Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen Meeting Summary - September 28, 2026

The Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen held its regular scheduled meeting on Monday, September 28, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Municipal Building, 1930 S. Germantown Road. The meeting included special recognitions, a consent agenda, a contested appeal of a Planning Commission decision for Bodine School, and approval of a resolution concerning Tennessee domestic abuse expunction law. The invocation was led by Assistant City Administrator Andy Sanders, and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Vice Mayor Mary Ann Gibson. The meeting opened with a prayer remembering a contracted worker who died that day while maintaining Houston Levee Park.

Special Recognitions

• The Germantown Fire Department received TEMA Type II hazardous materials response team accreditation from TEMA Commissioner Patrick Sheehan and Hazmat Branch Manager Justin Anderson. City staff described GFD as Tennessee's first certified Type II team; Anderson said it is the third Type II team in the state and the first in West Tennessee.
• The Beautification Commission presented the September 2026 Beautification Award to McVeigh Station.
• The Germantown Education Commission presented the September 2026 Teacher of the Month award to Jesse Flesher, a fifth-grade teacher at Dogwood Elementary, and the September 2026 Youth Excellence Award to Elena Cowells, a senior at Evangelical Christian School.

Consent Calendar

• Alderman Brian Ulicky recused himself from the consent agenda.
• Approved items included the TnWARN Mutual Aid agreement; appointment of Melody Wynne to the Neighborhood Preservation Commission; rejection of bids for holiday decorations and installation; Cameron Brown Park pedestrian bridge replacement contract ($53,156); Germantown Athletic Club Renovation Phase V contract ($4,206,815 plus $292,794 contingency); Development Contract No. 1273 for Forest Hill Heights Amended Planned Development Phase 18D; GPAC FY26 donations ($901,478); a $100,000 grant to the Germantown Education Foundation; an MOU with the DEA; a $50,000 MOU/grant with the Germantown Area Chamber of Commerce; ambulance replacement purchase ($359,379); Great Hall media room flooring and chairs purchase ($68,604); and the add-on police software purchase.
• The police software item (8M) authorized purchase of GrayKey cell phone forensic software. Staff cited a $37,370 U.S. Secret Service reimbursement and budget adjustment 27-32; the Mayor's consent summary listed the impact as $37,331. The software was originally acquired through a state violent crime intervention fund grant, and the Secret Service will reimburse 100% of the purchase price in FY27. Staff requested urgency because the federal funding must be expended by the Wednesday after the meeting.
• Alderman Sanders noted the holiday decoration bid rejection leaves time to rebid.
• The consent agenda was approved 4-0, with Alderman Ulicky recused.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No speakers signed up for Citizens to Be Heard.
• During the Bodine School public hearing, appellant Rand Bolden argued that Yester Oaks Drive is not designated as a major or collector street, making the conditional use illegal under the zoning code, and raised traffic, safety, drainage, and existing zoning-compliance concerns. Leslie Bolden echoed those concerns, including construction impacts, blocked driveways, mailboxes, and garbage pickup, and warned of precedent.
• Anne Louise Buisaray of 2411 Yester Oaks raised traffic-safety concerns and proposed re-routing the car line to streets east of Yester Oaks.
• Tim Folk of 8543 Washington Way questioned traffic assumptions and urged the board not to approve an expansion he believes violates Germantown law.
• Ashley Jameson of 2402 Yester Oaks, a neighboring Bodine parent, spoke in favor of the expansion, calling Bodine a great neighbor and describing the need for 40 more children.
• Whitney Ware of 8174 Ravenhill Drive, a former Bodine parent and special education teacher, raised ongoing Dogwood car-line traffic safety concerns while thanking Bodine.
• Frank Ewell Horn of 8559 Dogwood Road supported Bodine, said Yester Oaks is built to collector standards, and cited short dismissal times.
• Charles Tucker of 8369 Willow Oak Road and Larry Willis of 8570 Red Bud Trail Cove raised drainage and flooding concerns; Willis said his pool has flooded yearly for 20 years.

Discussion Items

• Bodine School Appeal: Staff reported the Planning Commission on September 1, 2026, approved a conditional use permit capping Bodine's enrollment at 140 students and a revised final site plan adding just under 26,000 square feet, including four classrooms. The plan increases enrollment from 100 to 140, adds seven staff, doubles on-site parking, and increases on-site vehicle queuing from 6 to 43 cars, reducing estimated off-site queuing from about 35 to about 15 vehicles during the school year; summer program queuing would drop from 48 to about 11 vehicles. Bodine Head of School John Murphy said the school currently serves 94 students with dyslexia and has a 30-name waiting list.
• Board discussion addressed the collector-street issue, legal non-conforming use, drainage and detention, landscaping and lighting, and traffic. Assistant City Attorney Josh Whitehead said Bodine is a legal non-conforming use that may expand if nuisance and reasonable-space findings are made, and he clarified that a yes vote on the motion would favor the appellants. City Engineer Jennifer Allen said the proposed on-site underground detention would improve the site's existing runoff contribution. Several board members said the project would improve existing neighborhood conditions, including queuing and drainage.
• A motion to approve the appeal, which would overturn the Planning Commission's decision, was made by Alderman Salvaggio and seconded by Alderman Hicks.
• Resolution 26R16: Vice Mayor Gibson presented the resolution requesting the Tennessee General Assembly amend expunction law (TCA 40-32-106) to give judges discretion to delay expunction for up to one year for certain dismissed domestic abuse cases. She cited Judge Greg Gilbert and noted that more than 60% of Shelby County domestic abuse prosecutions are dismissed for lack of prosecution. Suburban municipalities agreed to take up similar resolutions.

Key Outcomes

• The agenda was set as amended to add item 8M, and the September 14, 2026 meeting minutes were approved.
• The consent agenda was approved 4-0.
• The Bodine School appeal was denied: the motion to overturn the Planning Commission's decision failed on a 0-5 vote, so the conditional use permit and revised final site plan remain approved and will continue through the design review process.
• Resolution 26R16 was approved unanimously (5-0). The mayor is authorized to transmit copies to the Tennessee House and Senate speakers, the Tennessee Attorney General, judiciary committee chairs, and the Shelby County Legislative Delegation.
• Announcements included the city's reaffirmed Triple-A bond ratings from Moody's and S&P and the opening of city board and commission applications from October 1 through November 30, 2026.