $520,000 from the school system’s technology budget to fund midyear raises for sheriff’s deputies.
Let’s be clear: our police deserve to be funded.
But what Smith did wasn’t responsible budgeting.
It was a maneuver — not to solve problems, but to give her plausible deniability.
“Well, I tried. They didn’t let me.”
She claimed Chromebooks should cost $200 each.
“For 9,200 students, that’s only $1.8 million,” she said — implying WCS had overbudgeted since their tech line came in closer to $6 million.
But her numbers didn’t come from budget work — they came from a Google search and back-of-the-envelope math.
WCS Technology Director Brian King explained:
The $460 unit price includes cases, screen protectors, carts, and a four-year warranty — because students treat devices like raccoons treat trash bins. (King didn't say that last part, but he knows...).
The school system had already reduced costs:
• K–2 students now reuse older devices
• Devices stay at school
• Current state rules prohibit leasing, which could be a cheaper option
Still, Smith offered a menu of phantom savings:
• A prescription rebate plan (not implemented)
• An adequate facilities tax (still theoretical)
• Transfer fees (didn’t pass the legislature)
• And this gem: “I do think that there’s some fairly significant cost savings, and maybe we can’t realize them all now. And there’s also some significant revenue streams.”
Translation:
There’s money out there somewhere. Trust me. Maybe it’s behind the filing cabinet.
Other members pushed back — reminding her that law enforcement pay had already been improved, and compression addressed. The motion failed 3–2.
And then — Smith voted for the full $994 million budget.
And she voted for the $1.34 tax rate — 9.7 cents above the state-certified neutral rate of 1.2433.
When the full commission meets in June, Smith’s colleagues may very well vote “no.” Commissioner Chris Richards definitely will.
Consistency is a virtue — unless you’re a turd.
But here’s the thing: sometimes you vote yes without ever saying the word.
If you didn’t dig into the balance sheet…
If you didn’t bring a real plan…
If you didn’t do the work to find actual savings…
Then you voted yes.
You just wanted someone else to carry the burden.
And maybe the truth is this: the due diligence has already been done.
Maybe this tax increase isn’t because of waste —
but because services cost money.
Nobody likes paying taxes.
But we like when the police show up.
We like our kids to be educated.
And yeah — we probably want their Chromebooks to actually work.
The problem isn’t just a tax rate.
It’s the hollow brand of political theater that says, “I’ll fix this,” and then shows up to vote no on everything — or pretends a failed amendment counts as effort.
Some commissioners ran on doing something.
But voting no on everything is not doing something.
And tossing out a doomed amendment just to say you tried?
That’s not leadership.
If you came to fix a budget, show your work.
If you can’t, or won’t, then you’re not solving the problem — you’re part of it.
Obstruction isn’t public service.
And lazy napkin math? That’s just lazy.
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And that’s The Dump.
Taxes are up. Politicians are out. Crawfish are boiling.
Take a breath. Check your inbox while you sit in traffic.
And remember: you’re not poor — you’re just house-rich and tax-screwed.
We’ll be back next week with more sarcasm, civic dysfunction, and gentle reminders that your elected officials are probably winging it.
Be good!
-WW