Cheatham County explores possible river user fee to offset emergency response costs

Cheatham County commissioners are exploring whether the county should pursue legislation allowing it to collect a fee from commercial river outfitters to help offset the cost of emergency responses on the Harpeth River.

The discussion took place during the Cheatham County Commission's June 22 workshop after District 6 Commissioner Jimmy Hedgepath previously asked County Attorney Michael Bligh to research how other Tennessee counties handle similar fees.

Bligh told commissioners the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation recently began requiring commercial outfitters operating within state parks to obtain a commercial use authorization and pay 3% of their gross revenue from trips inside the park.

He also found only three Tennessee counties — Cocke, Polk and Unicoi — currently levy local fees related to commercial rafting operations.

According to Bligh, Cocke and Unicoi counties charge commercial outfitters $2 per customer, while Polk County uses a formula that divides the county's annual river-related public safety costs by the previous year's number of users to determine the fee. He said Polk adopted that approach after a previous flat-rate tax was successfully challenged in court under federal law.

Bligh emphasized that the fees are collected from commercial outfitters rather than individual residents or private paddlers launching their own kayaks or canoes.

He cautioned commissioners that any similar program in Cheatham County would likely need to be tied directly to the county's actual costs for services such as law enforcement and emergency medical response and would require approval from the Tennessee General Assembly through a private act.

Before pursuing legislation, Bligh recommended determining the county's actual costs, estimating the number of river users and deciding who would administer and enforce the program.

Enforcement has proven difficult elsewhere, he added. Citing reports from Polk County, Bligh said county officials there previously said that only about half of commercial outfitters were paying the required fee, creating enforcement challenges.

Commissioners discussed asking the Cheatham County Sheriff's Office and local emergency medical services to compile data on the number of river-related calls for service over the past few years to determine whether the county's costs justify pursuing a fee.

The discussion comes as river recreation in Cheatham County has changed. Only one commercial outfitter, Foggy Bottom Canoe & Kayak Rental in Kingston Springs, is currently operating. Tip-a-Canoe has not opened for the 2026 season, and the former Music City Canoe property is being considered for redevelopment into a coffee shop, bakery and retail space.

No action was taken during the workshop. Commissioners plan to revisit the topic after additional emergency response data is gathered.