Nolensville commissioners weigh phased hires and SPP contributions as budget hinges on permit revenue

Town of Nolensville officials spent the bulk of their April 27 work session debating which new positions to fund in the fiscal 2026–27 budget and how conservative to be about timing amid uncertain building‑permit revenue.

Victor Lay, the town manager, presented a budget model that keeps the most critical hires in the proposed spending plan but staggers when posts would be filled. "Delaying the hires allows us to know at any given time where our revenues stand and whether or not we expect those revenues to make for the end of the year," Lay said. He proposed the police administrative assistant, a part‑time court clerk assistant and a public‑works hire as initial priorities, with other hires phased into January if permit revenues weaken.

Commissioners debated using 100%, 75% or 50% salary assumptions for new positions in the first budget year to reflect partial‑year hires. Several commissioners urged caution because building permits are a volatile, often one‑time revenue source. One commissioner noted the town’s model needs about 96% of projected permits to hit the current five‑year forecasts and said falling below that would put the budget in the red.

Chief Lupo described operational needs in public safety that factor into the hiring decisions: administrative tasks routed to line staff reduce patrol time, and a civilian admin hire would free certified officers for street duty. "Answering the phones, scheduling community room... routing inquiries," the chief said when listing duties the admin assistant would take over.

The board discussed commissioning MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Service) studies to evaluate department staffing for finance and human resources; staff and several commissioners supported targeted MTAS reviews to build objective justification for hires. Victor Lay said the town has previously hosted or used MTAS work and would seek whatever analysis is practical and timely.

On capital priorities, commissioners discussed the town’s Statewide Project Program (SPP) commitment for a roadway project and a proposed funding path. Lay said staff had set aside $500,000 in the CIP fund as the town’s SPP obligation and that workshop discussions built an additional contingency of roughly $320,000 into the budget model to create a small dedicated reserve. "That is a dedicated SPP contribution at this point that just kind of sits in reserve," Lay said, adding the town can reassign the funds if needed.

After extended discussion the board coalesced around a compromise for the first reading to show the police administrative assistant and the part‑time court clerk assistant at full‑year funding (100% in the model) and to budget the other requested positions at a reduced first‑year level that can be revisited mid‑year. Victor Lay committed to return to the board with updated monthly permit revenue and to bring hiring decisions back for formal action at the time staff recommends starting recruitment.

The session included a technical demonstration of the budget worksheet; staff noted that showing hires in the budget is necessary to begin recruitment timelines (advertising and interviews) even if hiring is later paused by revenue shortfalls. The board ended the discussion asking staff to refine model scenarios and to present MTAS options for targeted department reviews.

The board did not adopt the budget at the work session; the item is scheduled for formal readings and votes in the forthcoming meetings.