Pillar 4 of 5
One County, One Table
"Coffee County has been governed as a divided county. Manchester goes one way. Tullahoma goes another. Arnold Air Force Base sits in the middle. On Day 1, I'm calling the meeting."
14 actions · Intergovernmental coordination, schools, federal relationships, state legislature, TCSA membership
The model — proven in East Tennessee
Anderson County built a formal table where county, cities, and Oak Ridge National Lab sit down together. Coffee County has Arnold Air Force Base. There is no excuse for not having that same table.
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank established a formal Intergovernmental Committee — documented joint sessions with Oak Ridge, Clinton, and DOE/ORNL/Y-12 officials since 2019. The result: coordinated infrastructure planning, shared federal advocacy, and a county that speaks with one voice to its federal partners rather than three separate governments talking past each other.
Coffee County's situation is directly analogous. Arnold Air Force Base — 39,000 acres, $1.2 billion in annual economic impact, $4.6 billion in active federal contracts — sits in the middle of Coffee County. Manchester and Tullahoma are both independent cities that share infrastructure, schools, and roads with the county. Bonnaroo lives in an active lawsuit. The schools and the county talk past each other on capital needs. The first step is sitting everyone in the same room. That happens in the first 30 days.
Source: Anderson County Intergovernmental Committee — andersoncountytn.gov/intergovernmental-committee/. Authority: TCA 5-6-106; TCA 12-9-104 (Interlocal Cooperation Act). Arnold AFB economic impact: $1.233B annual (AEDC).
14 Actions — Convene, Coordinate, Connect
A21 — Month 1
Sit down with every one of the 18 commissioners in my first 30 days
Individual one-on-one meetings with all 18 Coffee County commissioners within the first 30 days. Cheryl committed to this on camera at the Thunder Radio forum on April 16 — and received the strongest applause of her debate segment for it. This is the structural precondition for every commission-vote-required action in this plan.
Authority: TCA 5-6-101.
Month 1
A37 — Week 2-4
Within 30 days: get the Manchester and Tullahoma mayors and Arnold AFB at one table
A tri-party executive meeting — Coffee County mayor, Manchester mayor, Tullahoma mayor, and Arnold AFB leadership — within the first 30 days. Agenda: infrastructure coordination, shared planning for the I-24 corridor, and the federal advocacy opportunities that require a unified county voice. This is not a commission meeting; it does not require a quorum of any governing body. It is an executive-level convening that Coffee County has never had on a regular basis.
Authority: TCA 5-6-106; TCA 12-9-104. Informational workshops are not "covered meetings" under TN OMA when no quorum of a single body is present (TN OMA FAQ).
Mayor Convenes
A38 — Month 1
Within 30 days: a school coordination meeting between the county, the cities, and the school board
A coordination meeting — county, Manchester, Tullahoma, and Coffee County Schools — within 30 days. Agenda: capital needs alignment, the 20-acre opportunity behind Batesville for a new high school or 9th Grade Academy (offered by Mayor Hobbs), and the federal partnership opportunities (USDA CF, OLDCC/DCIP) that a unified ask unlocks. Cheryl committed to this on camera at the April 16 forum, naming a 30-day timeline. Mayor cannot commit county funds to school construction — this is convening, identifying, and presenting to the commission.
Authority: TCA 5-6-101; TCA 49-2-301 (school budget vested in Board of Education — convening only).
Mayor Convenes
A39 — Quarter 1
Get the county and city in one room on water infrastructure — starting with the J.E. Sarton Road question
At the April 16 forum, a moderator named four specific residences on J.E. Sarton Road dealing with a 4-inch vs. 6-inch water line dispute. Cheryl named the dispute correctly. A mayor who knows where J.E. Sarton Road is — and what the problem is — is worth more to those four families than a mayor who pivoted to a different topic. I will bring county and city to one room on water infrastructure cost-sharing. Note: Manchester sewer overflows are a city issue, not a county issue. This conversation is about county water-line cost-sharing — different systems.
Authority: TCA 12-9-104 (Interlocal Cooperation Act).
Mayor Convenes
A46 — Week 1
Publish how I'll choose people for county boards — before I appoint anyone
Coffee County has more than 35 advisory and regulatory boards. Before the first name goes to the commission for confirmation, I will publish the criteria I will use to select members: relevant expertise, geographic distribution, willingness to attend and prepare, and no conflicts of interest. Establishing the standard before the first appointment makes the appointments themselves credible. This is Cheryl's own standard — not a comment on anyone else's.
Authority: TCA 5-6-106(c) (mayor appoints, subject to commission confirmation).
Week 1
A48 — Month 2-3
Partner with the regional planning agency on a real growth study — and an honest look at I-24 corridor capacity
The South Central Tennessee Development District (SCTDD) is a state-enabled regional planning organization with Coffee County data capacity that Coffee County does not have in-house. A partnership on a current growth study — covering I-24 corridor capacity, infrastructure needs, and development pressure — provides the analytical foundation for every Year 1-2 land use decision, including the Urban Growth Boundary amendment.
Authority: TCA 12-9-104 (Interlocal). Contracts above $10K require commission.
Mayor Convenes
A49 — Day 1
Day 1: introduce myself to Senator Bowling and Representative Bricken — Coffee County has work to do at the state level
Coffee County's state delegation is Senator Janice Bowling (SD-16) and Representative Rush Bricken (HD-47). Day-1 relationship establishment unlocks every state-dependent revenue tool: the Adequate Facilities Tax path, hotel tax guidance through CTAS, THDA workforce housing coordination, and any 2027 General Assembly legislation Coffee County needs. Senator Bowling is a property rights champion with direct alignment on the 5-acre repeal position.
Delegation: Sen. Janice Bowling (SD-16), Rep. Rush Bricken (HD-47).
Mayor Convenes
A50 — Day 1
Ask TDOT for the current condition report on Coffee County bridges — and work with the elected Highway Superintendent
I'll get the current TDOT bridge condition report for Coffee County's 630 miles of county roads — and I'll be working with the elected Highway Superintendent, since county roads are his responsibility and ours together. The TDOT report is a prerequisite for Bridge Investment Program and RAISE grant applications. TACIR identifies $259.8 million in Coffee County transportation needs. The bridge inspection report is a zero-cost Day-1 phone call that unlocks a multi-million-dollar infrastructure funding pipeline.
Authority: TCA 54-7-106. Federal programs: BIP and RAISE grants. TACIR 2026 transportation needs: $259.8M.
Mayor Convenes
A51 — Day 1
Call OLDCC week one — the federal government will pay for our planning study around Arnold AFB
The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) has two relevant programs: the Joint Land Use Study (JLUS — federally funded planning document) and the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP — $1-5M for AFB-adjacent infrastructure). A JLUS for Arnold AFB — which does not currently exist — can become the data-driven, DoD-compatible planning framework that replaces the 5-acre rule's blunt moratorium with something that actually works. No prior Coffee County mayor has made this call.
Authority: TCA 5-6-106. Grant potential: $250-400K JLUS + $3-10M DCIP (10-25% local match). Arnold: 39,000 acres, $1.2B annual impact, $4.6B active federal contracts.
Mayor Convenes
A22 — Week 1 / Month 2
Bring in UT Extension to help our farmers with the Governor's preservation easement program
Governor Lee signed the Tennessee Farmland Preservation Act (PC 470, May 2025) — $25 million in conservation easements for Tennessee farmers, effective July 2026. The UT Extension office is one block from the Assessor. Cheryl committed to this on camera at the April 16 forum. I will partner with the UT Extension Office to hold seminars for Coffee County farmers on how to access the preservation easement program before the first cycle closes. Coffee County has more than 700 farms (USDA 2022).
Authority: TCA 5-6-106; TCA 12-9-104; TCA 49-9-106 (UT Extension). PC 470 enacted May 2025.
Mayor Convenes
A13 — Week 1
Week 1: get briefed on the Bonnaroo lawsuit and the $6.9M federal deadline — then bring options to commissioners
Two open items require immediate attention from the county attorney. First: the active lawsuit between Coffee County and the City of Manchester over Bonnaroo's 2021 annexation — and what options exist. Second: Coffee County's ARPA $6.9M has a December 31, 2026 spend deadline — eight months from inauguration. If a spend plan is not locked, the new mayor faces forfeiture of $6.9M in federal funds in Year 1. I will get briefed Week 1 and bring options to your commissioners. Mayor cannot settle the lawsuit without a commission vote.
Authority: TCA 5-6-101 (mayor directs county attorney); TCA 5-6-108; TCA 5-6-112. ARPA $6.9M spend deadline: Dec 31, 2026.
Week 1
A57 — Month 1
Join the Tennessee County Services Association — and be at the Fall Conference in Murfreesboro, October 21-22
TCSA is the authoritative association for Tennessee county officials — the annual Fall Conference in Murfreesboro (October 21-22, 2026) is the largest gathering of TN county officials of the year and falls within the first 90 days. Attending builds the peer-county relationships, Comptroller/CTAS direct access, and state-level voice for the 2027 General Assembly session that every item in this plan depends on. Coffee County's position as a potential first-county IDD user would be a natural conference talking point.
Annual dues: nominal. Conference travel: ~$500-800.
Mayor Convenes
A42 — Month 1
Show up at every Chamber and civic group in the first 30 days
The Manchester-Coffee County Chamber and the Tullahoma Chamber of Commerce are both part of the mayor's territory — and they should both get the same attention. Within 30 days: an appearance at every major Chamber and civic group in the county. Showing up early says the mayor's office is here as a partner — for every chamber, every civic group, every district. Rural community engagement comes first before any Chamber scheduling; every district gets equal time.
Authority: TCA 5-6-106 (convening). Tourism economic impact: $146M (2024 countywide).
Mayor Convenes
A20 — Week 1
Read the strategic plan in week one — then ask every department what they've actually done about it
Coffee County has a strategic plan. Key recommendations in that plan — a 10-year capital plan, employee compensation procedures, Justice Center improvements, and a tourism council — are largely unexecuted as of 2026. The plan was built before the 5-acre upheaval, the FY25 deficit, and the Manchester library crisis. Week 1: read the plan. Send every department head a letter asking what they have actually done about their assigned recommendations. This is accountability, not blame.
Authority: TCA 5-6-106; TCA 5-6-108. Note: the strategic plan was not publicly posted as of March 2026. A public records request is submitted during transition if not obtained beforehand.
Week 1
Vote May 5, 2026 — Early Voting Ends April 30
"Anderson County built a table where the county, its cities, and Oak Ridge National Lab sit down together. Coffee County has Arnold Air Force Base. Day 1: calling the meeting."