City Council

City of Murfreesboro City Council - Workshop Regular Session Thursday, August 14, 2025 at 11:30 am T E N N E S S E E Municipal Airport Business Center 1930 Memorial Boulevard Murfreesboro, Tennessee MINUTES The City Council of the City of Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee, met in regular session at its workshop meeting place at the Municipal Airport Business Center at 11:36 a.m. on Thursday, August 14, 2025. Proper notice ofthis meeting was published in the Murfreesboro Post on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Council Members Present Mayor Shane McFarland - Presiding Jami Averwater Madelyn Scales Harris Austin Maxwell Bill Shacklett Kirt Wade Shawn Wright City Representatives Present Darren Gore, City Manager Adam Tucker, City Attorney Erin Tucker, City Recorder/ Chief Financial Officer Melanie Joy Peterson, City Clerk Raven Bozeman, Executive Assistant Alan Bozeman, Communications Director Angela Jackson, Executive Director of Strategic Services Ashley Mallela, Engineer in Training Ben Newman, Director of Land Management and Planning Cathy Smith, Purchasing Director Chad Gehrke, Airport Director Devin Middleton, System Analyst Greg McKnight, Executive Director of Development Jim Kerr, Transportation Director John Lanza, Project Coordinator Webmaster John Tully, Assistant City Attorney Kevin Jones, Building and Codes Director Lee Smith, Deputy Director of Transportation Lexi Stacey, Project Coordinator Margaret Ann Green, Business Systems Manager Mark McCluskey, Fire Chief Matthew Blomeley, Assistant Planning Director Michael Bowen, Chief of Police Michael Nevills, Communications Mike Browning, Public Information Officer Nate Williams, Executive Director of Recreational Services City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes August 14, 2025, 11:30 am Page 1 of 10  Randolph Wilkerson, Human Resources Director Trey Adams, Golf Director Valerie Smith, Water Resources Director Other City Staff Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance Mayor McFarland called the meeting to order and commenced the meeting with a prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Comment on Actionable Agenda Items Mayor McFarland asked if there were any registered speakers for public comment on actionable agenda items. Erin Tucker, City Recorder/Chief Financial Officer, indicated no one had registered to speak. Action Items 1. City Council Meeting Minutes (Finance). Erin Tucker, City Recorder/Chief Financial Officer, presented a Council Communication requesting approval of City Council meeting minutes for the July 31, 2025 Regular Session. Meeting minutes were not read aloud but were presented for approval as part of the agenda packet. Mr. Wright made a motion to approve the minutes. Ms. Averwater seconded the motion. Upon roll call, the motion was passed by the following vote: Aye: Jami Averwater, Madelyn Scales Harris, Austin Maxwell, Bill Shacklett, Kirt Wade, Shawn Wright, Shane McFarland Nay: None 2. Hangar Site Development Contract Award (Airport). Chad Gehrke, Airport Director, presented a Council Communication requesting Council award the Hangar Site Development Contract to Hensley Civil, LLC. Five bids were received for this project on July 23, 2025 with Hensley Civil, LLC., with the lowest and qualifying bid of $1,180,080. This bid was below engineer's estimates. Hensley Civil, LLC bid includes the base bid as well as the 5% owner's contingency of $56,194. Barge Design Services is working with the Purchasing Department who have issued a Notice of Award to Hensley Civil, LLC. The project's construction expense, or $1,180,080, will be funded through a transfer from General Fund to Airport Fund. Council members stated they had not had a chance to review this request and wanted additional time to review prior to approving the contract. City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes August 14, 2025, 11:30 am Page 2 of 10  Ms. Averwater made a motion to defer to a future meeting. Mr. Maxwell seconded the motion. Upon roll call, the motion was passed by the following vote: Aye : Jami Averwater, Madelyn Scales Harris, Austin Maxwell, Bill Shacklett, Kirt Wade, Shawn Wright, Shane McFarland Nay: None Darren Gore, City Manager, stated the item will be presented at the next meeting on August 21, 2025, After further discussion regarding the bid requirements and performance bonds, Ms. Cathy Smith, Purchasing Director, informed the Council that the selected vendor was vetted by Barge Design, who participated in a formal bid process and was the low bidder, and that the contract has been reviewed by legal counsel. Ms. Averwater requested that Ms. Smith email copies of the other bids directly to Council members. Cathy Smith, Purchasing Director, stated that she would provide all submitted bids to the Council for review. 3. Airport Furniture Contract (Airport). Chad Gehrke, Airport Director, presented a Council Communication requesting Council approve a CIP Reallocation Request and furniture contract with Nashville Office Interiors (NOi) for the Murfreesboro Airport. The furniture in the amount of $57,011 will be purchased with a CIP reallocation. Mr. Maxwell made a motion to approve the CIP Reallocation Request and contract with Nashville Office Interiors for the purchase of the airport furniture. Ms. Averwater seconded the motion. Upon roll call, the motion was passed by the following vote: Aye: Jami Averwater, Madelyn Scales Harris, Austin Maxwell, Bill Shacklett, Kirt Wade, Shawn Wright, Shane McFarland Nay: None 4. Airport Audio Visual Equipment Contract (Airport). Chad Gehrke, Airport Director, presented a Council Communication requesting Council approve a CIP Reallocation Request and audio-visual equipment contract with Lanlink Communications for the Murfreesboro Airport. The audio-visual equipment expense of $58,843.90 will be purchased with a CIP reallocation. Ms. Scales Harris made a motion to approve the CIP reallocation request and contract with Lanlink Communications. Ms. Averwater seconded the motion. Upon roll call, the motion was passed by the following vote: City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes August 14, 2025, 11:30 am Page 3 of 10  Aye: Jami Averwater, Madelyn Scales Harris, Austin Maxwell, Bill Shacklett, Kirt Wade, Shawn Wright, Shane McFarland Nay: None 5. True North Geographic Technologies, LLC Updated Master Service Agreement and Work Order 1 (Information Technology). Margaret Ann Green, Information Technology Business Systems Manager, presented a Council Communication and documents requesting Council approve a revised and updated Master Services Agreement {MSA) with True North Geographic Technologies, LLC {True North), along with authorization to execute Work Order 1 for professional services related to the City's Permit, Land, and License (PLL) system. The MSA does not have a direct financial impact. Future work orders will be expensed through Information Technology Department's operating budget and/or Murfreesboro Water Resources Department's operation budget. The expense of $487,418 will be funded from previous CIP bond interest. Ms. Green provided an update on the status of permits, forms, and documents within the PLL implementation process, covering workflow from sandbox to production as well as plans for ongoing rollout. She also presented a visual example illustrating how CityWorks will function and appear from an applicant's perspective. Mayor McFarland inquired about the timeline for full CityWorks implementation. Mr. Gore responded that the plan is to develop 26 workflows over 26 weeks. Council members and staff then discussed related topics, including customer service. Mr. Wade made a motion to approve the Master Service Agreement and Work Order 1 with True North Geographic Technologies, LLC. Vice Mayor Shacklett seconded the motion. Upon roll call, the motion was passed by the following vote: Aye: Jami Averwater, Madelyn Scales Harris, Austin Maxwell, Bill Shacklett, Kirt Wade, Shawn Wright, Shane McFarland Nay: None Workshop Items 6. City Social Media and Internet Posting Policy Updates (Communications). Alan Bozeman, Communications Director, presented a Council Communication and accompanying City Council Workshop Meeting M inutes August 14, 2025, 11:30 am Page 4 of 10  documents, requesting feedback on proposed updates to the City's Social Media and Internet Posting Policy and Resolution 25-R-21. He explained that the updated policy maintains the requirement for all City social media sites, accounts, and pages to be connected to the City's archiving system for records retention and public records requests. The policy also clarifies what constitutes inappropriate content for City posts and websites, as well as what types of social media comments-those not protected by the First Amendment-may be removed. Additionally, it outlines the procedures for removing such content and for blocking or banning users from City social media platforms. Mayor McFarland directed Council members to provide any comments to Mr. Bozeman in the coming weeks. 7. CIP Transfers {Finance). Erin Tucker, City Recorder/ Chief Financial Officer presented a Council Communication and documents regarding notification of CIP transfers. Transfers include transfer of CIP Funds between the Bond Fund and General Fund for McKnight Park Ball Park Improvements, Patterson Park Improvements, Playground Deferred Maintenance, Recreation Side Mount Bush Hog, and Walter Hill Renovations. There were no questions or comments and no action was needed. 8. 2024 Sewer Allocation Annual Report (Water Resources). Valerie Smith, Water Resources Director, presented a Council Communication and documents regarding the 5th Annual Sewer Allocation Report covering calendar year 2024. The annual report is a summary assessment of a sanitary sewer hydraulic model that breaks the city down into 18 watersheds or basins in which Murfreesboro Water Resources Department (MWRD) continuously monitors sewage flow throughout the year. The report covers the 1) an executive summary, 2) a review of the sanitary sewer collection system and treatment plant assets and the effects of rain induced infiltration and inflow (1/1) on both 3) a review of "as-is" condition versus a proposed "to be" condition and the respective impacts on available sewer connections and funding requirements 4) a review of sewer system connection growth t rends and development plan approvals, including apartments and areas most highly impacted 5) 2024 sewer assessment takeaways and 6) Appendices illustrating service area basin maps, remaining estimated developable acreages, and available connections. There were no questions and no vote was required. City Council Workshop M eeting Minutes August 14, 2025, 11:30 am Page 5 of 10  9. Tree Line Preservation Guidelines (Administration). Darren Gore, City Manager, presented a Council Communication and supporting documents regarding tree line preservation, emphasizing the gap between developers' commitments during Planning Commission and City Council approvals and the actual construction practices affecting common property boundary tree lines. He identified several issues: the current 10-15 foot common area boundary does not cover the full tree drip line and should be expanded to 25-30 feet; contour modifications encroach into common areas, significantly reducing the drip line; and the limit of disturbance extends to the common property boundary line. These issues have resulted in the loss of approximately 50 trees and compromise of over 100 additional trees, with construction activities encroaching into root systems and threatening imminent collapse. Mr. Gore outlined staff's recommendations for immediate and long-term remedies. The immediate action includes placing a hold on building permits for lots where homes would impact compromised tree lines until an acceptable solution is provided. The long-term solution involves requiring design engineers to identify common property boundary tree lines in submitted plans and include protective measures, including installing warning fencing at the tree drip line to mark limits of disturbance during construction. Discussion among Council members and staff included enforcing a minimum 30-foot protection zone for tree lines and considering whether a developer's past failure to uphold tree preservation commitments should influence the review of future applications. Adam Tucker, City Attorney, advised that while past failures cannot legally be the sole reason to deny a project, it is appropriate to impose stricter conditions during zoning, PRD/PUD, or site plan approvals to prevent repeat violations. Council consensus was that developers will need to consider these requirements during design, weighing tree preservation against lot yield and agreed with staff's recommendations. No vote was required. 10. Introduction of Joint Conceptual Workshops (Administration). Darren Gore, City Manager, presented a Council Communication proposing the introduction of a Joint Conceptual Workshop (JCW) involving the City Council, Planning Commissioners, developer applicants, and staff. The workshops are designed to: 1) foster open dialogue between applicants and voting body members regarding proposed development plans; 2) provide early feedback from elected and City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes August 14, 2025, 11:30 am Page 6 of 10 appointed officials on conceptual aspects of proposals before formal decisions; 3) highlight key issues, including development layout, architecture, traffic impacts, and any requested modifications to standards (MOS), with staff noting preliminary concerns; 4) encourage concise presentations to maximize time for discussion and collaboration; and 5) ensure no formal decisions are made during the workshop, and that it is not a venue for public comment. Mr. Gore requested Council feedback and, if supportive, suggested presenting the concept to the Planning Commission for their input and conducting a pilot workshop at the Murfreesboro Airport prior to the 1 p.m. Planning Commission meeting. Council members were generally supportive, and Mayor McFarland noted that staff would value the feedback provided during the proposed workshop. 11. TOOT Modernization Call for Projects - Memorial Blvd (Transportation). Jim Kerr, Transportation Director, presented a Council Communication reviewing the funding commitment of Memorial Boulevard widening from Thompson Lane to Walter Hill Bridge over East Fork Stones River for Tennessee Department of Transportation (TOOT) Statewide Partnership Program. The primary purpose of widening Memorial Boulevard is to accommodate the increased traffic generated from the Cherry Lane extension to Interstate 840. If Memorial Boulevard is kept at a 2- lane capacity highway with a 5-lane arterial terminating into it, it will overwhelm Memorial Boulevard and result in a level of service (LOS) F for the intersection and all approaches into the intersection. Mr. Kerr stated the City is attempting to collaborate with the County to seek their participation in widening Memorial Boulevard from the Walter Hill Bridge to the intersection of Jefferson Pike. This would constitute an additional approximate 3,100 feet, or 20% extension of the project. Currently, the City has $3,914,540 allocated towards the project in existing MED proceeds. To meet the funding requirements of TDOT's program and prioritize Memorial Boulevard, staff proposed allocating an additional $21,085,460 from future borrow to reach a $25 million local commitment. This investment would represent approximately 40% of the estimated $62,900,000 total project cost, aligning with TDOT's funding formula. Mr. Maxwell inquired about Rutherford County's commitment. Mayor McFarland stated the county's capital improvement project plan will be coming out soon and he feels they are wanting to collaborate. Mr. Maxwell inquired about the broader plan for addressing traffic flow City Council Workshop Meeting M inutes August 14, 2025, 11:30 am Page 7 of 10 issues in Murfreesboro, particularly beyond the current project. Mr. Kerr outlined several key traffic improvement efforts underway or in preliminary stages, including work on Rutherford Boulevard, enhancements at the intersection of Southeast Broad Street and Rutherford, and improvements near MLK and Broad Street to reduce bottlenecks. These projects aim to improve overall traffic flow and alleviate congestion at critical intersections. On the funding side, officials emphasized that securing state or federal contributions, such as covering 60% of project costs, is a major incentive, as the city would not be able to fully fund or manage some of these larger projects independently. Darren Gore stated the topic will be presented to Council at a future meeting for approval. There were no other questions and no action was taken. Jim Kerr introduced Lee Smith, Deputy Director of Transportation, to the Council. 11. June 2025 Dashboard (Administration). Erin Tucker, City Recorder/ Chief Financial Officer, presented a Council Communication and documents regarding June 2025 Dashboard. There were no questions and no action was taken. Board & Commission Appointments No board and commission appointments were presented. Licensing 13. Beer Permits (Finance). Erin Tucker, City Recorder/ Chief Financial Officer presented a Council Communication regarding Beer Permits. The following were offered for approval: Regular Beer Permits Name of Name of Type of Type of Address Reason Applicant Business Permit Business La Esquinita La Esquinita 817 Northwest Broad Off- Ownership Grocery/Market Dali, LLC Mart Street Premises Change Riley Krabs, Krustaceans 2858 South Church On- New Restaurant LLC Seafood Street Premises Location Special Event Beer Permits Name of Applicant Date of Event Type of Event Location of Event Kennerly Family History 10/03/2025 Birthday Party 405 South Maney Avenue Group Kennerly Family History 405 South Maney Avenue 10/13/2025 Fall Celebration Group Kennerly Family History 10/31/2025 Halloween Party 405 South Maney Avenue Group 1500 Medical Center Interfaith Dental Clinic 11/06/2025 Fundraiser Parkway Suite 4D City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes August 14, 2025, 11:30 am Page 8 of 10  Ascension Saint Thomas 10/25/2025 Fundraiser Murfreesboro Square Rutherford Applicants met requirements for the Beer Permits and were recommended for approval pending final building and codes inspections for the Regular Beer Permits and Special Event Permit issuance for the Special Event Beer Permits. Mr. Wright made a motion to approve the Beer Permits. Mr. Maxwell seconded the motion. Upon roll call, the motion was passed by the following vote: Aye: Jami Averwater, Madelyn Scales Harris, Austin Maxwell, Bill Shacklett, Kirt Wade, Shawn Wright, Shane McFarland Nay: None Council approved a special event beer permit for the Kennerly Family History Group. The application originally listed the event date as September 29; however, the correct date is August 29. As the applicant met all requirements and the discrepancy was determined to be a clerical error, the permit was signed and approved with the corrected date. Payment of Statements No payment of statements was presented. Other Business Citizen's Academy Suggestion. Vice Mayor Shacklett shared a document with Council members outlining his proposal for a Citizens Academy. He recommended offering 7-8 sessions designed to educate residents about the functions of local government. As part of the initiative, he invited each Council member to host one of the sessions and requested their feedback, questions, and concerns before proceeding further. He proposed launching the academy in October 2025. Council was supportive of the idea. Damaged Cemetery. Vice Mayor Shacklett indicated the gravesite of Captain William Lytle, a founding member of the community, was recently vandalized. Mr. Lytle's family cemetery is located behind Haynes Lumber Supply and is considered a site of historical significance. Vice Mayor Shacklett asked staff to investigate what actions the City might take to help with its restoration. Darren Gore, City Manager, emphasized the importance of proceeding thoughtfully, ensuring any assistance provided is legally permissible and does not inadvertently create further complications. City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes August 14, 2025, 11:30 am Page 9 of 10  Adjourn There being no further business, Mayor McFarland adjourned this meeting at 1:19 p.m. SHANE MCFARLAND MAYOR ATTEST: ~I~ INTUCKER Q.,- - - - - - CITY RECORDER/ CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER APPROVED BY COUNCIL~ 'lb j ~ City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes August 14, 2025, 11:30 am Page 10 of 10