The Town of Nashville council reviewed a proposed fiscal‑year 2026 budget at its May 20 meeting that would raise the town’s sanitation and recycling fees and includes multiple fee schedule changes, sidewalk funding and a proposal to consider indexing water and sewer rates to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Randy, a town staff member presenting the budget packet, told the council the proposed budget includes a change to the monthly sanitation fee and recycling fee. The packet shows the sanitation fee proposed at $40.24 per month and the recycling fee proposed at $7.25 per month; staff described the sanitation change as the largest single fee adjustment in the packet. The packet and on‑record discussion show municipal budget totals, one‑time purchases and proposed uses of fund balance; staff said increases in vendor and operating costs made the fee changes necessary.

Councilmembers discussed adopting smaller, incremental increases—using a CPI adjustment each year—rather than larger, infrequent rate jumps. Staff prepared an illustrative table applying a 3% CPI (rounded from a 2.9% index) to current water and sewer rates: that illustration would raise the town in‑town water rate from $5.00 per 1,000 gallons to $5.15 and increase other rates proportionally. Staff said the CPI approach is not required for FY‑26 but could be adopted and incorporated into a multi‑year rate plan after a formal rate study.

The packet also proposes other fee adjustments (zoning, permits, peddlers, subdivision and board of adjustment fees) to better cover administrative costs. Planning staff (Sean) told the council the town’s notice mailings for rezonings often require sending 64–74 letters, and several fee increases are intended to reflect those mailing costs and comparable fees in nearby towns.

On capital and one‑time items, staff reinstated $50,000 for fire department fuel/tires and added $4,300 for municipal elections and an annual $12,000 fire station lease, which affected the general fund balance draw required to balance the budget. The Powell Fund (Fund 42) estimated revenue was increased by $35,000 to allow about $225,000 for sidewalk improvements in FY‑26; staff recommended creating a sidewalk program with engineering support to deliver the work.

Council also reviewed a multi‑year sanitation/recycling plan that would allow the town to set aside funds for large equipment replacement (for example, a refuse truck replacement cycle). Staff said the proposed sanitation fee schedule would allow the town to accumulate roughly $100,000 every four years to replace trucks rather than using fund balance ad hoc.

Utility billing topics discussed included a proposal to charge different utility deposits based on account circumstances and to encourage e‑billing; staff and council discussed incentives and postage savings but did not adopt a specific incentive in the meeting.

Operational service items raised during budget discussion included complaints about the town’s current recycling contractor (GFL) and reports of debris falling from recycling trucks; councilmembers contrasted the town’s planned side‑dump truck design with the top‑dump design they described on the contractor’s trucks. The council also discussed recent internet/phone outages at the public library that lasted 11 days; staff said a leased firewall device from the town’s former provider (BC3) failed after a power surge, that BC3 eventually replaced the device and that the town is now using Ripple Fiber at municipal sites for internet service.

The council scheduled a public hearing on the budget for June 3 and directed staff to publish required notices; formal adoption will occur after the public hearing and any required amendments. Councilmembers repeatedly emphasized a desire to pursue employee pay increases in future budgets and to use multi‑year planning to avoid sudden large rate increases.

No formal vote to adopt the FY‑26 budget occurred at the meeting; the meeting record shows the council agreed to proceed to public notice and a June 3 public hearing.