Tennessee Town & City - Tennessee Municipal League

Watershed project helping cities build local cooperation, knowledge

Efforts to repair a Tennessee watershed are also building intergovernmental cooperation, institutional knowledge, and public trust for two East Tennessee municipalities.

State officials expressing concern over spread of new, deadly synthetic opioid

Officials are raising awareness about a new synthetic opioid linked to nearly 35 deaths in East Tennessee.

TSDC: Tennesse's biggest growth story may be in Cookeville

A familiar set of counties held the top ten despite some reshuffling, but the more interesting story might be at No. 11.

Comptroller issues guidance for munis overseeing LEA budgets

The Comptroller’s Office of Local Government has issued guidelines for local governments who review the annual budgets of local school districts or systems.

News Across Tennessee

Ashland City to maintain, develop rails-to-trails site

Officials in Ashland City are looking forward to the development of a new rails-to-trails project that will connect the city to the Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail. The Eagle Pass Tract is a former Tennessee Central Railroad corridor that was recently donated to the city by the TennGreen Land...

Columbia, TDOT partner for Bear Creek Pike project

Columbia officials celebrated the announcement of a major transportation improvement project along a major municipal corridor. City leaders joined state officials to announce inclusion of State Route 99 – known locally as Bear Creek Pike – in the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) 10...

Incumbents win in Berry Hill election

Voters in the city of Berry Hill went to the polls on March 5 to return two incumbents to two open seats on the city commission.

Franklin selected as finalist for All-American City award

The city of Franklin is one of the 20 finalists for the National Civic League’s All-American City Award. For more than 75 years, the National Civic League has recognized communities not just for what they've accomplished, but for how — by deepening relationships, crossing divides, and turning civic...

Lumber Liquidators to relocate headquarters to Lawrenceburg

Lumber Liquidators announced the company will relocate its corporate headquarters and warehousing operations to Lawrenceburg from Richmond, Va. The project is a $32.4 million investment and will create 76 jobs. The project will improve the company’s supply chain operations by aligning shipping...

Wood products company to expand operations to Gallatin

Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world’s largest forest products companies, has selected Gallatin for a new wood products distribution center that will strengthen its ability to serve customers and manufacturing partners across the Southeast. The project represents Weyerhaeuser’s first operational...

People

Dwayne Honaker

Dwayne Honaker has been selected as interim fire chief for the Bristol Fire Department. Honaker is a 29-year veteran of the department and has been serving as battalion chief since 2008. He will step into the leadership role after the retirement of current Chief Mike Carrier. Honaker joined the...

Leslie Rucker

Leslie Rucker has been selected as city manager of Tennessee Ridge. Rucker has been with the city for 37 years, serving 29 as utility manager and 8 years as the city recorder. Rucker takes over the city manager role from Kenneth Dunavant, who served as a part-time city manager for Tennessee Ridge...

Brian Koral

Brian Koral has been selected as the new city manager for East Ridge after being unanimously approved by the East Ridge City Council. Koral succeeds longtime East Ridge City Manager J. Scott Miller, who retired in February following 45 years in government services. Koral has nearly 20 years of...

Veronica McGraw

Veronica McGraw has been selected as deputy administration of Chattanooga’s Department of Community Development. McGraw brings nearly 30 years of experience across the nonprofit, private, and public sectors to the position, and she previously served as bureau chief of program operations for...

Jeff Damron

Jeff Damron has been selected as the interim city manager for Tullahoma following the departure of Jason Quick in February. Damron has served as the deputy director of Tullahoma Parks and Recreation since June 2022. He also serves as a board member of the Be Yoga Strong Foundation and has held...

Drew Muirhead

Drew Muirhead has been named the new director of water services for the city of Brentwood. Muirhead will take over the position from Chris Milton, who is retiring after more than 20 years with Brentwood’s Water Services Department. A Tennessee-licensed professional engineer, Muirhead has served as...

State Briefs

Bike TN adds 37 new routes

Cyclists can now experience 37 newly currated gravel cycling routes as part of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (TDTD)’s Bike Tennessee program. The routes bring the total number of routes to 89 and add more than 1,000 miles of diverse terrain. In addition to creating even more...

TDOT to pilot autonomous freight trucks on West Tennesee I-40 corridor

A program piloting the use of autonomous tractor trailers and freight technology will soon be coming to Interstate 40 in West Tennessee.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced the selection of Cavnue, LLC as its private-sector partner for the Memphis/West Tennessee Smart...

Tennessee ranks 44 in annual health survey

Tennessee ranked 44 out of 50 states in the annual America’s Health Rankings, compiled yearly by the United Health Foundation. The state’s ranking came from factors like its high premature death rate, low voter participation rate, the low number of mental healthcare providers per capita, and...

Tennessee January 2026 unemployment rate down slightly

Tennessee’s January 2026 unemployment rate was down one-tenth of a point from December and unchanged from January 2025. Tennessee's January 3.5% unemployment rate remained steady compared to the average unemployment rate in 2025 and is also well below the national January 2026 unemployment rate of 4...

April deadline approaches for new online ADA requirements

The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office is reminding local governments about new federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for websites and social media.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the ADA. These updated ADA...

State officials announce $202M in BEAD program funding

State officials have announced the approval of $202 million in state-administered federal funding to expand broadband access throughout Tennessee. The money allocated for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program will be matched by $200 million in funds by grantees to create $402...

TML Updates

Love Your Block Grant program now open

DRA announces workforce grants

TDEC opens BRAG grant cycle

Restore Return Relief Advocacy