State Representative Tandy Darby spoke at the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce’s Capitol Talk on Friday, February 13, held inside the Carroll County Civic Center. He touched on a number of legislative initiatives currently going through General Assembly.
The session began with a moment of silence and prayer led by Carroll County Mayor Joseph Butler for the family of fallen Deputy Derrick Bonham, who was from Darby’s hometown of Greenfield.
Property Tax Constitutional Amendment
Darby said his primary legislative focus is the constitutional amendment to remove state property tax from the Tennessee Constitution. The measure will appear on the ballot this November, and has been a priority of his for three years.
“We haven’t had a property tax since 1938 when the sales tax was introduced, but it’s still in the state constitution,” Darby explained. “With an administration change, the state could revert back to not only city and county property tax, but state property tax too.”
The amendment is supported by Governor Bill Lee as state chair, Speaker Cameron Sexton as East Tennessee chair, and Senator Ferrell Haile as Middle Tennessee chair. Darby serves as West Tennessee chair for the initiative.
However, Darby acknowledged concerns about various property tax proposals circulating in the legislature, including bills that would cap annual property tax increases or eliminate property taxes entirely at the local level.
Immigration Enforcement Package
House leadership has introduced a 10-bill legislative package addressing immigration enforcement and border security. Darby presented statistics to illustrate why he supports the immigration package.
“[There have been] more than 21,000 criminal charges involving individuals confirmed to be in the country illegally,” Darby said, citing figures that included 41 homicides, over 2,100 violent crimes, nearly 1,600 assaults, 145 sexual offenses, and thousands of DUI charges.
“Those crimes would not have been committed if illegal immigration wasn’t an issue,” he added.
The proposed legislation aims to strengthen cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Q and A Session
Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central High School student Ava Finley asked Darby what motivated him to enter public service.
He recalled a conversation during a college recruiting visit to Texas Tech in 2019, when a retired oil executive and Texas Tech representative asked him “When do you plan on giving back?”
Darby said to the crowd, “I’ve been blessed beyond measure, and that was the right time in my life that I needed to hear it—everything’s not about work, but about trying to improve things a little bit by giving back to what West Tennessee has done for me.”
Property Tax Cap Debate
McKenzie Mayor Ryan Griffin voiced strong opposition to proposed property tax caps, warning they could devastate municipal services.
“If we would have had that in place last year, the city of McKenzie would have been shut down,” Griffin said. “We were already $800,000 upside down before we cut, and if that 6% max would have been in place, we would have had to close parks, streets, and another department.”
Griffin also urged support for returning shared sales tax revenue to municipalities rather than imposing additional restrictions.
Carroll County Commissioner Barry Mac Murphy expressed support for protecting tax relief programs for disabled veterans and low-income residents.
He also warned against abandoning property taxes in favor of a higher sales tax.
“The property tax is one of the most stable of all,” Murphy said. “How many times do we see our property values go down? You don’t see it, but you do see cycles in the sales tax.”
Murphy also advocated for removing sales tax from food as a more equitable approach to tax relief, calling it “the most regressive tax that we can have.”
School Voucher Opposition
Darby firmly stated his opposition to expanding Tennessee’s school voucher program, noting zero impact in the rural counties he represents.
“I talked to every one of my directors in Henry County, Carroll County, and Weakley County. We didn’t lose one student to a voucher to a private school, but everybody in this room paid for it,” Darby said.
When asked if he would support the governor’s push for $300 million in voucher expansion, Darby said, “I don’t care what the promise is or what’s being offered for West Tennessee. I said what I was going to do, and that means not lying to people back home.”
School officials expressed appreciation for Darby’s stance.
“That $300 million could be put into our public schools,” noted West Carroll Director of Schools Preston Caldwell. “It’s not that we’re so against vouchers, but we’re against losing that money that could add to all of our schools.”
Additional Legislation
Natalie McMasters voiced support for legislation designating linemen as first responders, granting them associated death benefits while responding to emergencies. The issue holds special significance in Carroll County following the death of lineman Chance Carlton, whose wife Samantha is helping to lead the charge.
Darby said he is supportive of the bill, and will vote to pass it.
Darby also outlined several other bills he’s supporting this session.
House Bill 2627: Clarifies county highway superintendents may continue serving based on state-established qualifications
House Bill 1799: Updates reporting requirements for the state comptroller’s office
Coerced Suicide Bill: Establishes maximum sentences for individuals who coerce others into suicide, addressing a case from Knoxville where no statute previously existed
Ten Commandments in Schools: House Bill 47, sponsored by Rep. Michael Hale (R-Smithville), would allow local school districts to optionally display the Ten Commandments alongside other historical documents including the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
Supporters argue the commandments represent foundational moral principles, with Hale stating the documents are “the bedrock upon which our nation was founded.”
Opponents including Rep. Harold Love Jr. (D-Nashville) raised concerns about religious inclusivity, saying the bill “does not address other faith traditions being able to also display their laws as a historical document.”
The next Capitol Talk will take place on Friday, March 13 at Carroll County Civic Center. Senator John Stevens will speak.
