Mount Juliet's ballot asks: "Shall this municipality repeal the adoption of home rule?" What the question means, who backed it and the two commission races.

Mount Juliet voters will decide on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, whether the city should give up home rule. Early voting is already underway and runs through Thursday, Oct. 29.

The question is printed in the City of Mt. Juliet section of the Wilson County Election Commission’s sample ballot. It reads, in full:

Shall this municipality repeal the adoption of home rule?

The answer is yes or no.

What home rule means in Tennessee

Home rule means a city can adopt and change its own charter by local referendum, according to the University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service, which advises Tennessee cities.

It also means the state legislature may not pass private acts that apply only to that city. A home rule city gives up that route, MTAS says. Any change to its charter needs a local vote instead. General laws that apply to every Tennessee city still apply.

Only 14 Tennessee cities and towns have home rule charters, MTAS says. Mount Juliet is one of them, alongside Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Johnson City.

Why the question is on the ballot

The Mt. Juliet Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 on Aug. 10 to put the question to voters, according to the minutes of that meeting. Commissioner Scott Hefner was absent. The ordinance, No. 2026-62, was sponsored by City Manager Kenny Martin and carried a sample charter as an attachment.

The minutes record two reasons given that night:

  • Mayor James Maness said that, in his view, repealing home rule is necessary for the city to set “fair and equitable impact fees.” Impact fees are charges on new development to help pay for the roads and services it needs.
  • Commissioner Jennifer Milele presented a slideshow on how repeal could give the city more tools to hold development accountable, the minutes say.

The board’s Oct. 26 agenda also includes a budget amendment to pay for an impact fee study, according to the city’s public hearing notice. The notice does not give the cost.

The city held public meetings on the question in September and October, including sessions at Mt. Juliet High School, Providence Church, West Wilson Middle School and Mt. Juliet Middle School, according to the Aug. 24 minutes.

Two commission seats are also on the ballot

Two Mt. Juliet Board of Commissioners seats are contested on the same ballot, according to the sample ballot:

Seat Candidates as listed
District 2 Bradford Loomis, Bill Trivett
District 4 Jana Elkins, Jennifer Milele

Trivett is the current vice mayor and Milele a current commissioner. The election commission’s sample ballot notes that where you live decides which contests you can vote in.

When and where to vote

  • Early voting: through Thursday, Oct. 29. Mount Juliet’s early voting site is the community center at Charlie Daniels Park. Our voting guide has the hours and the other sites.
  • Absentee ballots: the last day to request one is Saturday, Oct. 24, according to the election calendar.
  • Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wilson County uses vote centers, so you can vote at any of them. The vote center list includes five in Mount Juliet:
    • Lakeview Elementary School, 6211 Saundersville Road
    • Charlie Daniels Park, 1075 Charlie Daniels Parkway
    • West Elementary School, 9315 Lebanon Road
    • West Wilson Middle School, 935 N. Mt. Juliet Road
    • Rutland Elementary School, 1995 S. Rutland Road

The Mt. Juliet Community Center gym is closed through Nov. 3 for early voting and Election Day. Its regular activities resume Wednesday, Nov. 4, the city’s alert says.

What it means for you

If you live inside Mount Juliet’s city limits, the home rule question is on your ballot. A yes vote is a vote to repeal home rule. A no vote keeps it.

Read the question on the sample ballot before you go, and bring a Tennessee or federal photo ID. Questions about your ballot go to the Wilson County Election Commission at 615-444-0216, 230 E. Gay St. in Lebanon.

Unofficial results will be posted on election night. We will report them, and what the board does next, after the vote.

This story is factual only. Mount Juliet Today does not endorse candidates or positions on ballot questions.