Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 6-23-26

WKOM/WKRM Radio

Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for June 23, 2026

All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.

Mt. Pleasant Budget (MSM)

Mount Pleasant city leaders are considering a proposed fiscal year 2026-27 budget that would increase property tax revenue, fund major infrastructure and public safety operations, and maintain healthy fund balances across city departments despite concerns from residents over the city’s tax rate.

The proposed budget includes more than $7.3 million in general fund revenues and expenditures while establishing spending plans for the city’s street, storm-water, sanitation, water and sewer, and gas operations.

The general fund is expected to generate most of its revenue through property taxes, local sales taxes and state-shared revenues.

Property tax collections are projected to increase significantly following the adoption of the city’s new tax rate of $1.4974 per $100 of assessed value.

The proposed rate has drawn criticism from residents, who voiced frustration during public comments. Several residents questioned why taxes continue to increase despite the state’s certified tax rate process, with one resident arguing that the city has imposed excessive tax rates on citizens for decades. Others expressed confusion as to why the tax rate has not stabilized or decreased following recent property reassessments.

Based on the proposed revenues and expenditures, the general fund is expected to finish the fiscal year with a surplus of approximately $18,800, increasing the fund balance to roughly $3.35 million.

Public safety remains one of the city’s largest spending priorities. Combined funding for the fire department along with the building and codes department totals approximately $2.3 million, while the police department is budgeted at $2.21 million.

Street operations are projected to receive almost $937,000, while finance and administration expenditures are estimated at approximately $554,000.

The budget also includes a transfer of $451,500 to the debt service fund to cover bond and loan obligations. City officials anticipate spending more than $449,000 on principal and interest payments during the fiscal year.

The State Street Aid fund is projected to receive approximately $1.39 million in revenue while spending $1.55 million. Transportation improvements account for much of the planned spending, including a $1.32 million sidewalk and crosswalk grant project.

The newly established Storm Water Special Revenue fund will receive a $250,000 transfer from the general fund and is projected to end the fiscal year with a balance of approximately $175,000.

The proposed budget also outlines the city’s outstanding debt obligations. By the end of FY 2026-27, Mount Pleasant is expected to carry approximately $6.64 million in general fund debt, $13.4 million in water and sewer debt, $88,000 in sanitation fund debt and $136,000 in gas fund debt.

Columbia Passes Budget (MSM)

The city of Columbia passed an $84 million budget for the coming fiscal year during its June meetings.

The budget depends on an available fund balance of $101 million — half already in the current beginning fund balance and half expected from the coming year’s revenues. Most of the city’s revenue sources exceeded expectations in FY 2026 — taxes outperformed projections by $2.8 million, licenses and fees by $1.4 million, interest by approximately $871,000, charges for services by $209,000 and “other” sources by almost $422,000.

Almost all of the expenditures from fund balances are projected to increase. City employees can expect a four-percent raise across the board.

Property tax funding for the budget will only increase from new construction because the city accepted the new Certified Tax Rate of 60.68 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The certified rate, determined for the city by the county Assessor of Property and verified by the state Board of Equalization, was cut sharply from 82.51 cents, to prevent the city from getting a windfall out of increased property valuations. City Manager Tony Massey said the total assessed value of properties in Columbia rose by about $900 million in the four years since the last assessment.

The year-end clean-up for FY 2026 raised the previous year’s budget, at least on paper, by $15.4 million, from $185 million to $200.4 million.

Assistant City Manager Thad Jablonski told Main Street Maury that the budget additions included large purchases like utility and fire vehicles, projects like Recreation Center renovations and road paving, appropriations for the city pension fund and funding carried over for multi-year projects. The expenditures were either necessary or prudent before the new fiscal year, Jablonski said, and with high tax revenues in recent years, he’s certain that the city can afford them as clean-up measures.

The assistant city manager also pointed out that $3.7 million of the “expenditures,” a quarter of the total on paper, is an accounting requirement. The state comptroller requires the city to count transfers between funds as expenditures, which effectively double-counted $3.5 million in capital projects spending and the $219,000 burn box bought for the solid waste department.

“Municipal accounting is not really designed for multi-year projects,” he said. “It’s meant to ensure year-by-year fiscal accountability.”

Other business

Maury Alliance president Wil Evans presented the Key Performance Indicators for the county’s economy, which Alliance Vice President Travis Groth explained to the Maury County Commission in May.

Over the last five years, the county’s real GDP has risen to about $6 billion, assessed real estate values have increased by 79.4 percent, retail sales by 35.9 percent, average incomes by 31.4 percent and the civilian labor force by 18.1 percent. By all metrics Maury County outperforms the Nashville Metro Area, the state of Tennessee and the country.

Evans reported that 15 companies are seeking to relocate to Maury County or expand their existing operations, which could yield 590 potential jobs and $2.1 billion in investment. He explained that the shutdown of the General Motors and Ultium Cells factories in Spring Hill are the most likely causes for the 6.6 percent unemployment rate that the state Department of Labor reported for the county in April.

“We can’t dive into the data… but we can make some assumptions,” Evans said.

Evans reminded the city council that 6.6 percent is still well below the recession-era high of 12 percent unemployment. He credited the difference to Maury Alliance’s decade and a half of work to diversify the county’s business portfolio.

“The Alliance realized even then, probably sooner, that we had to diversify,” he said.

The city council agreed to consult with the Franklin marketing firm Chandlerthinks to help with the “branding and visual identity” of the city. At the study session, Massey reminded the councilors that Chandlerthinks was the firm that recommended they create the Tourism and Marketing Department and hire Kellye Murphy as its director.

The Parks Department received a total of $1.364 million to improve the Columbia Aquatics & Recreation Center: $98,460 for a new roof, $550,000 for a new HVAC system and $715,861 to renovate and expand the facilities. Parks Director Mack Reagan told the council that the renovation of the facility’s pools came in significantly under budget, and they expect the same of these work bills.

The city is selling a long list of surplus electronic equipment, including many Dell keyboards, monitors, and laptop and desktop computers.

Charlie Hatcher Visits Columbia (WKOM Audio 3:20)

Yesterday, 5th Congressional District Candidate Charlie Hatcher was in Columbia as he travels the campaign trail. Front Porch Radio’s Delk Kennedy caught up with Mr. Hatcher to hear more about his campaign…

Jumping Jacks Coach Heading for D1 School (MSM)

The brand-new Columbia Jumping Jacks wood-bat league has lost its head coach already. The league is primarily made up of off-season college players. Saturday’s was one of Noah Baughman’s final games as a coach in the first-year collegiate wood bat league, as he’s set to leave early next month to begin his duties with St. Bonaventure, an Atlantic 10 Conference program located in Olean, N.Y.

It’s a long way from Columbia.

“I haven’t been up. I’m going sight unseen,” said the young Baughman, who played for his father, Rob, at Centennial before spending time as a student assistant at Middle Tennessee State and embarking on a career that’s included graduate assistant stops at Bryan College in Dayton and West Alabama before spending the last year as a part-time assistant at Gadsden State (Ala.) Community College.

“When you’re a part-time ‘JUCO’ coach, the job is you go there, you work your tail off and you work your way up,” he said. “I was fortunate enough that (St. Bonaventure coach Jason Rathman) trusts me and gave me the call and now I can make that jump to the Division I level at a really young age.

“Hitting is what I’ve been studying the last six years. I believe the way I can teach hitters and the way I run an offense works at whatever level. That’s all credit to all the mentors I’ve had. Being able to work for six or seven different hitting coaches in my career, being right under them, I can take everything I’ve learned from there, put it into one thing and then go see if it works. It’s been really cool to see it and now just to have a chance to have something I can call my own.”

And while his responsibilities over the summer are more about providing at-bats than technique, Baughman is able to offer occasional “tips and tricks” as he navigates his current role.

“This is different because you want these guys to go out and do what their coaches need them to do,” he said. “This is more about reps. I can play with it a little bit here, but I really want the guys to do their own thing.

“Being able to teach them tips and tricks along the way and give them things to take back to their school and make them a better baseball player, that’s what it’s all about.”

The confidence of producing may be one of those aspects. Four different Jumpin’ Jacks had three hits in Saturday’s win, and six players finished with multiple hits.

“It’s a little of an adjustment; we’re still only (nine) games in,” said former Columbia Central standout Konner Bowden, who just finished his first season at MTSU, regarding the transition to wood bats for the summer. “Everybody’s finally starting to get the feel for it and starting to get on a roll.

“It’s a big adjustment – the feel, the sound.”

Bowden, Lawrence County graduate Alex Bedford and Eagleville grad Brady Burns each had three hits, along with Columbia State’s Jordan Akins, with the former three all hitting homers. Bowden and Burns each led off innings with bombs, with Burns adding a pair of doubles. Bedford’s three-run opposite-field shot in the sixth pushed the Jumpin’ Jacks advantage to 13-6.

“We had runners in scoring position. I was trying to get something in the air and get the run in,” said Bedford, who also spent the spring at MTSU. “I didn’t think it had the height, being 375 (feet) and the wood bat. But it carried a little further and backspun out.”

The funny thing is Baughman, who will celebrate his 25th birthday Thursday, admits he wasn’t much of an offensive threat as a player.

“I couldn’t hit. I can teach hitters, but I couldn’t hit myself,” he admitted. “They say those who can’t do, teach. If I knew half the stuff I know now, I’d probably be a better baseball player. I wasn’t very good, so I had to learn it.

“Learning the ins and outs and how things work, I can watch a guy hit, take five swings and say ‘you need to do this and this.’ After those five swings, they start to figure it out on their own. That’s what I like to do, sitting and observing, because I wasn’t good enough to figure it out on my own.”

The older Baughman doesn’t remember it quite that way, but is impressed by the current version of his son.

“I’ve had the pleasure of learning from a lot of great people and so has he, but to listen to him, it’s like I think the high school kids got shortchanged by me, listening to Noah and all the information he truly has about hitting a baseball,” said Rob, who retired as coach at Centennial in 2023 after 20 seasons.

“His knowledge of the game is what was so cool about him. I thought he was going to do something in sports, I knew it’d have something to do with baseball, but (I thought) more on the public side, sports journalism. Once he got the (student) manager’s job at MTSU and started getting the ins and outs of everything, it’s given him the confidence he can do this. We’re pretty proud of him. He’s doing this all on his own and it’s pretty impressive.”

The younger Baughman’s original objective of following in his father’s footsteps has been augmented.

“With my dad being head coach at Centennial, I thought, I’ll just be the head coach at Centennial one day,” he said. “By my junior year in college, I’m like, I think I want to see how far I can take this.

“The goal is to be the head coach at Middle Tennessee one day, to come back home to my alma mater. But the first is to get my foot in the door at the Division I level. Did I picture myself moving to Olean, N.Y., at 24? Not really, but that’s where it’s taking me and I’m really excited about it.

“It’s the dream.”

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

Norman Bentlee Potts, 17, a resident of Williamsport, TN, passed away unexpectedly on June 20, 2026, in Bedford County, TN, doing what he loved.

A visitation for Bentlee will be held on Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.

Mrs. Kim Anna McCormack Feuerbacher (Foyerbacher), 62, a resident of Culleoka, Tennessee, passed away peacefully at her residence on Sunday, June 21, surrounded by her loving family. The family will visit with friends on Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. The visitation will conclude with memories and reflections of Kim's life shared by family and friends. On Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 5:00 PM family and friends are invited to gather at Campbell Station Restaurant 2800 Dodson Gap Road Culleoka, TN.

Mrs. Monnette Fulcher Bruner, 62, passed away Thursday, June 4 at Camden General Hospital. Memorial services will be conducted on Sunday, June 28 at 4:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. The family will visit with friends on Sunday from 2:00 PM till the time of service at the funeral home.

Mrs. Helen Marie Jones Coble, 60, a resident of Santa Fe, TN, passed away peacefully at her home on Tuesday, June 9. A Celebration of Life will be conducted on Sunday, June 28 at 2:00 PM at Santa Fe Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The family will visit with friends on Sunday from 12:00 PM until the time of the service at the Church.

And now, news from around the state…

Honor Vote Program (Press Release)

Ahead of Early Voting, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is reminding all registered Tennessee voters to join the Honor Vote program and cast a ballot in honor of United States veterans or active-duty service members.

This year, Tennesseans who join the program will receive a special commemorative 250th Honor Vote button, celebrating America’s founding and the enduring sacrifice of the men and women who have protected or are currently protecting our freedom.

“At a time when our freedoms are on full display, the Honor Vote program offers Tennesseans a meaningful way to recognize those who defend them,” said Secretary Hargett. “Casting a ballot in someone’s honor is a simple yet powerful way to express our gratitude to the brave men and women who protect the United States of America.”

The Honor Vote program allows registered voters to dedicate their vote to a U.S. veteran or active-duty service member—a visible reminder that the right to vote has been secured through courage, sacrifice, and service.

Participants will receive an informational guide along with the limited-edition 2026 commemorative Honor Vote button, which they can proudly wear at the polls. Dedications will also be recognized on the official Tennessee Honor Vote List.

Tennesseans are encouraged to share their participation and tributes online using #GoVoteTN and #TNHonorVote, helping spread a message of gratitude and civic pride across the Volunteer State.

To register your dedication or learn more, visit honorvote.govotetn.gov.

Key 2026 Election Dates:

• Voter Registration Deadline: Tuesday, July 7, 2026

• Early Voting Period: Friday, July 17 – Saturday, August 1, 2026

• Election Day: Thursday, August 6, 2026

For polling locations, hours, and more information, download the free GoVoteTN app or visit GoVoteTN.gov.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

KALEO will embark on an extensive North American Way Down We Go Tour this summer with very special guests Dawes, Darren Kiely, and 4x GRAMMY®-nominee, singer-songwriter Elle King. Their summer run begins June 27 at The Novo in Los Angeles and will make its way up the West Coast, through the Rocky Mountains then into the Midwest and Canada before finishing on the East Coast in August. KALEO will perform at Nashville’s Pinnacle on July 19. Find tickets at www.officialkaleo.com.