The Nashville Town Council recently approved a 2024-25 fiscal year budget that takes into account the recent revaluation of real property in Nash County.
Because of the countywide revaluation, the taxable value of real property in the town grew an estimated 19.15 percent.
This influx of increased revenue played a big part in the town council being able to secure a 7.5 percent merit pay raise for the town’s firefighters, which town officials said was needed to retain and recruit firefighters and to make the town’s salaries more competitive with surrounding local governments. Firefighters will also receive a 3.5 percent cost of living increase as will all of the town’s employees.
The budget, which was approved June 4, also includes a tentative three-year, $1.5 million purchase contract to acquire the five-acre Fellowship Church property and its 22,000-square-foot building at 969 White Oak Road, located just outside Nashville’s western town limit.
“There is a 90-day examination period for the town to assess the condition of the property, its buildings and facilities, and to determine the likely cost of remodeling its buildings for the town’s use as a town hall and recreation center,” Town Manager Randy Lansing stated in prepared remarks on the budget.
Following favorable reports by representatives of Dawson Construction Services and Stocks Engineering about the condition of the building and its well and septic system at the council’s June 18 meeting, the council voted to table a vote on purchasing the building and grounds with an initial payment of $500,000 until its Aug. 6 meeting.
Other significant features of the newly approved budget include a tax rate of $0.59 per $100 in valuation, down 2 cents from the 2023-24 fiscal year’s rate.
The approved spending plan of $19,043,303, is 3.4 percent more than the town’s 2023-24 fiscal year budget, Lansing stated in his budget message, noting that the increase “provides for all the town’s public services to remain at their current level and enhances services in fire, police, parks and recreation and public works.”
Lansing said the 2024-25 fiscal year budget calls for three firefighters to be hired to man Fire Station 2. He also noted that the hiring of two additional police officers will grow the ranks of police department to 24. The parks and recreation department is getting a full-time administrative assistant to help with recreation programs at the new recreation center; and the public works department is being assigned an additional crew member.
While there will be increases in fees charged by the town for some public works requests as well as activity fees charged by the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, there will no increases in water and sewer rates, Lansing stated. The fees for trash and recycling pickup will also not increase in the current fiscal year, Lansing stated.
Following the town council’s decision to table the vote on approving the purchase of Fellowship Church until its next meeting, Mayor Brenda Brown said it represented a tremendous opportunity for the town to acquire a building that was in good shape for $1.5 million. New construction of a similar building would cost about $11 million, she said.
Councilman Larry Taylor urged town residents to contact council members and voice their opinion concerning the acquisition of the church. Taylor said the residents he has spoken with are evenly divided for and against its purchase.
In a phone interview Monday, Brown said one objection she has heard from constituents is about the church’s distance from the center of town.
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