By ZACH HARMUTH
Williamson County commissioners approved $38.7 million in bonds for one new school and $26 million for other county departments on Monday, but deferred voting on a $15 million issue for land acquisition on another new school.
The County Commission released $38.7 million in bonds for the construction of a new school in Thompson’s Station, as well as an additional $26 million for non-school related spending needed by numerous county departments. But, due to concerns about the price of land for a new Brentwood school, deferred voting on releasing bonds.
The bond issue resolution for the two schools, originally lumped together in a $54 million issue, from the budget committee was not passed unanimously to the commission. Last Monday, Mayor Rogers Anderson cast a vote against it.
“I think it needs to be looked at a little deeper,” he said. “It is a lot of money.”
The amount of money for the schools passed in two separate resolutions at the County Commission meeting on Sept. 12.
The first resolution asked the county to approve up to $15 million for the “design, development and land purchase” of a K-8 school in the northern part of the county. The second, which will fund the continued construction of a Thompson’s Station elementary-middle school, was for $38.7 million.
Anderson said the price of the land factored into his “ney” vote.
There was no discussion during the September commission meeting on the resolutions, and likewise little on Monday. In September, the Williamson County Education Committee and Budget Committee both unanimously passed the resolutions.
Both resolutions were scrutinized in the committee process.
“I want to understand the ultimate cost per student, what they are targeting and what is their goal. Are they trying to build it efficiently?” Todd Kaestner, county commissioner for District Nine and education committee member, said at the August budget committee meeting.
Kaestner said the cost per student for building the new Nolensville schools came in a bit higher than previous schools, which had been about $25,000. He also said at first look the numbers the Williamson County School Board asked for seemed high.
At its August meeting, the school board unanimously approved the requests and sent them over to the county for approval.
“Due to growth in the northern part of the county, there is a need to design a new K-8 facility, purchase land and begin construction as soon as possible to meet the demand of our growing student population,” read the resolution concerning the land purchase.
The district plans for a 2018 opening for the Brentwood area K-8 facility. The county will use designs from previous construction of facilities and modify as needed to meet the site characteristics.
The price for the land has not yet been finalized.
“We’ve been negotiating with the owner,” Superintendent Mike Looney said at the school board meeting on Aug. 15. “We can’t publicly discuss the details. We remain a pretty good ways apart on the price point.”
“This is necessary because all of the elementary schools in Brentwood proper are over capacity. It’s going to continue to put a strain on the process,” Looney added.
Over the 30-year life of the bonds, interest payments on the bonds for both schools will cost the county a little more than $17 million.
The bond issue for the other $26 million is for the “acquisition, design, construction, improvement, renovation and equipping of public building and facilities for the County, including but not limited to elections facilities, archives storage facilities, information technology equipment, administrative complex renovation and facility roof replacements, sheriff department vehicles and other equipment, detention facility, office of public safety vehicles, equipment and facilities, animal control facility, Franklin recreational facility, Fairview recreational facility, ball field facilities, Ag Expo Park and solid waste and sanitation facilities.”
The interest payments on the bond, over the 30-year life, will equal about $6.5 million.
Unless a petition opposed to the measure is signed by at least 10 percent of registered voters within 20 days of the date this appears in the media, the bonds will be issued.
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