Brentwood Commission Asks for County Representation on NES Board
Published on March 10, 2026
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – During its March 9 meeting, the Brentwood City Commission officially asked Metro Nashville to amend its charter “to provide for representation of Williamson County residents on the Electric Power Board.”
The Commission approved the resolution in response to Winter Storm Fern, when many of the Nashville Electric Service’s (NES) Brentwood customers lost power for weeks. Several residents contacted the city, via email or through social media, asking for a voice on NES’s governing board – the Electric Power Board.
“I’ve known for a long time that NES covered a good percentage of Brentwood, but I didn’t realize that the charter of NES actually prevents Brentwood from being represented with NES,” Brentwood Mayor Nelson Andrews said. He added later that, “Our community being represented on the decision making of the board of NES, I think, is very important.”
Nashville’s government charter establishes how the Electric Power Board operates, and it currently requires all board members to live in Davidson County. The resolution approved by the commission on Monday served as a “formal expression of support for representation of Williamson County customers” served by NES, and it requested “increased and improved communication” from NES to Brentwood residents.
It is up to the Nashville Metropolitan Government to decide if it wants to consider this request and amend its charter.
Opposition to Williamson County Resolution
Last month, the Williamson County Commission approved a resolution asking the state to amend its laws regarding how municipalities can annex property. The move caught several cities within Williamson County by surprise because the city leaders said the existing process still worked great.
On Monday, the Brentwood City Commission unanimously approved a resolution, “Reaffirming Cooperative Growth Planning in Williamson County and Opposing Williamson County Commission’s Adoption of Resolution 2-26-20.”
“This process has been going on pretty much most of my adult life,” Andrews said. “All the mayors are represented on it, from each of the cities and the county. It has citizen representatives on it, and it’s a very thoughtful process that takes public comment and those things into account. I don’t understand changing it.
Several other Brentwood commissioners voiced their opposition to the Williamson County Commission’s plan, and you can hear their comments here.
The Brentwood resolution opposing the county’s decision is being sent to the Governor, the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, the Speaker of the Tennessee Senate, and members of the Williamson County legislative delegation.
2040 Plan and updated Major Thoroughfare Plan
On Monday, the City also hired McBride Dale Clarion (MDC), a planning and zoning consulting firm, to update Brentwood’s comprehensive plan, known as the 2040 Plan, and the City’s Major Thoroughfare Plan.
In 1999, the City Commission adopted what was then called the 2020 Plan, which served as a guiding document for growth and development over the next two decades. The plan was updated in 2006 and in 2016.
“This is a very valuable document for the future,” Commissioner Ken Travis said. “It’s a big project; it’s a necessary project. We’re blessed in Brentwood to have a lot of residents who are very successful in business, and I think successful businesses usually have a five-year plan, a ten-year plan, and I think this is an offshoot of that.”
MDC has provided comprehensive plans for Williamson County, Tennessee; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Portsmouth, Virginia. It has partnered with Nashville-based Burch Transportation to update the Major Thoroughfare Plan.
The City and MDC will begin the update process later this spring with citizen and business surveys. The contract calls for Brentwood’s 2040 Plan and its Major Thoroughfare Plan to be completed and adopted by November 2026.