In an effort to address school capacity needs in Brentwood, the Williamson County School District has developed a long-term facilities plan that includes improvements at the combined Brentwood High/Middle school campus. These improvements include athletic field improvements, construction of an additional parking lot and a new access drive from Granny White Pike, and construction of a three story education building targeted primarily at middle and high school science, technology, and math courses. The building will increase the capacity of Brentwood High School from 1,628 students to 2,000. The cost of this project is currently estimated in excess of $17 million.
This project at BHS/BMS is one of several pending Williamson County school capital projects that is up for funding consideration by the Williamson County Commission at its May 8, 2017 meeting. Unfortunately, due to the timing of existing debt payments and current revenue resources, there is uncertainty whether the County Commission will be able to approve funding for this project at its May 8, 2017 meeting. The Williamson County School Superintendent has stated that if the project is not funded on May 8, construction of the improvements will not be completed in time for the start of the 2018-19 school year. The resulting delay in the project will necessitate a school attendance rezoning plan that would impact several hundred students currently attending school at Scales Elementary, Brentwood Middle, Brentwood High, and Ravenwood High schools.
The Williamson County Schools Director has requested the City of Brentwood’s consideration of a one-time contribution of $2.4 million from available Adequate Facilities Tax funds to assist the school district in cash flowing this project in a manner that would facilitate County Commission approval at its meeting on May 8.
As background, effective July 1, 2007, the Williamson County Commission authorized the collection of an Adequate Schools Facilities Tax of $1.00 per square foot of finished (or space that could be finished into) living space that is constructed in new residential dwellings permitted in the County. Under this private act, 30% of the total collections must be redistributed back to those incorporated cities of the county with a capital improvements program, and distributed on a per capita basis based on the last federal or certified special census. Under the law, the funds must be used for needed public facility improvements caused by the impact of new development.
Through the end of FY 2016, the City had collected a total of almost $4 million from this county imposed tax. Of this amount, a total of $2,250,000 has been appropriated for use in development of Phases 1 and 2 of Smith Park. Based on projected collections through June 30, 2017, it is estimated that the fund balance in the Adequate Facilities Tax Fund at the end of FY 2017 will be approximately $2,350,000 (see attached Adequate Facilities Tax Fund cash flow report). No portion of this available fund balance is currently programmed as part of the City’s proposed FY 2018-2023 Capital Improvements Plan.
Staff believes use of the unobligated balance of the Adequate Facilities Tax Fund would be the appropriate source for any funds to be contributed by the City. However, staff also believes this presents a good opportunity to formalize a closer working relationship between the school district and the City’s Park Department relative to shared use of school district athletic facilities for the benefit of general park user groups. Therefore, in discussing a possible City contribution to the school district for the BHS/BMS expansion project, City staff and school district staff have tentatively agreed upon the following shared athletic facility use and other property related items that would be of general benefit to Brentwood:
- Park Department access to schedule use of the artificial turf field at BHS during non-school hours when not in use by the school district.
- Park Department access to schedule use of the tennis courts at Ravenwood High School during non-school hours when the courts are not in use by the school district.
- Transfer of ownership of the land on which the Woodland Middle School baseball and multi-purpose fields sit, provided the school district will have priority access for school related activities.
- School district agreement to coordinate with the City on future development of athletic facilities at the Split Log Road middle school site with the goal, subject to approval by both parties a full joint use/development agreement for those facilities.
- School district agreement to grant the City a future public sewer easement on the Scales Elementary School property to allow the City to make the existing private sewer line on the school property a public sewer line and facilitate future elimination of an existing sewer pump station in the Arden Woods area.
- School district agreement to grant the City a water line easement in a mutually agreed upon location across the Split Log Road school site.
If the City Commission decides to make the requested contribution to the school district, the items listed above would be formalized in an inter-local agreement approved by both parties. In addition, staff would recommend that a contribution from the City be subject to the following conditions:
- The County Commission must approve an intent to fund the proposed BHS/BMS expansion plan at the May 8, 2017 meeting.
- The School Board must approve the school attendance zoning plan commonly referred to as “Plan A”.
- The City’s contribution would be made in two payments. The first payment of $2 million would be made on or before June 30, 2017. The second payment of $400,000 would be made on or before August 31, 2017. Note that approval of this contribution will necessitate a FY 2017 budget amendment for the Adequate Facilities Tax Fund.
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| The projected fund balance in the Adequate Facilities Tax Fund at the end of FY 2017 is approximately $2,350,000. If approved, sufficient funds are currently available for the first proposed payment of $2 million to be made this fiscal year. Based on monthly collections over the past 12 months, it is projected that sufficient funds will be available to complete the final $400,000 contribution by August 31, 2017. |