Planning commission recommends plan of services for 4618 Harpeth Patonsville Road but excludes pump-and-haul wastewater provision

Thompson's Station planning commissioners on May 26 recommended adoption of a plan of services for 4618 Harpeth Patonsville Road while expressly excluding any pump-and-haul wastewater arrangement or waiver.

At a public hearing on the plan of services — a state-required step that the commission said is separate from the question of annexation — neighbors raised multiple concerns. Kathy Green said recent Williamson County changes to septic rules may allow property owners to expand without annexation and asked whether the town would run sewer just to a single property, calling that a poor use of resources. "If the purpose for that property is solely to build a bigger house, they should probably be able to do that with the new septic regulations," Green said.

Resident Jane Sadler, who spoke twice during the meeting, said the meeting notice and the agenda language created confusion and gave the impression annexation had already occurred. She referenced a Feb. 11, 2025 Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting that she said had turned down annexation for the property and asked, "What has changed?" Sadler also asked how long the town would allow a pump-and-haul arrangement and noted the owner of record is an LLC, raising concerns about possible future changes of use.

Town staff told the commission the property lies inside the town's urban growth boundary and that the commission's role at this stage is to develop a plan of services to be considered by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA). A commissioner moved to approve the plan of services but to exclude any pump-and-haul provision or waiver of wastewater provisions and to state no endorsement of annexation; a second followed.

Commission debate focused on process and scope. Several commissioners noted the plan of services is required by state law before BOMA considers annexation, and staff explained that approving a plan of services does not itself annex the property. The commission voted by roll call to approve the plan of services with the pump-and-haul exclusion; commissioners recorded "Aye" votes for Mister Harris, Mister White, Mister Cagle, Mister Stevenson and Mister Stark.

The commission's recommendation will go to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, which formally decides whether to adopt the plan of services and whether to annex the property. The meeting closed without any change to the commission's procedural role: it forwarded the plan of services recommendation with the identified wastewater exclusion to BOMA.