Q&A with Kingston Springs Mayor Todd Verhoven

Kingston Springs voters will see three unopposed candidates for the Town of Kingston Springs Board of Commissioners on the Nov. 3 ballot. The Gazette asked the candidates about their priorities, plans for the town and goals for the next term to help residents learn more about the people seeking to represent them.

Early voting is open through Oct. 29 at Pegram City Hall, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, at Harpeth High School for Kingston Springs residents.

Under Kingston Springs’ commission form of government, voters elect commissioners, who then choose the mayor and vice mayor from among the board’s members. Current Mayor Todd Verhoven and Vice Mayor Mike Hargis are both seeking reelection to the commission, but their leadership roles are not directly decided by voters. The board will determine those positions internally following the election.

Read Mayor Verhoven's responses below.

What are your top two or three priorities for Kingston Springs over the next four years?

My priorities are financial sustainability, reliable infrastructure and responsible growth.

First, we need a realistic five- and ten-year financial plan that matches recurring expenses to recurring revenue, protects our reserves and makes our capital needs visible. Second, we need to keep assessing the sewer system’s needs, including the lagoon project, manhole rehabilitation and inflow and infiltration, while being mindful of what residents can afford. Third, we need to plan growth around the town’s actual capacity and character. That means looking carefully at roads, sewer, public safety, open space and the long-term cost to taxpayers.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the town, and how would you like to see the Board of Commissioners address it?

Our biggest challenge is that the town’s long-term needs are growing faster than our dependable financial capacity. Sewer work, paving, equipment and other capital needs all compete for limited resources, and one-time funding can’t cover recurring costs indefinitely.

I’d like the Board to address this with a clear multi-year forecast and capital plan, regular updates on costs and progress and careful review of how major decisions affect residents. We should pursue grants and partnerships where they make sense, set priorities openly and require new growth to account for the infrastructure and services it will need. We also need to look to and partner with other local municipalities where we can to share resources.

Is there a specific project, policy or initiative you hope to prioritize during the next term?

I want to prioritize a practical five-year capital and infrastructure plan, supported by a five- and ten-year financial forecast. It should show what we need for sewer, roads, stormwater, parks, public safety and facilities; what each item is expected to cost and how we could fund it.

I’d also like major development proposals to be evaluated consistently for fiscal impact, infrastructure capacity, and public benefit. That gives residents and decision-makers a clearer basis for understanding what a proposal means for the town over time.

Looking back on your current term, what do you consider your biggest accomplishment, and what work do you hope to continue?

I’m proud that we have kept difficult, foundational issues in front of the Board and continued moving work forward. During this term, the Board passed zoning to preserve land while encouraging the right type of development, updated personnel policies to better support town staff, created dialogue and meetings on long-term development plans and advanced sewer rehabilitation and lagoon coordination. We have also continued assessing road and paving needs and advancing public-safety equipment improvements.

Those are steps, not finished solutions. I hope to keep working to make the town’s finances more sustainable, address sewer and road needs, and ensure growth strengthens Kingston Springs without shifting unreasonable costs or risks to residents.

With no challenger in your race, what would you like residents to know about your continued service and your plans for the town?

I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue serving, and I don’t take it for granted. Having no challenger doesn’t change my responsibility to listen, communicate openly and make decisions in the town’s best long-term interest. 

My plan is to keep working with residents, the Board, and town staff on the hard issues ahead: financial sustainability, sewer and infrastructure, public safety and responsible growth. I want Kingston Springs to make progress while preserving the small-town character, natural resources and quality of life that make this place home.