Tennessee Senate Bill SB2726

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/17/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Chapter 553 of the Acts of 1903; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to funding road and street maintenance within the City of Tullahoma.

Summary

SB2726 is a local act that applies only to the City of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Beginning with fiscal year 2025-2026, it requires the city to appropriate 3.8% of each annual operating budget for maintenance of streets and roads within the city limits, with a floor of $1.5 million per year. The bill amends Chapter 553 of the Acts of 1903 and any amendatory acts to add this funding requirement. The measure is structured as a local option act: it does not take effect unless approved by a two-thirds vote of Tullahoma’s legislative body, and the city’s presiding officer must proclaim and certify the result to the secretary of state. It also includes a severability clause and an immediate effective date only for the purpose of local approval or rejection. In practical terms, the bill would create a dedicated minimum funding level for municipal road and street maintenance and constrain how much of the city budget must be directed to that purpose.

Impact

If approved by Tullahoma’s governing body, the bill would alter local law governing the city’s budget process by mandating a specific annual appropriation for street and road maintenance. It would not broadly change state law for other municipalities, but it would amend the city’s private/local act framework to impose a recurring funding obligation and a minimum dollar amount for infrastructure upkeep.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests strong support, with the floor motion to adopt passing 33-0. No committee transcripts are available, so there is no recorded debate in the provided materials, but the unanimous vote indicates little visible opposition at the chamber level. The bill’s local, infrastructure-focused purpose also suggests it was viewed as a practical funding measure rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the mandatory nature of the appropriation, since the bill requires a fixed percentage of the annual operating budget and a minimum dollar amount to be reserved for road and street maintenance. That could limit local budget flexibility and may be of concern to city officials responsible for balancing competing municipal needs. However, the bill’s requirement that Tullahoma’s legislative body approve it by a two-thirds vote means any local resistance would likely center on the city level rather than in the General Assembly.