harpeth-square-update-1
By David Walsh

PHOTO: The Harpeth Square construction site in downtown Franklin. Along with a hotel, the site will be home to residential apartments / Photo by Brooke Wanser

By BROOKE WANSER

As voters begin casting their ballot for a sales tax increase on referendum this month, an online petition has begun circulating, entitled “Demand Williamson County Homebuilders Drop Their Lawsuit Against Williamson County.”

District 4 Commissioner Gregg Lawrence created the petition, which mentions several home building companies who are currently embattled in a lawsuit with the county over the educational impact fee passed in November of 2016.

For new residential buildings in the county, a fee is levied that is to go only towards capital improvements for schools.

At a recent county commission meeting, commissioners said the money gathered from the fee numbered $8.3 million to date. The fee is still being collected, though it cannot be used unless the city wins or settles the lawsuit.

As growth continues, the county has turned to another source of revenue to fund school expansion: a sales tax increase from 9.25 percent to 9.75 percent.

In the petition, Lawrence wrote,  “At no time during this process were any objections raised by the local homebuilders’ association, however; 6 months after the resolution was passed 8 homebuilders chose to file a lawsuit against the county.”

“Williamson County Schools create a significant financial benefit to Williamson County Home Builders. They recognize the value of our schools to new residents and use them to market their new homes,” he continued.

As of Friday afternoon, the petition had received just shy of 1,000 signatures.

“These homebuilders profit from our good schools so why are they holding our schools hostage,” Franklin’s Ward 1 Alderman Beverly Burger wrote regarding her reason for signing. “Please sign this petition that Williamson County Commissioner Gregg Lawrence put out and let’s hold these ‘few’ builders and the Home Builders Association accountable.”

The homebuilders listed in the petition are:

  • Drees Premier Homes
  • Ole South Properties Inc.
  • Regent Homes Inc.
  • Aspen Construction LLC
  • Barlow Builders
  • The Jones Company of TN
  • Ridgemont Homes
  • Gateway Mosby of Cool Springs