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Commission approves $26.66 million school capital package after cuts to central office and certain campus projects
Summary
The Williamson County Commission approved an amended intent-to-fund school capital package after cutting $2.2 million from the original $28.89 million request, removing central office design fees and scaling back or deleting selected entrance, storage and press‑box items. Final vote: 19–2.
The Williamson County Board of Commissioners approved an amended intent-to-fund measure for school capital improvements on Nov. 7, adopting a reduced total of $26,664,000 instead of the $28,889,000 the school board requested. The measure passed after a series of roll-call votes on multiple amendments.
Commissioner Davis offered the primary amendment that removed or scaled back three line items—including reducing Brentwood and Page high school entrance improvements and deleting certain storage facilities and visitor press boxes—which lowered the package substantially. The board also voted to remove $700,000 in proposed design fees for a new central office; that amendment passed 13–9.
Dr. Becky Sharber, director of Williamson County Schools, defended the central office request and the district’s need for additional space, saying the district had studied its future staffing and facility needs. Kevin Fortney, who presented the district’s space analysis, described current central‑office occupancy at about 26,000 square feet and projected future needs of roughly 48,897 square feet, with an estimated construction cost of about $6.85 million and preliminary design and site work estimated at $630,007.34. Fortney said the preliminary design fee line item was intended to fund surveys, geotechnical work and appraisals so the district could bring a defined proposal back to the commission.
Opponents of the full package repeatedly said they wanted more detailed, all‑in costs before approving large appropriations. Commissioner Barnwell said approving partial phases without a comprehensive, all‑up number risked more requests for money later. Commissioner Ford and others asked whether existing county-owned space or an expansion of the current building had been fully evaluated as lower‑cost alternatives.
Commissioner Davis’s package of cuts, together with the later vote to limit a middle‑school build to a not‑to‑exceed $24 million cap, produced the adopted total of $26,664,000. The final vote on Resolution 11‑07‑77 as amended was 19 in favor and 2 opposed.
What happens next: The resolution expresses the commission’s intent to fund the projects identified and establishes the board’s direction; specific projects, designs and contracts must return to the commission or the appropriate committee for final approvals and bonding steps.
