County lobbyist details session wins and losses, including vetoed 911 fee

Rutherford County’s lobbyist updated the steering committee on the just-completed legislative session, detailing bills that will affect county operations and what the county will track during the next filing cycle.

Will Donami (county lobbyist) told commissioners the county was not successful in securing a real-estate transfer tax share this year and that staff will restart work on it in the next session. He also noted several enacted and pending changes relevant to county governance, including a bill requiring public comment for non-agenda items and Public Chapter 599, which will require new commissions to adopt rules within 90 days.

Donami warned commissioners to watch Senate Bill 564, which passed and directs the state Department of Environment and Conservation to promulgate rules governing alternative wastewater systems and redundant land for those systems; he said the passage raised county-level concerns about property protections and bond requirements.

Donami also said tax-cap overhaul proposals that would have affected Rutherford County’s AAA bond rating and debt service did not pass this session. He highlighted a veto: a 911-fee proposal that passed both chambers but was vetoed by the governor on Friday, a result he said would cost the county about a million dollars annually if it had passed. "That pretty much cost us a million dollars a year," a commissioner said; Donami answered that it was "close to that."

Donami praised local lawmakers who aided the county’s interests during the session and said some items are likely to return next year as bills are refiled. Commissioners thanked Donami for his work and credited him with raising alarms on bills that could have imposed significant local costs.

What comes next: Donami said staff will circulate a list of bills to track and prepare for the next legislative filing cycle; county leaders will continue monitoring rulemaking on SB 564 and any renewed efforts on transfer-tax or tax-cap proposals.