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Southern Middle Tennessee Today
News Copy for March 25, 2026

All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content.  Original sources are cited. 
Citizens File Suit Against Water’s Edge (MSM)
Joshua Moore, represented by attorneys Dustin Kittle and Ashley Posey, has filed a formal complaint in Maury County Chancery Court to challenge the City of Columbia’s approval of the Waters Edge at Taylor Landing apartment complex.
Moore, a resident of Taylor Landing who frequently advocates for his neighbors’ welfare and interests, has made the complaint’s argument several times, in other venues, that the apartment complex planned unit development “threatens to impose significant and irreversible impacts upon [himself] and surrounding property owners.” Now he’s taken his complaints, which he articulated at several meetings of the Columbia City Council and Planning Commission, to court.
From October 2025-January 2026, the city considered a zoning ordinance amendment to approve a Planned Unit Development for Waters Edge. In October the motion to approve it failed to pass a city council vote, with two councilors voting in favor, two against and two abstaining.
In a cache of communications records requested by Moore, it appears that the city staff of Columbia and developer representatives corresponded and met with individual city councilors to bring back the same ordinance at a later meeting. A majority of the city councilors voted at the November meeting to put the ordinance on their next agenda, and in December and January they voted to approve the planned unit development.
“The ordinance was initially defeated by the City Council on Oct. 9, 2025, and, once defeated, ceased to exist as pending legislation,” the complaint contends. “Rather than initiate a new zoning amendment through the procedures mandated by T.C.A. § 13-7-203 and the City’s Zoning Ordinance, senior city officials, including the mayor, director of Development Services, and city manager, coordinated with one another, other council members, and with private developers outside of public meetings, selectively disclosed information, concealed records, and engineered a reconsideration process designed to produce a predetermined outcome.”
In an email to Moore shortly before the item was reintroduced, Director of Development Services Paul Keltner told Moore that “If an ordinance receives a negative vote, then no subsequent considerations follow.”
According to their recorded correspondence, the developer and city officials began planning to “reconsider” the ordinance in the belief that “in Robert’s Rules [of Order], anyone from the prevailing side can recall the question for a future agenda.”
“Internal communications among city officials described the proposed action not as a new zoning application or new ordinance, but rather as a ‘request for reconsideration’ of the previously failed ordinance,” the complaint observes. Moore explained to Main Street Maury that Robert’s Rules §37 requires a motion to “reconsider” to be made at the same meeting where the first vote took place; bringing back a measure from a previous meeting, according to §37:2, is governed by different procedures with different names.
“The term ‘renew’ was never mentioned or discussed… until the Nov. 13 meeting, after I explained that a motion to reconsider could only be made at the October meeting,” Moore said.
Columbia City Attorney Jake Hubbell declined to comment on the complaint at this time. At the November voting meeting, when the city council put it back on their December docket, Hubbell conceded that a motion to “reconsider” could only come from the same meeting, but he argued that the city zoning ordinance allows a motion to be “renewed” in less than a year, as long as the initiative to do so comes from the city council or planning commission.
“The zoning ordinance provides that, if a motion or ordinance is defeated, that it can’t be brought back for a year unless initiated by council,” Hubbell said at the November meeting. “A motion to reconsider is done at the same meeting. You can renew a motion at a later meeting, so there’s nothing preventing this council from making a motion tonight to put this back on the December or January agenda.”
Moore also maintains “upon information and belief” that the motion to reconsider may have been added to the Nov. 13 agenda only about 24 hours before the meeting. A second version of the agenda with the “motion to reconsider” was posted the previous afternoon, and so far, the city has declined Moore’s request to release the first published version. If true, this would violate the requirement of the state Open Meetings Act that the government give at least 48 hours of notice for public meetings and business, and it would legally void the vote to add Waters Edge back to the agenda.
Aside from the voting procedure, the complaint alleges “numerous violations of [the city] zoning ordinance governing planned unit development Master Plan applications, including incomplete application materials, expired infrastructure certifications, and failure to comply with Development Review Committee requirements.”
Specifically, they argue that a new planned unit development Master Plan, to replace the expired one, hasn’t yet been approved; that the project was allowed to advance through the process without being complete or incorporating corrections, against the requirements of the zoning ordinance; and that its utility availability letters were issued for a previous version of the project, so new engineering and planning work must be done to create appropriate utility plans.
The plaintiff seeks for the Chancery Court to declare the passage of the ordinance illegal and void, and to get the defendants to guarantee that Waters Edge will go through the approval process fully and from the beginning, according to the city zoning ordinance.

Mt. Pleasant Approves Pay Increases (MSM)
From pay increases and infrastructure improvements, Mount Pleasant leaders are laying the groundwork for the city’s next phase of growth through recently approved initiatives. 
The Mount Pleasant Board of Commissioners approved Resolution 2026-14, adopting the city’s 2026 Employee Compensation Plan, which establishes updated minimum and maximum pay ranges for municipal positions. 
The new plan replaces the 2025 structure and includes a 3 percent across-the-board pay increase to account for the cost-of-living adjustments. City officials anticipate implementation in late April. 
Under the plan, positions ranging from assistant city manager to police chief will have salary ranges between $70,013 and $106,993, with hourly rates from $33.66 to $51.44. 
Customer service representatives to water, wastewater and gas will have a base salary of $37,461, with potential increase ranging from $47,095 to $53,990 depending on the role and experience. 
The compensation plan will remain in effect until amended or replaced by the board. 
In other business, the board approved Resolution 2026-16, selecting Matlock Clements to conduct the city’s FY2026 audit. The decision was driven primarily by cost savings. The city’s previous audit contract was initially set at $45,000 but ultimately exceeded expectations, resulting in an additional $50,000 in expenses. 
The new agreement is projected at approximately $40,000, with a 3 percent annual increase, representing an estimated savings of $11,000 compared to last year. 
City staff plan to complete and submit the audit by Dec. 31 to maintain alignment with the fiscal year timeline. 
Mount Pleasant is preparing to pursue funding through Tennessee’s “Small Cities” Community Development Block Grant program, which supports infrastructure and housing improvements benefiting low-and moderate-income residents. 
City officials identified deteriorating sidewalks in several neighborhoods as a priority noting their importance for daily activities such as exercise, access to services and overall community connectivity.
The city is eligible to apply for up to $664,440 in grant funding through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The total project cost is estimated at $791,100, with a required local match of $126,560 from the city’s general fund. 
The board also approved Resolution 2026-18, authorizing an interlocal agreement with the Maury County Emergency Communications District to enhance emergency response services. 
The agreement, which runs from July 1, 2026-June 30, 2029, is designed to improve coordination and ensure timely notification of emergency responders. 
The total cost of the agreement is $192,175, beginning at $40,428 in the first fiscal year and increasing incrementally over the term. 
Officials expressed strong support for the investment, citing its potential to significantly improve public safety and emergency response efficiency. 
Regarding the monthly financial budget report, Finance Director Shiphrah Cox provided an update on the city’s gas fund, noting that rates were increased in November following state notification earlier in the year. 
The adjustment came after the city received notice from the state in August, highlighting the need for a rate increase. At the time, the fund had been operating at a deficit for three years. 
In response, the city implemented corrective changes, with updated rates taking effect back in November.

County Commission Talks Current Issues (MSM)
The Maury County Commission’s March meeting was full of resolutions, debate and public comment about how to move forward with critical issues at and above the county level.
The commissioners weighed in on last week’s vote by the House Agricultural Subcommittee to designate the whole Duck River as a Class II Scenic River (HB1510/SB1590). Several Maury County residents, especially members of government bodies and advocacy groups, showed up to the hearing and spoke in favor of the designation, and by the time of the vote, over 6,000 people had sent emails in support of the bill to state legislators on the subcommittee. The State Senate has already passed the bill.
District 73 Rep. Chris Todd proposed an amendment, which failed, in order to allow property owners to establish landfills within two miles of a Scenic River. Todd claimed that the Scenic Rivers act was being “weaponized” against prospective landfills, via extensive lobbying and fundraising, by “a few people from Maury County [who] do not want trash in their backyard.” He argued that rezoning the whole Duck River against landfills was functionally equivalent to “taking people’s property,” a violation of the Fifth Amendment, and he predicted that the state government would pay out “hundreds of millions” if people were to sue.
“Rep. Todd pretty much shamed all Maury County in the [subcommittee] last week,” pointed out County Commissioner Scott Sumners, and he wondered whether the landfill amendment would be brought back.
Maury County Mayor Sheila Butt forecast that those with influence in the State House, in which she served for eight years, would use it to get the bill through the Ag & Natural Resources Committee vote on March 24. She also pointed out that Sen. Ken Yager and Rep. Kelly Keisling have floated SB2172/HB2202, which would ban landfills anywhere in certain counties through which a Scenic River passes.
“That will drive Rep. Todd crazy,” she chuckled.
The other bill discussed at length by the commission was HB2419/SB2311, which would require cities across the state to conduct financial and service studies and seek approval from the county commission before annexing properties of five acres or more.
“The thing we’ve really got to get serious about is… [for] our representatives to sign onto these bills… We want a seat at the table [during annexations, but]… these bills are not even being heard,” said Commissioner Gabe Howard, who also congratulated Commissioner Mike Kuzawinski for spending two days at the Capitol speaking in favor of the bill. “The more that you talk about this… The more the cities will come to the table.”
“It’s going to die in an election year. The city people will go crazy,” Butt avowed. “[But] the more that you talk about it, the more chance you have of bringing the cities to the table.”
“It’s a good starting point even if it does fail,” Sumners said, whose stated goal is to work with the city to find a settlement both can live with — if the county can’t get a “veto” over annexations, he said, authoritative input would be enough for him.
“While this bill probably won’t pass, we started something,” Kuzawinski said, and he agreed with Sumners about reaching an understanding with cities. “The whole point is to cooperate, not dictate.”
This month, the commission and its Administrative Committee will jointly choose the first new county attorney in more than 17 years. Daniel Murphy resigned earlier this month, in protest against a resolution that would have ordered him to stop representing CPWS as they work on a project contested by the county.
The county will hold public interviews for the first round of candidates at 4:30 on March 24, and afterwards the commission will meet to discuss and pick the four best candidates. Those candidates will be brought back for the second round of interviews, which are to be held at the same time on March 30, then the commission will deliberate and vote to hire the final candidate.
While Commissioner Kenny Morrow favored taking longer than two weeks to replace a top official of almost two decades’ experience, Administrative Committee Chair Eric Previti reminded the commission that they agreed the county couldn’t afford to go for any period of time without a permanent or interim attorney.
Some commissioners had high praise for Murphy. Sumners recalled that he got a lot of help from the county attorney as a freshman commissioner in 2014.
“Thank you for your guidance… in the [17] years you’ve guided this county commission,” said former Commission Chair Kevin Markham.

Maury Democrats to Hold Banquet (Press Release)

The Maury County Democratic Party (MCDP) is proud to announce the annual Progress Banquet to be held Saturday, June 6, 2026, bringing together supporters for an evening of dinner, DJ Music, and civic engagement. Speakers for the banquet to include Candidates for Federal State and Local office. 

Tickets for the Banquet are $60 per person. The event will be held at UAW Local 1853 Hall, 125 Stephen P. York Blvd, Spring Hill, Tenn. Doors open at 5 p.m. and dinner will start at 6 p.m.
 
This special event will feature a silent auction held in conjunction with the evening’s festivities, with proceeds from the auction dedicated to supporting the Maury County Democratic Women. Funds raised will help advance their ongoing efforts to make a positive impact in the community and to support the election of Democratic candidates at every level of the ballot across Maury County. 

Attendees can expect a welcoming and festive atmosphere, opportunities to connect with neighbors and local leaders, and a chance to contribute to meaningful grassroots efforts shaping the future of the community. 
“This fundraiser is about more than just an evening together—it’s about building momentum, strengthening our community, and supporting the work that makes a real difference in the Maury County community and beyond,” Amber Cook, Progress Banquet Chairman and MCDP First Vice-Chair, said. 
Tickets for the event are available now. For more information, to purchase tickets, to donate auction items, to purchase an ad in the program, or to get involved, please visit MauryDems.org. Community members are encouraged to reserve their seats early.

MRMC Rated Great Place to Work (MauryCountySource)
Maury Regional Health (MRH) has been certified by Great Place To Work® for the third consecutive year, reaffirming the organization’s ongoing commitment to cultivating an inclusive, supportive and collaborative workplace where employees feel valued, respected and empowered to thrive. Based entirely on direct feedback from employees, the Great Place to Work® designation reflects MRH’s strong workplace culture and its dedication to listening to team members and investing in their success.
“Our employees are the heart of Maury Regional Health, and their input continues to guide how our culture evolves,” said CEO Martin Chaney, MD. “Earning Great Place to Work certification for a third consecutive year reflects the strong sense of trust and engagement across our work community. By listening and supporting one another, as well as focusing on the personal and professional growth of our teammates, we create a work experience centered on shared purpose, mutual respect and collaboration that keeps us connected to our mission.”
Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience and leadership behaviors proven to drive employee retention, innovation and organizational performance. Certification is determined through the Great Place to Work Trust Index Survey, which measures employee perceptions of credibility, fairness, respect, pride and camaraderie, along with a culture brief completed by the organization.
“Great Place To Work Certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience,” says Sarah Lewis-Kulin, the Vice President of Global Recognition at Great Place To Work. “By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that Maury Regional Health stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees.”
Maury Regional Health is committed to providing an environment where employees can grow and excel in their chosen profession. In addition to robust professional development opportunities, MRH offers one of the most comprehensive and competitive benefits packages in Middle Tennessee, including medical, dental and vision insurance plans; merit-based pay increases; flexible shift options; an on-site daycare center; education assistance for qualifying candidates; access to earned wages before payday; financial counseling and career navigation support; local discounts; and more.

And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…

Raymond Carmelo Vega, 46, a resident of Columbia, passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, March 17, 2026 doing what he loved.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.

Christine Young Haskin, 87, a resident of Culleoka, passed away Monday, March 23, 2026 at NHC Healthcare Oakwood in Lewisburg.
Graveside services will be conducted Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 2:30 PM at Scribner’s Mill Cemetery. The family will visit with friends Saturday from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. 

James “Jim, Jimmy” Jackson Tucker Jr., 79, passed away March 22, at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville following open heart surgery.
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Rose Hill Cemetery. The family will visit with friends Friday from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

And now, news from around the state…
More Tennessee Tunnels? (Tennessean)
Elon Musk's The Boring Co. could be building another tunnel in Middle Tennessee, beyond the controversial Music City Loop in downtown Nashville.
The Boring Co. launched a contest, dubbed the "Tunnel Vision Challenge," on March 2, where individuals could nominate their community to win a "free" one-mile underground tunnel. Three Tennessee cities were among the finalists: Gatlinburg, Knoxville and Hendersonville.
While no Tennessee town was formally selected, Musk's company said in a March 24 post on X, formerly Twitter, it would "try" to burrow a utility tunnel in Hendersonville anyway.
"IN ADDITION, there were multiple other projects that TBC thought were so compelling that we are going to continue to work with the entrants and try to get them built," The Boring Co. post said.
The announcement comes while Tennessee legislators fight to get more legal authority and clarity over underground transit construction.
The Boring Co announced that the "Tunnel Vision Challenge" winners are a NOLA Loop in New Orleans, a Ravens Loop in Baltimore and a University Hills Loop in Dallas.
Despite the contest, New Orleans, Baltimore and Dallas are not guaranteed a loop. Individuals could nominate their community without the consent or knowledge of local government officials, as happened in Knoxville.
The three identified communities will now undergo a diligence process to determine the feasibility of the project. This includes meetings with elected officials, Geotechnical borings and utility and subsurface infra investigation, according to The Boring Co.

Gas Prices Rise Sharply (Tennessean)
Global crude oil prices soared when Iran closed the vital Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. and Israel's joint attack in February, shooting above $100 from a regular $70 earlier this year.
Despite being the world's largest producer of oil, the U.S. has not seen prices stabilize. At Nashville International Airport, the weekly U.S. average price of a barrel of jet fuel rose 64.8% over the last month's average as of March 13, according to a report from U.S. jet fuel information provider Platts.
And prices are still rising.
Fuel prices rose almost immediately, but Tennesseans are likely to see higher grocery, delivery and service costs within weeks if Iran‑related oil disruptions persist.
“Whether you want this or not, oil prices, even in this country, they are still influenced by the global supply, demand balance and the global situation,” Stanford University Precourt Institute for Energy Hydrogen Projects Fellow Maksim Sonin told The Tennessean. “You can’t isolate yourself from that system.” 
At the start of 2026, Argus Jet Fuel Index reported that an average gallon of jet fuel cost $2.11. On March 20, a gallon of jet fuel at Nashville International Airport cost between $7.45 and $9.26, according to aviation data platform Flight Aware.
While rising oil prices are unlikely to affect the airport's bottom line, they could squeeze airlines if sustained over the long term.
"The war in the Middle East is creating a major energy crisis, including the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. In the absence of a swift resolution, the impacts on energy markets and economies are set to become more and more severe,” International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol said. “As the global energy authority, the IEA is doing everything we can to support the stability of energy markets. We have recently launched the largest ever release of IEA emergency oil stocks."

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
Nonprofit organization Hope On The Inside (HOTI) will host a fundraiser at the Listening Room in Nashville on April 2nd, with all proceeds funneling into their prison re-entry and rehabilitation initiatives. A celebration of music and community, the evening will include performances by Chancie Neal and Three Times A Lady, followed by an intimate writers’ round with the nonprofit’s founders Briana Calhoun and Kix Brooks, along with some of music’s most elite songwriters Bob DiPiero, Vince Gill and Tim Nichols who will also offer stories behind their biggest hits, and have both a silent and live auction.
Admission and VIP seating are now available for purchase at www.listeningroomcafe.com.