Thompson’s Station Mayor Brian Stover celebrated the town’s 35th anniversary with its first-ever annual address on July 31.
“In 1990, the community came together to officially form the town," Stove said. "Back then, this was a quiet, rural crossroads surrounded by farm land and rolling hills. There were no roundabouts; there were no wastewater treatment plants — there were no traffic delays. We’ve come a long way in those 35 years.
“Through it all, we have stayed true to the identity that makes Thompson’s Station unique: a place where residents know each other, where quality of life matters and where we work together to make things better.”
Stover then shifted to a discussion of the town’s recently passed budget, which levies a town property tax rate of $0.103 per $100 of assessed property value.
“Even with our largest-ever budget, we are proud to maintain the lowest property tax rate in Williamson County,” Stover said. “This year’s budget is built around action and results. It reflects the priorities of our board and the feedback and community.”
One of the largest priorities, Stover explained, is ongoing road developments because “well, you all know how bad traffic is.” He praised ongoing work on Thompson’s Station Road East, Critz Lane and Columbia Pike, stating that work on Columbia Pike is the town’s top roadwork priority moving forward.
Stover also shared that the town will soon commence four-year updates of its Major Thoroughfare Plan and the town’s All Aboard Comprehensive Plan, for which it won the Tennessee chapter of the American Planning Association's award for Outstanding Plan (small jurisdiction) in 2024.
“I’m confident that our update to these plans will surpass even that level of excellence,” Stover said.
The town is also investing in wastewater capital projects, and Stover said that its new wastewater treatment plant will be completed by the end of this year or early 2026. Thompson’s Station’s new budget marked the highest public safety spend in town history, which Stover explained is part of an ongoing effort to support local partners and ensure town safety. He added that the also town plans to commence a study regarding the creation of its own police department this fall.
“We have doubled our contribution to the Williamson County Sheriff's office, funded the town’s share of a posting for the E-911 dispatch center, supported a new fire captain position at Rescue Squad 23 and increased funding for animal control services,” Stover said.
The city is also near finalizing its master plan for improvements to Sarah Benson Park, funded by a $650,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation. The Thompson’s Station Park Board will review the plan for the park next month, which is named for the late longtime alderman and parks advocate Sarah Benson.
“I know Sarah’s looking down at us right now, proud of what we’ve done with these parks and these greenways. That was her vision, and we’re glad to keep that moving forward,” Stover said.
Williamson County Schools (WCS) superintendent Jason Golden also briefly spoke at the address, sharing that the city projects building a new school in 2030 that could potentially serve students from Thompson’s Station. He also said that WCS and the town are currently partnering on ways to increase walking routes to Thompson’s Station Elementary and Middle schools to better help traffic flow and get kids active.
“If we can get a child to walk to school in a safe route, all the better," Golden said. "It helps with traffic, it actually creates a really neat environment, our students are up and moving even as they start school. "I know you all are brainstorming over walkability, over the hill that connects the Heritage campus to your old town hall campus, [and] we’ll be working on that with you as well.”
To close out his address, Stover highlighted what he believes is positive momentum in Thompson’s Station and expressed gratitude for the community the town has built.
“This is a town that has grown thoughtfully, stayed grounded in our values, and worked together to improve the quality of life for everyone who calls Thompson’s Station home, whether you have lived here all your life or just moved to town last week."