TREZEVANT, Tenn. — After months of recruitment, interviews, and an orientation session with a University of Tennessee consultant, Trezevant’s Industrial Development Board finally has members again.
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted Tuesday night to constitute the IDB with ten members, assigning staggered terms as required by state statute.
Johnna Crouse and Wes Gulley were seated to two-year terms. Kyle Foster, Eddie Granger, Jimmy Kelly, and Tim Pratt were seated to four-year terms. Janet Dickson, Rita Foster, Terry Schall, and Bobby McAlexander were seated to six-year terms. All terms began May 13, 2026.
The board has been without active membership for some time, and city attorney Charles Trotter has spent the better part of three months getting it back on track.
Property Rezoning
The IDB’s reconstitution comes just in time.
The Planning Commission met May 7 and voted to recommend that the Hillsman property — a vacant piece of town-owned land on Broad Street that has been the subject of debate since February — be rezoned from residential to B-1 business district.
A public hearing on that recommendation is set for June 9 at 6 p.m., one hour before the regular board meeting. Anyone wishing to speak for or against the rezoning will have the opportunity to do so. Following the public hearing, the board will take up the ordinance on first reading. A second reading will follow, either at a special called meeting or the July regular meeting, before the rezoning becomes official.
Philip Colwell, who has been trying to develop the property as a grocery or discount store, had requested the rezoning.
The property has been at the center of a months-long debate over who has the right to request a rezoning, what process must be followed, and what the highest and best use of the land should be.
Eddie Granger, who was seated to the IDB Tuesday night, raised a question about whether the IDB should have input on the rezoning before the board acts.
“The Industrial Development Board doesn’t have anything to say about zoning,” Trotter explained. “If anybody wants to come, they can come to the public meeting and be heard like anybody else.”
Fireworks Permit Fee
The fireworks ordinance the board passed in March hit a snag Tuesday night.
Colwell told the board that Trezevant’s $1,500 retail permit fee is significantly out of step with surrounding communities.
He said Bradford charges $100 for the entire year, and that McKenzie’s fee is likely in the same range. McLemoresville, he said, may not charge anything at all.
“I think it’s a little …outrageous,” Colwell said. “Fifty or $100 is more than fair, but $1,500 is a little strong arm.”
The timing is a little close to the holiday.
State permit applications must be submitted at least 20 business days before a retailer opens, putting the deadline for the summer season in late May. Colwell said he had spoken directly with state officials and confirmed he still has time, but not much.
“Can I file for the permit?” he asked the board. “It’s just a matter of whether I write you a $1,500 check or a $100 check.”
The board moved to amend the permit fee to $100, but that requires two new readings of the ordinance, meaning the change cannot take effect before the June 14 retail sales window opens.
Mayor Bobby Blaylock said the board would take up the first reading at the June meeting and try to get the second reading done as quickly as possible after that.
Trezevant’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m., with a public hearing on the Hillsman property rezoning beginning at 6 p.m.
