A Conversation with Barb Sturgeon, Running for Reelection as County Commissioner in District 8
Today, our Grassroots Spotlight features Barb Sturgeon, who is running for reelection as County Commissioner in District 8.
In this exclusive conversation, Barb shares her vision for infrastructure-first growth, support for teachers through fiscal discipline, and her plan to simplify local government for every neighbor.
Q: What makes you want to serve another term?
I enjoy helping my neighbors navigate Williamson County and getting answers when they need help.
Recently, Com. Drew Torres and I were successful in amending the Williamson County Zoning Ordinance to help ensure that potential new development in Williamson County and especially District 8, is contingent on the utility infrastructure being verified as capable of meeting the increased needs.
This protects Williamson County from new developments exceeding the sewage treatment infrastructure available which has recently been an issue in Wilson County and is applicable to the STP in District 8 called Limestone.
Q: Looking back at your last term, what decision are you most proud of?
I am proud of my engagement with my Grassland neighbors regarding the new private Limestone Sewage Treatment Plant.
As Commissioners, Drew Torres and I have worked to hold Limestone accountable to the Grassland Community, which they serve. There has been numerous broken promises and unmet expectations set by Limestone which bought the plant 4 years ago.
They are in the process of rebuilding the plant located in River Rest subdivision with new technology, obtaining TDEC approval, and obtaining rate increases through TPUC.
While all this is happening, the community in Grassland has suffered numerous unpermitted overflows of sewage from this plant. This has resulted in noxious odors, human waste in their soccer field and contamination of the Harpeth River.
We have been engaging Limestone, TDEC and our local representatives in an effort to improve the situation. We alone cannot fix this problem, but we can stay engaged, speak up and represent our community and invite other community leaders, especially TDEC to address this problem.
This work led to the zoning ordinance amendment I already mentioned.
Q: What are you hearing most from District 8 residents right now?
Many people are dealing with the aftermath of the Ice Storm and have questions regarding debris removal and electrical utility service.
Many residents are concerned about the rebuilding of the Limestone sewage treatment plant that serves the Grassland area.
Q: As more people move into Williamson County, what's your approach to development?
In the past 20-30 years, Williamson County has become a more suburban community and less rural.
I believe the county needs to continue to adjust the zoning ordinance to meet this challenge. We need to more effectively assess the impact of new development on our infrastructure before new development is approved including improving our traffic study review process.
We are behind the eight ball when it comes to overloading county roads, schools, and our stormwater control. We need rural preservation, and unincorporated residents in Williamson County should have a larger voice in the annexation process.
In my opinion, we don't want to stop new development but keep it at a pace that we can control it to areas where the infrastructure can support it.
Recently, there has been controversy over a County Commission resolution that was passed with a majority vote, asking the legislature to revise TN annexation laws.
It addressed concerns over the unassessed impact on county infrastructure, such as roads, schools, etc., that new development might have. It asked for more oversight by the county over annexation, gave more scrutiny in assessing the infrastructure impact of new development, and sought to give unincorporated citizens outside of a municipality's city limits a more significant voice in whether they are in a city's future growth zone (UGB).
I supported and voted for this resolution, not to offend municipal leaders but to give my unincorporated constituents a voice in the annexation process, as they feel unheard in the current Roundtable of discussions on the UGB.
Any elected officials who don't recognize that a significantly large portion of county residents, inside and outside of city boundaries, are dissatisfied with how growth has been handled for the last two decades are out of touch with their constituents.
The negative impacts on residents are real and increasing. Chief complaints are congested traffic, the need to build new schools near developing areas, rising taxes, and increased flooding in neighborhoods.
Q: How do you balance county services people rely on (roads, EMS, sheriff, parks) with keeping the budget under control?
That is likely the hardest thing.
Saying no to building more county assets like jails, recreation centers, court buildings, etc., is not typically popular. People feel that what they want is so little, considering the wealth of Williamson County.
But the answer to the budget isn't a revenue problem; it's a spending problem, and it's necessary to say no to some very good things in order to say yes to better things because our resources are finite.
Just like the United States of America is a very wealthy country, our security is being threatened by out-of-control spending and exploding debt. We should be able to agree that we don't want that here in Williamson County.
Presently, our debt per capita in Williamson County is well over $4000, which is 18-20 times higher than the Tennessee per capita debt.
One example is the Commission is being asked to approve the purchase of 5.69 Acres on Columbia Ave. for nearly $18 million to build a new courthouse building.
Yes, we need a new courthouse. The need is obvious. Do we need to spend $18 million on the land?
I believe the county needs to demonstrate that this is absolutely necessary to pay this exorbitant price for this land before the County Commission approves an $18 million land acquisition.
Some capital improvements can be scaled back, and some can be delayed. We are paying over $100 million annually on servicing our debt. What could we be spending $100,000,000 on instead?
If we could reduce our county debt and the debt service we pay annually, we could be more competitive in obtaining and retaining high-quality teachers, sheriff's deputies, and county employees, and do so in a more strategic way, versus one-size-fits-all raises.
Q: What county service or process do you think is more frustrating than necessary, and how would you fix it?
I think the Subsurface Septic Waste regulation and approval process has been, hands down, the most frustrating for Williamson County Citizens.
The County Commission in Nov. 2025 was successful in creating an SSDS task force to review the septic regulations to suggest amendments to make them more effective and reduce the time and cost to residents attempting to install or revise their septic systems here in Williamson County.
I supported this resolution, and I have been attending these meetings. I am very encouraged by the recommendations they are creating, and I am excited to see the final product because I am confident that the residents will benefit greatly from these revisions.
Q: When you’re weighing a tough vote, whose input do you seek out first?
I try to obtain and gauge input from my constituents first but also research the issues and apply common sense.
Also, there are issues that the public is unaware of or uninformed on that require common-sense answers. I inform folks with my newsletter and that requires folks to read it and engage.
Q: How do you work with commissioners who disagree with you?
Dialogue, listen, and debate.
Q: In a year from now, what specific change would you want District 8 residents to say they can actually see and feel?
I would like residents to see more of their neighbors, and themselves, take an active interest in understanding local government and making an effort to be involved, educated, and vote, with a spirit of community service and making a contribution.
I believe this would make us a stronger, more vibrant community.
To learn more about Barb's campaign, you can visit her website here: Barb Sturgeon, County Commissioner in District 8.
You can also connect with her on Facebook or Instagram.
Please forward this to anyone you know that would also be interested in supporting Barb Sturgeon.
You can also view all the information on the upcoming Elections here.
