Maury County school officials present $64.07 million capital request, urge funding for septic repairs and buses

School staff presented the Maury County Board of Education with a capital request totaling roughly $64.07 million that would fund a proposed North Columbia school, a bus replacement rotation, and two $4 million lines for property acquisition and renovation/maintenance.

The request centers on a $53,344,480 baseline estimate for North Columbia derived from averaging three hard bids from last year and applying a 12% industry inflation projection; staff recommended asking the county commission for $55 million to provide a buffer. "We took the 3 bids that were issued on this school last year and took the average of the 3," a facilities presenter said. Staff also cited changes in the state adoption of the 2021 International Building Code as a driver of increased costs and the need to revisit design work.

Board members and staff highlighted two urgent septic-system problems at Santa Fe and Hampshire schools that they say should not be delayed. "I really don't want to tie 2 septic fields that need to be redone and replaced to getting that school," Board Vice Chair Carter said, urging the board to set aside funds so the septic repairs can proceed outside of the North Columbia timeline. Staff said Santa Fe’s septic work has been under engineering review with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and that Hampshire’s system is "failing fast." Staff said the $55 million request is intended to include a buffer that could be redirected to such capital needs if bid costs come in lower.

The capital packet also included a $1.7 million request to buy 10 school buses (estimated at about $170,000 each, up from roughly $164,000–$165,000 last year) as part of routine fleet rotation; staff said the district must retire buses after about 15 years in service unless they meet mileage and inspection criteria. The package included a $4 million placeholder for a property fund and a $4 million placeholder for renovation/maintenance projects; staff said those amounts are negotiable and were included to ensure options are available when the district meets the county commission.

Board members pressed staff for documentation supporting the cost estimates. "All these industry people that you consulted with, did they provide you a breakdown in writing of the $53,344,480?" asked board member Stevenson. Staff replied the figure reflects industry-provided inflation projections applied to last year’s averaged bids and that architects and bidders offered overall projections rather than line‑by‑line itemizations.

Staff and board members also discussed timing and borrowing. The district's finance staff said the county’s current debt capacity was about $87 million based on recent adjustments and debt payoffs, and that borrowing costs and timing (for example, late county budgets) could affect whether bids and funding line up.

The board did not take a final vote on the request during the work session; staff said the capital request will be brought to the regular meeting for individual votes if the board chooses. Board discussion indicated members want the pair of urgent septic repairs prioritized so they are not delayed by a multi‑year capital timeline.

Ending — next steps: Staff will bring the formal capital request (including the North Columbia funding ask, bus purchase, and the two $4 million placeholder lines) to the regular meeting for possible individual votes. Board members requested the underlying bid specs and supporting documents for the $53.34 million estimate and asked staff to ensure any renovation/maintenance request includes funding large enough to address the Santa Fe and Hampshire septic issues if the board elects to add those items to the capital request.