Thompson's Station weighs doubling sheriff payment while study lays out costs to form town police force

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Thompson's Station heard from Williamson County officials on a proposed increase to the town's interlocal payment and reviewed a consultant study outlining the costs of creating a municipal police department.

Sheriff Hughes asked the board to consider raising the town's interlocal contribution from $250,000 to $500,000 for the coming year to reflect actual service levels. "The increase from $250,000 to the proposed donation of $500,000 is the amount for this year," the sheriff said. County data presented by Captain Chris Mobley showed that deputies assigned to Thompson's Station logged substantial hours: "our dispatch calls alone accounted for 1,965 hours, which is 94.47% of the 2,080 that was originally agreed to," Mobley said, attributing the high share of dispatch work to the town's call volume.

Board members asked how the payment and coverage would interact with the town's stated plan to create a municipal police department. Sheriff Hughes said the county would continue to have concurrent jurisdiction but calls dispatched inside town limits would go to a municipal force if Thompson's Station establishes one. "So those calls would come to your police department in the event that you create one," he said, noting the county could continue to provide backup and other countywide services such as jail operations and court security.

Town staff and the sheriff's office discussed budgeting approaches: staff recommended integrating out-year escalations into an updated interlocal agreement to give the town predictable step increases for budgeting purposes. The work session packet shows staff had pre-programmed public-safety allocations into the FY2026-27 budget, and attendees discussed a stair-step approach so the town would not face a sudden large increase.

The board also reviewed a consultant study by the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS). Jeff Styles of MTAS described assumptions used to model a new municipal department, including hiring one chief and a minimal patrol complement (seven officers) to maintain 24/7 coverage with relief. Styles said the study used regional salary benchmarks (base patrol salary roughly $65,000 plus benefits) and included one-time capital items such as vehicles and equipment. He summarized that the first-year costs are driven by capital outlays and personnel and that longer-term steady-state annual operating costs could reach on the order of $1 million to $1.5 million as staffing and service expectations expand.

Board members and MTAS staff emphasized caveats in the estimates: the study did not include facility acquisition or renovation, liability insurance changes, body-worn camera program back-end costs, or detailed facility security and evidence storage costs, all of which would add to the final price. MTAS noted the year-one estimate is intentionally preliminary and that costs will shift with market conditions and program decisions.

Next steps: staff said an updated interlocal agreement reflecting the board's direction would be prepared for review and that the budget and any interlocal changes will return to the board for action at the regular meeting. The sheriff's office agreed to provide monthly patrol activity reports to help the town evaluate service levels while it plans next-year budget decisions.