What you need to know about Brentwood government and services

W H A T Y O U N E E D T O K N O W A B O U T BRENTWOOD

In the 1920s, Brentwood rebounded. Gradually many of the plantation homes were bought and restored. With the construction of Interstate 65 in the 1960s, Brentwood grew and prospered, and by the 1990s the area was prospering again. Today, more than 42,000 people call the city home.

HISTORY The City of Brentwood was incorporated on April 15, 1969, but its history goes back much farther. The first known residents of Brentwood were prehistoric Native Americans from the Mississippian-period who built mounds with ceremonial buildings. Such early villages have been found in the Meadowlake subdivision, at the library site on Concord Road, and at Primm Historic Park where the largest of the mounds is still visible today. By the 1400s the groups had seemingly disappeared.

Brentwood’s first European settlers - planters and farmers – arrived in the late 1700s. Much of the land was granted to Revolutionary War soldiers by the State of North Carolina, before Tennessee had been carved out. Situated halfway between Nashville and Franklin, the area prospered and by the Civil War, the area was one of the richest in the state. During the war, many of the large plantation homes served as hospitals for Confederate and Union forces. The war, however, left its scar on the economy, and many homes and plantations fell to ruin.

GOVERNMENT The city operates under the Council/Manager form of government. The seven-member Board of Commissioners (informally, the City Commission) enacts laws known as ordinances and sets policies and takes other formal actions through resolutions. The Commission adopts the Capital Improvements Program and Annual Budget each year. Non-partisan city elections are held in May every two years, with the at-large commissioners serving staggered four-year-terms. The May 7, 2016 election will see four members seated.

CITY OF BRENTWOOD

5211 Maryland Way Brentwood, TN 37027 (615) 371-0060; www.brentwood-tn.gov

In this view looking northwest from the Brentwood Library, the city’s extensive green space is visible, with the commercial district in the distance (left).

ANDREW COLLIGNON

Native Americans lived along the Little Harpeth River long before settlers arrived in what is now Brentwood. This burial mound is near Moores Lane (right).

STEVE HARMAN

To learn more about Brentwood visit BRENTWOODHOMEPAGE.COM

After each city election, the commission elects one of its members to serve a twoyear term as mayor and another to serve as vice mayor. The board also nominates and elects citizen members of volunteer boards and commissions.

City Manager Kirk Bednar oversees the city’s day-to-day operations and ensures that the policies and programs approved by the Board of Commissioners are implemented.

Most Brentwood residents live in Williamson County government’s Districts 6 and 8, with each district electing two county commissioners and one Williamson County School board representative. The city falls in State Legislative Districts 61 and 63, State Senate District 23, and U.S. Congressional District 7.

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R) is a Brentwood resident.

For more information: www.brentwoodtn.gov/ your-government; www.williamsoncounty-tn.gov

DEPARTMENTS AND SERVICES

Garbage: Solid waste collection is handled by private collectors. Brentwood residents can contact companies directly for information about rates and scheduling. A list of local providers can be found on the city’s website.

Brush collection: The city provides free monthly brush collection on residential streets. Brush must be behind the curb with cut ends toward the curb, must not exceed 8-feet in length. Limbs and stumps larger than six inches in diameter will not be picked up. No debris from commercial cutting/trimming will be accepted. Leaves and grass clippings must be in brown paper bags.

Crime prevention and public safety: The Brentwood Police Department, led by Chief Jeff Hughes and Assistant Chief Tommy Walsh, is internationally accredited. In addition to its law enforcement and investigative responsibilities, the department’s Crime Prevention Division teaches D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) classes in all 12 area Brentwood public and private schools; assists citizens with starting and maintaining Neighborhood Watch Programs; conducts business and residential security surveys; leads R.A.D (Rape Aggression Defense) and radKIDS classes for women and children, and conducts the Citizen Police Academy.

Fire and rescue: The internationally accredited Brentwood Fire & Rescue Department employs more than 65 personnel, led by Chief Brian Goss and Asst. Chief David Windrow. Its four stations, staffed 24/7, are geographically located to service the entire city. In addition to fire and emergency management, department services include vehicle extrication, EMS response, Haz-mat response, search and rescue, station tours, public education classes, home inspections and the Citizen’s Fire Academy.

Public Works: The city’s Public Works Department provides brush removal, pothole, curb and gutter repairs, pavement markings, right-of-way mowing, small drainage repairs and snow and ice removal among other services on a year-round basis. It conducts an annual streets inspection for resurfacing needs. During the last three Saturdays in April and October of each year, the department places dumpsters in city parks for citizens to drop off large, unwanted items for free.

Brentwood Library: Every Brentwood resident or property-owner has free borrowing privileges at the city’s nationally recognized John P. Holt Brentwood Library, which also serves as a de facto community center. A library card gives residents access to more than 165,000 books and other materials, including audiobooks, DVDs, music CDs and online resources, as well as newspapers and magazines. The Library also offers study rooms, a mid-size conference room, and computers with free Wi-Fi. Two large meeting rooms can be rented by Brentwood clubs, businesses and citizens. Classes ranging from exercise to personal finance are routinely scheduled. The children’s library features a packed programming schedule and hosts a summer reading program with related events.

Trails and greenways: East of I-65, the city has miles of paved multi-purpose trails that connect many of the city’s parks, schools and amenities, including Crockett Park, Tower Park, Smith Park, Primm Park, the Brentwood YMCA, the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, the FiftyForward Martin Center and the county’s Indoor Sports Complex and Joe Reagan

Guidance You Can Count On!

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Soccer Complex. West of I-65, multi-purpose trails can be found in Granny White Park, Powell Park, Wikle Park, Deerwood Arboretum, and Maryland Way Park. A new trail along Maryland Farms business park’s southern border that connects Powell Park to Hill Center Brentwood is in the works.

City Parks: The city’s 14 parks and greenways comprise almost 1,000 acres of property dedicated to social, cultural, historic, athletic and nature-oriented activities for all ages. The 164-acre Crockett Park is home to the city’s free Summer Concert Series, a community playground, baseball, softball, football and soccer fields, tennis courts, a Frisbee golf course and Williamson County’s Joe Reagan Indoor Soccer Complex. The 400-acre Marcella Vivrette Smith Park, 1825 Wilson Pike, opened in 2014 and is home to historic Ravenswood Mansion and six miles of rugged hiking. Brentwood Bark Park, the city’s dog park, is located in Tower Park, just east of I-65 near the historic WSM radio tower. Nearby, the Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex has indoor swimming pools, indoor tennis courts, a fitness center and group fitness classes. A city-county partnership will see a $1.5 million splash pad, four pickle ball courts and other upgrades at the complex this year. www. brentwoodtn.gov/departments/parks-recreation; www.wcparksandrec.com

Education: Williamson County Schools provides public K-12 education at multiple Brentwood campuses: Brentwood and Ravenwood high schools; Brentwood, Woodland and Sunset middle schools, and Scales, Lipscomb, Edmondson, Jordan, Kenrose, Crockett and Sunset elementary schools. Private Brentwood Academy serves students in grades 6-12. www.wcs.edu

Brentwood has an extensive park and greenway system.

STEVE HARMAN

COMMUNITY EVENTS • Summer Concert Series at Crockett Park • Breakfast with Santa, Easter Egg Hunt and Arbor Day Celebration at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library • Brentwood Rotary Club’s annual Pancake Breakfast • Annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Maryland Farms • 2019 Golden Anniversary events: A BrentFest in Crockett Park (June 15), and Rendezvous at Ravenswood Mansion (Oct. 10).

TOP 5 EMPLOYERS • HCA • United Health Group • COMDATA • Tractor Supply Co. • Brookdale Senior Living