Brentwood City Commission Votes to PARTY on Taxpayer Dime - in Cool Springs!

Monday night's Brentwood City Commission meeting included a vote on the city's annual employee recognition dinner scheduled for this coming November 13. The dinner is budgeted at just over $12,000 of taxpayer funds. The motion passed unanimously among the seven commissioners during the evening's New Business portion (after a resident requested that it be removed from the consent agenda where it was originally scheduled). Not a single commissioner voiced any alternative idea to reduce costs, reservation about spending that kind of taxpayer money outside the city, or concern of how Brentwood residents may view such a voluntary expenditure of taxpayer dollars.

The dinner will serve approximately 275 city employees a selection of chef's choice butler-passed Hors d'Ouevres during a reception, a two-entree buffet with upgraded beef carving station, and more at the Embassy Suites in Cool Springs. All this for the low, low cost of $36 per plate plus 22 percent in taxes and fees. Of course, those taxes and fees won't make their way into Brentwood's coffers since the Embassy Suites isn't located in Brentwood.

So, the residents of Brentwood will pick up a tab in excess of $12,000 for a private party for Brentwood city employees and the tax revenue will go to Franklin. (Maybe we can get Franklin officials to send a trolley or two over to Brentwood for a day or two as payback? Maybe on luminaria night? Just saying.) This on top of a 1.5% market pay adjustment across the board for city employees totaling more than $159,000 that also passed unanimously Monday night. 

At a time when the economy is sagging, jobs are scarce, and Brentwood's housing boom is a distant memory, this is a local example of the same type of behavior that caused an uproar on a national level -- spending taxpayer dollars on a private party (AIG) while those same taxpayers are making tough choices on personal budgets at home.

The very least the city commission could have done would have been to ENSURE that the money spent on this party would stay in Brentwood. The catering could have been provided by a local business owner. The event could have been held at one of the schools, one of the country clubs, or, like many companies do, it could have been held in one of our large Brentwood parks. Then it would have allowed the "Brentwood family" to bring their actual families out to celebrate the good job they do running the city. Such a choice may have necessitated moving the date from November if they didn't want to rent a nice tent for shelter, but the current economic environment is different than it was last year or the year before and some concessions could have been made. Even the tent option with tables, chairs, and linens, and a local caterer would have cost LESS than the approved $12,000 expenditure. This isn't about whether or not Brentwood city employees are doing a good job -- they are. This is about the wisdom of the elected officials and how they are choosing to spend taxpayer dollars.

Instead, Mayor Crossley, Vice Mayor Little, and Commissioners Dunn, Reagan, Smithson, Sweeney, and Webb voted UNANIMOUSLY to endorse sending in excess of $12,000 of taxpayer dollars to another local municipality for the purpose of a private party. 

Editor's Note: We propose, given the Friday the 13th date of this private shindig, that the evening's entertainment may be comprised of a screening of everyone's favorite hockey-masked, machete-wielding psycho, Jason, on a big screen in the Embassy Suites ballroom.

Give me a Nickel, Brother can you spare a Dime?

The 10 Brentwood City Commission candidates recently filed financial disclosure statements covering January 1 through March 31, 2009. Examination of the filings reveals some interesting information -- doesn't it always?

How much did the candidates spend at Brentwood businesses on campaign expenses?

Rhea Little spent $5946.92

Paul Webb spent $3465.85

Rod Freeman spent $2492.61 

Other than federal postage purchased in Brentwood (which generates no city revenue), no other itemized candidate expenses went to Brentwood businesses.

How much did the candidates spend OUTSIDE Brentwood?

Joe Reagan spent $4918.47 

• ($2629 to Nashville-based Comcast TV advertising; $1613.05 to Illinois-based company for yard signs and t-shirts; $323.47 to Franklin-based printer; $200 to Joelton-based web designer; $152.95 to Franklin-based magnetic sign company)

Devin McClendon spent $2249.40 

• ($1909 to California-based yard sign company; $223 on digital printing & $116 on emails to separate Nashville-based companies)

Rhea Little spent $1831.47 

• (Pennsylvania-based yard sign company)

Rod Freeman spent $462.25 

• (BrentwoodLife newspaper advertising)

Paul Webb spent $452.29 

• ($289.51 to Nashville-based t-shirt company; $162.78 on Nashville-based computer software)
  

Candidate Regina Smithson's only itemized expenditure on this filing was for mailing labels available only at the county offices in Franklin. Candidates Patsy George, Lydia Hampton, Natalie Mertie, and Miguel Palmer were not required to itemize expenses so it's unknown how much of their expenditures were spent in Brentwood. 

Since purchases from Brentwood businesses generates sales tax revenue for the City of Brentwood in the amount of 1.125%, every dollar spent in Brentwood produces about one cent for the city coffers. That's in addition to the 1.125% that goes to Williamson County Schools. 

So, to candidates Rhea Little, Paul Webb, and Rod Freeman -- THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF BRENTWOOD BUSINESSES. (Maybe next time your spending can be "exclusively" Brentwood-based!)

And to candidates Joe Reagan and Devin McClendon -- BRENTWOOD WOULD LOVE YOUR BUSINESS.

For candidates George, Hampton, Mertie, Palmer, and Smithson -- when the time comes to spend some campaign funds, we hope you SPEND IT IN BRENTWOOD.