Courtesy City of Brentwood Web site at www.brentwood-tn.org

The Williamson County Election Commission Tuesday withdrew its demand to use the Brentwood Library as a location for early voting in the upcoming primary elections.

Instead, the site for early voting chosen by the Election Commission will be Berry’s Chapel Church of Christ, located at the intersection of Hillsboro Road and Berry’s Chapel Road. This decision effectively ends the dispute between the Election Commission and officials of the City of Brentwood over the suitability of the Library for the upcoming February early voting period.

In a related move, the Election Commission also approved a recommendation from its Chairman Bob Brown to amend the lawsuit that the Election Commission filed on Friday, January 6 against certain Brentwood City officials, dropping the request for a court order forcing the City to make the Library available for early voting during the period February 22 through 28. Instead, the Election Commission will amend the action to request the Williamson County Chancery Court to review the relevant election laws and declare whether those laws vest discretion and judgment to establish the location of polling places only in the Election Commission, or equally between the Election Commission and authorities that control public buildings, such as county and municipal governments.

Brentwood City Manager Mike Walker said: “The City of Brentwood welcomes the decision made today by the Election Commission to amend its lawsuit. Once we have seen the actual amended complaint, the City will make a decision about how to proceed. It is unfortunate that the Election Commission chose not to have early voting at any of the many locations in Brentwood that are suitable for early voting in high turnout elections. Whether this action by the Election Commission is a responsible decision in the best interest of voters in Williamson County will be for others to decide.”

Election Commission Chairman Bob Brown said: “It’s important that all participants have a clear understanding of how various statutes interrelate and what those statutes mean. The Election Commission believes that the best way to resolve a genuine good faith disagreement on this subject is to ask the Chancery Court for a ruling. By amending the lawsuit in this way, the Election Commission can allow Brentwood Library to go forward with its current plans for Februrary with minimal disruption, while seeking clarification from the Court for future elections.”

The State Review Board will meet on Tuesday in Brentwood to examine Tennessee's proposed nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, including two Williamson County sites.

Beginning at 10 a.m. (CST), the meeting will be held at the Brentwood Library, located at 8109 Concord Road in Brentwood, Tenn.

Under consideration are the Fewkes Group Archaeological Site in Brentwood and the "Old, old Nolensville School" in Nolensville.

The public is invited to attend the meeting.  For additional information, please contact Claudette Stager with the Tennessee Historical Commission at (615) 532-1550, extension 105, or at ">.

The City of Brentwood posted the following statement this morning:

On Friday January 6, 2012, a lawsuit was filed by the Williamson County Election Commission against Brentwood’s Mayor, City Manager, and Board of Commissioners. 

Below is the City of Brentwood’s position (PDF Version) regarding this unprecedented and totally unnecessary lawsuit to allow the Election Commission to unilaterally assume control over the use of the Brentwood Library for conducting county-wide early voting for state and national elections.

Besides having to waste taxpayers’ money to defend the City’s fundamental right to maintain control over the use of its facilities rather than control by an outside party, the following points are covered in the following statement:

Follow up questions regarding this position statement should be directed to City Manager Mike Walker.

January 9, 2012

Statement on Legal Action Filed By Williamson County Election Commission Against City of Brentwood

A lawsuit has been filed by the Williamson County Election Commission, naming the Mayor, the City Manager and the Board of Commissioners of the City of Brentwood as defendants. The lawsuit seeks a court order to compel the City of Brentwood to allow early voting for upcoming state and national elections at the Brentwood Library.

The Brentwood Library functions not only as a repository of reading and research materials, but also as a facility where a broad range of community activities takes place every day. The Library is the only such facility owned by the City of Brentwood. Numerous groups conduct a wide variety of meetings, classes and programs at the Library, in addition to events that are hosted by the City. The meeting rooms are used extensively for these purposes and are typically reserved up to one year in advance.

The Brentwood Library has been and will continue to be used as a precinct location for Election Day voting. At the City’s request, the Library has been an early voting location for Brentwood City Commissioner elections. These elections involve a relatively small number of voters (an average of three to four voters per hour) and can be contained within a small amount of space. In contrast, significant problems have occurred when early voting has been held at the Library for state and national elections, as all registered voters in Williamson County are eligible to vote at each early voting site. The problems experienced in the past have included lengthy lines of voters that disrupted traffic flow both inside and outside the Library, along with obstructive noise levels and an insufficiency of parking to accommodate both library patrons and county-wide voters. There is simply no practical way for the Library to carry out its normal operations while simultaneously operating as an early voting venue for these sizably larger state and national elections.

The Chairman of the Election Commission has given notice that the Brentwood Library will be used for three early voting periods in 2012 and presumably for all early voting periods thereafter. These early voting periods would require exclusive use of Library space for up to 45 days this year. Dates for the first early voting period of 2012 were given to the Library in November, 2011, with only three months time between the Election Commission’s demand and the beginning of early voting in February. During the February dates demanded by the Election Commission, Library meeting rooms had previously been reserved for 18 groups. Use of Library meeting rooms for three early voting periods in 2012 would require cancellation of long-scheduled events, resulting in unfairness and inconvenience both to library patrons and groups who have already scheduled events. One such event is the quarterly book sale scheduled by the Friends of the Library in July and October as a major fundraiser. The book sales cannot be rescheduled, due to other reservations booked for the meeting rooms. A cancellation would result in the loss of thousands of dollars in book sales. Use of the meeting rooms for early voting in the summer would also eliminate space used for the Library’s summer reading program, which serves over 600 Williamson County school children. Sufficient and appropriate space does not exist to conduct early voting at locations in the Library other than the meeting rooms.

The Election Commission maintains that it has a legal right to unilaterally assume control of space at the Library or any other public facility for its purposes. The City of Brentwood strongly disagrees with the Election Commission’s interpretation of state law in this regard, and believes that the aggressive approach taken by the Election Commission’s Chairman in this matter reflects badly on the Election Commission.

Because the City of Brentwood agrees with the Election Commission that early voting provides a valuable opportunity for voters and encourages citizens to exercise their rights, the City has asked the Election Commission to consider alternative locations in Brentwood. Williamson County owns and operates two nearby recreational facilities in Brentwood, one being the Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex on Heritage Way, less than a half-mile from the Library. While the Commission’s Chairman has reported some complaints over use of the Indoor Sports Complex when early voting was held there in the past, it appears that use of a tennis court in the Complex, with a direct entrance from the outside, would resolve the reported problems. Similarly, the Election Commission could consider the potential use of the indoor arena at Crockett Park, which includes meeting room space in addition to the indoor multipurpose field. Since the Election Commission plans to conduct early voting at other County-owned recreation centers in 2012, including the centers at Spring Hill and Fairview, the use of a similar recreation facility in Brentwood would be consistent with those plans.

If the Election Commission does not desire to use one of its own facilities in Brentwood for early voting, the City of Brentwood has offered the use of the City’s Safety Center East. This facility, on Sunset Road near Concord Road, can accommodate the Election Commission with the necessary space for the purpose of holding elections, along with adequate space for the storage of voting machines. Use of this location will not force the cancellation of important programs and meetings previously scheduled at the Library. The Safety Center East could function as an early voting venue for citizens in northeast Williamson County, including the Brentwood and Nolensville areas. In addition, use of the Safety Center East would actually save County taxpayers money in these challenging times by avoiding the need and expense for separate early voting locations in both Brentwood and Nolensville.

Brentwood City Manager Mike Walker said, “The Brentwood Library is simply not a practical location for county-wide early voting in state and national elections. We have tried to work with the Election Commission to help it find practical locations where citizens can vote early. We don't understand why the Election Commission has decided to reject our efforts to help them. This lawsuit is totally unnecessary and a waste of thousands of taxpayer dollars."

Brentwood Library Board Chairman Bert Bosse said: “The Brentwood Library is much more than a collection of books. It serves as the only location of its kind in Brentwood for a wide variety of community events and activities which are frequently planned many months in advance. It is especially unreasonable for the Election Commission to provide only 90 days notice. Any Williamson County parent who uses a planner to organize their family activities can understand how disruptive and unfair it would be. Looking ahead, we always rely on the Friends of the Library book sales, and our programs will suffer if two of them have to be cancelled.”

The lawsuit filed against the Mayor, the City Manager and Brentwood’s Board of Commissioners is unprecedented and unwarranted. The City of Brentwood will continue to resist the efforts by the Chairman of the Election Commission to unilaterally take control over the use of and activities at City-owned property. The City of Brentwood believes that alternative early voting sites are available and can better accommodate both the Election Commission's desire to provide a convenient and cost-effective polling station and the City's desire to maintain meeting space for the myriad community groups who use the Brentwood Library every day. The City of Brentwood is hopeful that the reasonable alternatives offered by the City will be seen by the Election Commission as preferable to unnecessary, expensive and time-consuming litigation.

Don’t miss out on one of Brentwood’s most cherished traditions! Join us Monday, December 5th for the dedication and lighting of the City’s holiday tree at the Brentwood Library, 8109 Concord Road.

The evening is filled with special music, holiday treats, warm cider, and a visitor that seems to appear right from the pages of a very special book.

There will be two readings of The Polar Express taking place around the warmth of the library’s fireplace. Tickets to the reading are free and are available on a “first-come, first-served” basis in the Children’s Library. This is a wonderful family experience you’ll want to make a tradition for years to come!

SAT Practice Exam
September 24 - 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Click on the following link to register SAT Exam

The Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department and the Brentwood Library present a free “Tunes and Treats” Dance for adults the evening of Saturday, October 15 at the library, 8109 Concord Rd.

From Benny Goodman to Count Basie, relive yesteryear and celebrate the big band sound as you jump and jive to the live music of the Williamson County Dance Band, orchestrated by Ken Krause.

The “Tunes and Treats” Dance event is co-sponsored by Harpeth True Value Garden Store, Krispy Kreme, Sam’s Club and The Heritage at Brentwood. Event hosts are the Brentwood Library and the Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department.

The public is invited to this special free event which begins at 7 p.m.

Come dressed to the “nines” or in a Halloween costume and enjoy great music, dancing and some sweet treats until 9 p.m. This is a free event, but space is limited, so you must make a reservation.

To register, call the Franklin Recreation Complex at (615) 790-5719, ext. 10. You must speak with a receptionist in order to make a reservation. You may also register in person at the Franklin Recreation Complex, 1120 Hillsboro Rd. or at the Brentwood Library.

For additional information, contact Angie Halbrooks at the Franklin Recreation Complex, (615) 790-5719, ext. 30.

Williamson County Parks and Recreation is a public organization, here to benefit the community. Anyone may register for and participate in the department’s programs, teams, classes and events. For more information about the facilities and programs of the Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department, visit www.wcparksandrec.com or call (615) 790-5719, ext. 10. You may also receive department information by “liking” Williamson County Parks and Recreation on Facebook.

Boaters can now take the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency boating exam at The Brentwood Library.

Please call to (615) 371-0090 ext. 820 to make an appointment.

For more information go to the TWRA website at http://www.tn.gov/twra/boated.html

The Brentwood Library is celebrating the July 15, 2011 release of the final installment in the Harry Potter film series with Harry Potter Mania July 12-15.

This is a Teen Advisory Board-sponsored library event for all ages.

HARRY POTTER MOVIE MARATHON, JULY 12-15
Bring comfy pillows, sleeping bags, and snacks and catch up on all of the films!
Tuesday, July 12, 2:30-7:30p.m.
Sorcerer’s Stone & Chamber of Secrets
Wednesday, July 13, 11:30a.m-7:30p.m.
Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, and Order of the Phoenix
Thursday, July 14, 2:30-5:00p.m.
Half-blood Prince
Friday, July 15, 2:30-5:00p.m.
Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1

HARRY POTTER TRIVIA, JULY 12-15
Don’t miss the chance to show-off your knowledge of all-things HP. Think you know what a Squib is? Test yourself this week! Come to the Reference Desk for details!

HARRY POTTER DRESS-UP DAY, JULY 15
We’re dressing up like our favorite Harry Potter characters!
Come as your favorite and share your love for the story!