Tennessee House Bill HB2632

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/10/26
• Refer: 2/19/26
• Refer: 3/2/26
• Refer: 3/11/26
• Engrossed: 3/26/26
• Enrolled: 4/2/26
• Passed: 4/16/26
• Chaptered: 5/1/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Chapter 62 of the Private Acts of 2016; as amended by Chapter 40 of the Private Acts of 2020; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to the Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewerage System.

Summary

HB2632 is a private act amending the charter provisions governing the Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewerage System board. The bill restructures the board to consist of seven members: five citizen members and two city council members. It sets out how the citizen members are appointed, including staggered three-year terms, and preserves the city council’s role in appointing its own representatives to the board. The bill also revises eligibility rules for citizen board members. To qualify, a person must be a Bedford County resident, a bona fide freeholder or householder, a ratepayer of the utility system for at least two years, at least 30 years old, and a U.S. citizen. It further defines “ratepayer” broadly to include named account holders, spouses, adult household members, and certain business owners or officers tied to utility accounts. The act maintains restrictions barring certain public officials and City of Shelbyville employees from serving as citizen members, and it allows vacancies to be filled in the same manner as original appointments.

Impact

The bill amends a local private act affecting the governance structure of the Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewerage System, a municipal utility board in Bedford County. It changes board composition, appointment timing, member qualifications, and compensation rules, while leaving city council members on the board unpaid and allowing the city council to set compensation for citizen members by ordinance. The act does not remove incumbents or shorten existing terms, and it only takes effect if approved by a two-thirds vote of the Shelbyville city legislative body, making it a locally contingent change to Tennessee private law rather than a statewide policy measure.

Sentiment

The available vote history shows strong and unanimous support at every stage, with no recorded opposition in committee or on the floor. The House Private Acts Committee recommended passage, the House State & Local Government Committee also recommended passage, and the bill passed the House floor and the final motion to adopt with unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The lack of recorded dissent suggests the bill was broadly accepted as a routine local governance adjustment.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive controversy in the available record. The main policy choices are the composition of the utility board, the qualifications for citizen members, and the definition of who counts as a ratepayer for appointment purposes. Those provisions could matter to local residents and utility customers because they affect who may serve on the board and how representative the board is, but the unanimous votes indicate no visible legislative opposition. The bill’s local approval requirement also means the key decision point is likely at the Shelbyville city legislative body rather than in the General Assembly.