Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen Meeting - February 10, 2025

On Monday, February 10, 2025, the Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen met in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building beginning at 6:00 P.M. Vice Mayor Gibson chaired in Mayor Palazzolo's absence, and all five aldermen were present. The board approved its agenda and prior minutes, recognized education award winners, approved a final plan for The Square at Forest Hill Heights, and adopted the city's 2025 legislative agenda for the Tennessee General Assembly.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the February 10, 2025 meeting agenda and the January 27, 2025 regular meeting minutes, both by unanimous roll-call votes.
• Approved the consent agenda as amended, including: the Public Art Commission appointment of Brian Everson; the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development contract; recognition of police criminal forfeiture funds; Resolution 25R03, Amendment No. 5 to the Cash Balance Pension Plan; and revised final plans for Glasgow Planned Unit Development, Phases 2 and 3.
• During consent agenda consideration, Alderman Salvaggio asked to consider placing items 9 and 10 on the consent agenda; Alderman Hicks asked that item 9 remain on the regular agenda for public transparency. The board approved the consent agenda as amended, with the Glasgow PUD revised final plans listed as consent item 8e, formerly known as item 10, while item 9 was heard separately.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dr. Dwayne Gaither, a Germantown resident since 1965 and Glen Alden neighborhood resident since 1985, urged immediate action to improve the safety and condition of Forest Hill Road. He stated that more than 90 trees on the east side of the road are within 15 feet of the pavement, some within one foot, and the road lacks lighting, safe shoulders, and adequate width for passing trucks and emergency vehicles. He said there have been too many fatal and non-fatal accidents and that the issue has been postponed, ignored, or delayed for years, asking the board to expedite improvements.

Special Recognition

• Germantown Education Commission January 2025 Teacher of the Month: Brianna Hopkins, fifth-grade English language arts teacher at Farmington Elementary.
• January 2025 Youth Excellence Award: Caroline Cassat, senior at St. Agnes Academy, recognized for academics, leadership, athletics, and service.
• February 2025 Teacher of the Month: Jordan Bell, sixth-grade math and science teacher at Houston Middle School, recognized for teaching and for directing the school's first drama production in more than a decade.

Discussion Items

• The Square at Forest Hill Heights - Final Plan Approval: Planning staff presented the amended planned development Phase 18D, featuring two 13,000-square-foot commercial buildings with retail, office, and restaurant uses at the corner of Forest Hill, Irene, and Winchester, in the T5 smart code district and part of the Forest Hill Heights Small Area Plan. The project had received Planning Commission and Design Review Commission approval, including five justifiable design alternatives related to building frontage, parking, and screening. Aldermen praised the developer's responsiveness to design review and said the project would set a high standard for the Winchester corridor. The board approved the final plan unanimously.
• 2025 Legislative Agenda: Deputy Piefer presented the city's recommended state legislative priorities, including public safety items such as secure facilities and rehabilitation for serious juvenile offenders, stricter penalties for firearm switches, bail law amendments, juvenile record access for judges, aggravated assault loopholes, and street racing legislation; and general government items such as municipal civil penalties, state preemption limits, local property tax control, short-term rental regulation, sales tax revenue sharing restoration, a Shelby County rental registration program, veterans service officer reimbursement, and state funding for the West Tennessee Premier Sports Complex. Alderman Ulicky noted continuity with prior agendas and emphasized local property tax control and restored state shared sales tax. The board adopted the agenda unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous approval of the regular agenda and January 27, 2025 minutes.
• Unanimous approval of the consent agenda as amended.
• Unanimous approval of The Square at Forest Hill Heights final plan (Phase 18D).
• Unanimous adoption of the 2025 Legislative Agenda.
• Recognition of three education award recipients; the meeting adjourned after all business was complete.