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Kevin Brooks and Family

Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks looks toward goals, challenges ahead as TML president

TML President and Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks began his career in Tennessee government in 2006 when he was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives. During his time at the General...
Eastman Molecular Recycling Kingsport Plant

Eastman official shares perspective on how municipalities can grow workforce, industry

As workforce needs continue to shift, municipal leaders learned how they can better support local employers from Adrian J. Holt, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Eastman...
Downtown McMinnville

Leveraging TNECD programs can transform communities

With vision and dedication, cities across Tennessee have realized long-term projects that have been transformational to their community for placemaking and economic development.
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News Across Tennessee

Columbia receives WIFIA loan from EPA for drinking water

The city of Columbia has received a $272 million Water Infrastructure and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand drinking water capacity. The new WIFIA loan will help the city increase capacity and system reliability to deliver safe drinking water...

Loudon history museum selects future home

A former funeral home will serve as the location of a new history museum in the city of Loudon. The former McGill-Karnes Funeral Home on Wharf Street was acquired by the Loudon Legacy Foundation as the new base of the Loudon Legacy Museum, which includes collections formerly on display by the city...

Cross Plains Fire Department receives improved ISO rating

The Cross Plains Fire Department has received a Class 6 Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification for inside the city limits and a 6X for areas outside the city limits.The ISO system ranks from 1 to 10 with 1 being the highest. That evaluation of a community's local fire...

Nolensville breaks ground on new park

Nolensville officials and residents held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the town’s new Chrismon-Brown Park at 1686 Sunset Road. Originally known as Sunset Park, the area was one of few recreation areas available to Black residents prior to integration. It was originally founded in 1909 and managed...

Germantown Fire Department receives Type 2 HazMat certification

The Germantown Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Response Team has earned the Type 2 certification, an accreditation that validates Germantown’s advanced technical expertise, specialized equipment capabilities, and operational readiness to deploy rapid mutual aid in direct support of...

Chattanooga reopens Walnut Street Bridge

Officials in Chattanooga reopened Chattanooga’s historic Walnut Street Bridge after an 18-month, $47 million renovation project. The project included 200,000 pounds of new steel, paint, a new deck, structural repairs, and LED lighting. Originally constructed in 1890, the Walnut Street Bridge...
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People

TML hosts Southern Municipal Conference Summit in Chattanooga

Southern Municipal League Conference

The Southern Municipal Conference held its annual summit at the Read House in Chattanooga. The summit includes tracks for executive directors, deputy directors, lobbyists, elected officials, IT...

Meet the Mayor: Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks

Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks

Get to know Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks.

Earnest Jackson III

Earnest Jackson III
Earnest Jackson III

Earnest Jackson III has been appointed the new internal auditor for the city of Jackson. Jackson will report directly to Mayor Scott Conger, overseeing the city’s audit committee and conducting protective and constructive audits across all municipal departments, evaluating the adequacy of accounting...

Mona Lawrence

Mona Lawrence
Mona Lawrence

Mona Lawrence, former receptionist and administrative assistant for the Tennessee Municipal League, died Oct. 2, 2026, at the age of 77. Born in Cairo, Ill., and raised in Bardwell, Ky., where her father served as mayor for 25 years, Lawrence earned an associate’s degree in secretarial science from...

Devon Parks

Devon Parks
Devon Parks

Devon Parks has been selected as the new director of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center by Brownsville Mayor William D. “Bill” Rawls Jr. Parks has spent the past five years working at the center, which welcomes visitors to the history and heritage of Brownsville, Haywood County, and West...

Amy Warner

Amy Warner
Amy Warner

Amy Warner has been named the executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism. Warner joined the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism in May as interim director and brings with her more than 20 years of experience in local tourism, marketing, and hospitality. She spent nine years as a...
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State Briefs

THEC: Tennessee higher ed enrollment up 1.3%

Enrollment at public community colleges and universities in Tennessee has increased for the fall 2026 semester with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission recording 228,352 students enrolled. This is a 1.3% gain – approximately 2,933 students – from last year’s numbers. First-time freshman...

TVA records several power demand records in September 2026

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has reported it set multiple high power records in September due to unseasonably high temperatures across the region. TVA said the powerful heat dome sent temperatures above 100 degrees, leading to homes, businesses, and industries consuming significantly more...

TACIR: Tennessee faces $400M budget shortfall in highway maintenance

Tennessee has a $400 million gap in the cost of operating, maintaining, and improving its highways, according to a recently released report by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR). The study conducted by TACIR found that either increasing taxes or borrowing money...

Tennessee's August 2026 unemployment rate remains steady

Tennessee’s August unemployment rate held steady for a second month at 3.4%. Data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) indicates the rate for July and August is the lowest unemployment Tennessee has experienced this year, and is down one-tenth of a percentage...

Tennessee's August 2026 revenues $54.6M above estimates

Tennessee revenues exceeded budgeted estimates for the month of August with Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson reporting total August tax revenues were $1.7 billion, $54.6 million more than the budgeted estimate, and $88.1 million more than August 2025.  

The total tax...

Tennessee launches Music Advisory Council

The state of Tennessee has created a new Tennessee Music Advisory Council (TMAC). TMAC aims to  build and sustain a community-led music advocacy organization that supports music professionals through economic opportunity, professional development, stronger networks, and accessible spaces while...
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TML Updates