Committee forms courthouse task force, authorizes purchase of 926 Columbia Ave

The Williamson County property committee voted unanimously to establish a courthouse development task force to advise on planning and construction of a new judicial center and to authorize the county mayor to acquire 926 Columbia Avenue in Franklin (the Hill property), following the task force’s recommendation.

Sean, who led task force work and addressed the committee, said the task force is a streamlined continuation of an earlier body whose membership will report progress to the county commission. He described the Public Building Authority (PBA) as an instrumentality the county uses to bring engineers, architects and contractors together earlier in large projects, enabling the county to request qualifications and negotiate with contractors in ways that county general-purchasing law does not allow. He said the task force will advise on design, space use, adaptive reuse of the existing courthouse and possible public‑private partnerships.

Committee members pressed for details about membership selection and timing. A member noted the task force will select a legislative representative after the September meeting with the new commission, and a committee speaker clarified the resolution does not itself send the project to the PBA — referral to the PBA is an executive action — but the task force will monitor and report on any PBA activity.

On the recommended Hill property, task force members told the committee they reviewed numerous potential sites within about a five‑mile radius and found no viable alternative that met the county’s needs because of floodplain constraints, ownership or prohibitive cost. The task force recommended acquiring the five‑acre Hill parcel but retained flexibility to pursue other options later.

Members discussed reuse of the existing courthouse complex. Preservationists recommended keeping the 1856 historic building for public access uses (museum or similar) and estimated roughly $500,000 to make the historic structure usable for that purpose; the existing courthouse complex was cited at roughly 94,000 square feet total, not all of it currently usable. Committee members noted the commission will receive a memorandum documenting the task force’s property search, alternatives reviewed, meeting minutes and proposed reuse ideas before any final decisions on disposal or redevelopment of the existing site.

Parking and financing were raised as outstanding issues. Staff noted staff parking needs might be about 100 spaces for day‑to‑day operations while peak court days could draw several hundred users; the transcript says the Triple J report reviewed facility square footage needs but did not model parking demand in depth. Bond issuance and precise budget impacts were not resolved at the meeting; a related bond action was continued to the July meeting and staff (Phoebe, referenced in the transcript) was asked to provide cost details.

The committee approved both resolutions by voice vote. The transcript does not identify who moved or seconded the motions by name; the record shows unanimous committee approval for the task force and the property acquisition authorization.