Bartlett board approves TIF plan to fund safety upgrades and pursue Quail Ridge golf course acquisition

Bartlett’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to approve an economic‑impact plan tied to a city‑led tax‑increment financing (TIF) proposal intended to pay for corridor safety improvements, infrastructure to support the Union Depot First Edition development and the acquisition and preservation of Quail Ridge Golf Course as a public green space.

City staff and outside consultants presented the Public Safety and Green Space Preservation TIF during new business. Steve Sones, the city’s CEO, said the plan would allow the city to administer all TIF funds directly and use future increment generated by the Union Depot First Edition area to support safety and infrastructure projects rather than drawing on the city’s paving budget or selling bonds. "We will be reinvesting it to promote safety," Sones said.

Kim Taylor, the city’s director of planning, framed the proposal in the context of the Mid South Safety Action Plan, noting three of the city’s highest‑crash intersections sit inside the proposed corridor improvement area. The presentation listed potential safety investments such as road diets, pedestrian upgrades and smart sensors, and cited an example in which highway corridor improvements reduced crashes in one area from about 160 in 2014 to 82 after work was completed.

The TIF package also includes a proposal to acquire Quail Ridge Golf Course and operate it as a publicly owned green space. The city has issued a request for proposals to find a golf‑management firm to operate the course; the selected operator would fund required facility upgrades at no cost to the city and return course revenue to the corridor improvement area to support continuing safety work. Staff emphasized the land would remain a golf course in public ownership unless the board later votes to change its use.

The finance and economic‑impact portion of the presentation included projections from Younger and Associates estimating an annual economic impact at full operation of roughly $106.8 million, about 708 ongoing jobs supported annually and $25 million in annual wages; projected sales tax was listed at about $1.7 million per year. Presenters said current tax receipts in the Union Depot First Edition parcel are about $8,500 annually, expected to rise to roughly $184,000 when the project is completed and to roughly $1.3 million after TIF capture.

Several board members and staff emphasized next steps. IDB counsel Trisha Adrianne said the Industrial Development Board recommended the plan to the board, and staff said the plan will go next to the county commission for committee review and a final vote, likely in December. If the county commission approves it, the measures would be final.

Public comment included a mix of support and concern. Resident Nicole Travis told the board she previously opposed the TIF but had changed her view after comparing similar developments and reviewing project materials, saying the revised plan "is put back into the city of Bartlett owning the golf course, and the city of Bartlett controlling the golf course." Resident Liz Ebers said she supported the restructured TIF because it preserved Quail Ridge as a green space that the city controls.

The board approved the IDB economic‑impact plan and associated resolution by a recorded vote of 5 to 1. The roll call tally was announced by the clerk; the transcript records the 5‑1 outcome but does not show every individual vote in the public audio. The board and presenters said the county commission will consider the plan next, with committee meetings and a final vote expected in December.

What’s next: staff will forward the IDB recommendation and associated materials to the county commission for committee review and a December vote; the city will continue RFP work to select a golf‑management operator and refine measurable deliverables for corridor investments.