Mayor Randall Hutto says Wilson County growth 'not out of control,' outlines infrastructure responsibilities

Mayor Randall Hutto told attendees at a county forum that while residents often say "Wilson County is growing out of control," the county's data show most growth has occurred inside municipal boundaries.

Hutto said planners from Lebanon, Mount Juliet, Watertown and Wilson County coordinate on traffic and development review, and that "for the last 7 and a half years, 85% of the growth ... has happened inside the cities," citing 61% in Lebanon and 24% in Mount Juliet. He said that urban-growth boundary developments must go to the approving city planning commission and that those reviews include traffic studies meant to assess effects on county roads.

Responding to media reports that Wilson County was "behind $2,200,000,000 in infrastructure," Hutto said the figure comes from a study he named and that much of the total—he estimated roughly $1.7 billion—covers assets the county does not control (public health, state bridges, utilities and postsecondary facilities). "We control about $541,000,000 of that $2.2 billion," he said, pointing to schools, law enforcement, solid waste and stormwater as county-controlled items.

Hutto also addressed who pays for new infrastructure, saying developers typically install water, sewer and roads and then turn those assets over to the jurisdiction. He urged caution about requiring taxpayers to front-end all infrastructure costs and noted existing funding tools such as the adequate facilities tax and property, wheel and gasoline taxes that support road upkeep.

On roads, Hutto said the county resurfaced more than 500 miles in recent years, completed a county roads study to identify the top 50 candidates for improvement and plans to widen narrow county roads to two 9-foot lanes plus 1-foot shoulders, to be phased in over time.

Audience table exercises and a quick QR poll were used during the event; Hutto cited a poll that showed roughly 71% of attendees said the county was behind on infrastructure. Hutto framed that perception against the county's capital projects and bond rating, arguing that the county has maintained balanced budgets while funding schools and public safety projects.

The presentation included a Q&A and brief table reports; there were no formal votes or binding decisions during the forum.