Trezevant Board Transfers Broad Street Property to IDB

TREZEVANT (August 11) — The Town of Trezevant Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday to rezone the property at 5340 Broad Street South to business and transfer its ownership to the town's Industrial Development Board (IDB) — putting an end to a months-long debate regarding what Town Attorney Charlie Trotter considered "the best piece of property in Trezevant."

In previous meetings, local entrepreneur Philip Colwell showed interest in putting a grocery store on the property, which is located adjacent to Pat's Restaurant on Highway 79. Colwell was scheduled to speak to the board on Tuesday night but was unable to appear. 

The rezoning vote was split 4-1, with Alderman Don Barger being the only member to vote against it.

On the transfer of ownership, Trotter recommended that the council wait before voting one way or the other. He said the board needed to work with the IDB to create stipulations before giving the property away. He also recommended that the property only be offered to potential business owners on a long-term ground lease.

Alderman Barger, a former member of Trezevant's long-dormant IDB, disagreed with Trotter's first point.

"You can't operate an Industrial Development Board if you don't have anything to operate," Barger said. He emphasized that Trezevant's IDB members were hand-selected for the purpose of making responsible decisions and that they should be trusted with the property.

As discussions continued, IDB Chairman Rita Foster said that the IDB is not yet ready to sell or lease out the property and that they want to build a partnership with the Board of Aldermen.

Despite momentarily agreeing that the IDB was not ready for the transfer, the board ultimately decided to transfer ownership in a 3-2 vote. Aldermen Pam Joyner and Dan Dieringer voted against the transfer.

The meeting continued, and Mayor Bobby Blaylock and Alderman Joyner presented the board with separate ordinance requests.

Mayor Blaylock's request to increase the town's maximum spending limit to $20,000 faced criticism from both the Board of Aldermen and Trezevant residents in attendance.

Currently, the Town of Trezevant's spending limit is $10,000. To purchase anything above that amount, the town must run advertisements in the local newspaper and receive outside quotes or bids. 

"As expensive as everything is, $20,000 isn't much anymore," Mayor Blaylock said. He explained that increasing the spending limit will help to replace items in an emergency situation.

However, Alderman Barger countered that there is no room in the budget to spend such a large amount of money and that large purchases should require time and thoughtful consideration.

On the side of the mayor, Alderman Dan Dieringer said he could see the need for raising the town's spending limit in case of emergency and further explained that raising the spending limit does not necessarily affect the budget. "The pot of money is the same," Dieringer said. "It hasn't changed since 1988." 

The board agreed to table the request, not feeling ready to take it to a vote. 

Alderman Joyner's request urged for prompt, fair and consistent codes enforcement throughout Trezevant. She presented an ordinance for Codes Officer Jim Seaton to be able to issue citations to Trezevant residents.

"I've come to the board on many occasions — as recently as May 12 — to ask for support," Joyner said, "and actions have not been taken."

The ordinance aims to beautify Trezevant and requires written notice of violation.

The ordinance passed on the first of two readings.

In other dealings, Trezevant Police Chief Mike Mulligan informed the board of three vehicles — a 1990 Dodge Ram, a 2009 Dodge Charger and a 2002 Crown Victoria — that the department intended to declare as surplus. The board voted its agreement. 

Erik Grimes with the Trezevant Water Department informed the board of $198,000 that the town needed to spend by the end of the year, and Chief Municipal Financial Officer Gabrielle Davis presented budget amendments to the board. The board will meet for a special-called meeting Thursday, August 20, to further discuss the 2026-27 budget.