Tom Rose, Smyrna’s public works director, told the Town Council at its January workshop that the town’s brush-truck service is strained after a spring surge of large piles that pushed pickup cycles out to about 10 weeks. Rose said the town’s rules require residential single piles (no known commercial-cut brush), leaves in biodegradable bags, and limb limits that the mulching facility enforces (he cited a 6-inch diameter/10-foot length practical handling limit from the neighboring mulch facility).

Rose walked council through service history — in 2015 the town served roughly 11,000 residential locations with two brush trucks; the town now estimates about 16,000 residential locations. He described a cluster last spring when 35 excessive piles appeared “all at once,” requiring long on-site collection times and slowing routine routes.

To address the problem, Rose presented four options: keep current operations and monitor; budget to purchase two single-operator brush trucks (roughly $250,000 each) to convert the fleet and run three trucks continuously; contract third-party haulers (vendor quotes ranged roughly $2,000–$5,000 per large pickup); or adopt an enforcement policy that tags oversized piles and offers pickup for a fee while leaving routine routes uninterrupted.

Council members pressed on feasibility and equity. Several members said a modest fee (Murfreesboro’s model was cited at $75–$100 per oversized load) would likely result in homeowners paying to have oversized piles hauled rather than deterring use by commercial cutters. Others noted one of the town’s brush trucks (a 2004 vehicle) is aging out and needs replacement regardless of policy choices. Concerns were also raised about diverting ditch-crew labor to haul excessive piles and how that could delay normal ditch maintenance.

After discussion, council asked staff to prepare a policy proposal and implementation plan and to run an education campaign explaining what is acceptable brush and what is not. The majority indicated preference to return a policy option “without” an upfront fee (i.e., bring a policy framework and an operational timeline first) while adding one single-operator brush truck to next year’s budget as a priority replacement. Staff will report back after the spring peak to recommend final action, including any fee schedule language for council approval.