As tensions surrounding development boil to the surface once again, it’s easy to cast blame, point fingers, or wish things were different, or harken back to simpler times. And while citizen involvement is essential in a small town like ours, we should also take a moment to recognize the difficult position our Mayor and Board of Aldermen (BOMA) are in. Their role isn’t just to say “yes” or “no” to new projects—it’s to responsibly govern a diverse community, balancing long-term vision with daily responsibilities, and doing so all within the constraints of a modest town budget.
Let’s be honest: everyone wants to keep Coopertown rural, peaceful, and safe. But we also want well-paved roads, reliable police protection, strong fire services, and access to water and other infrastructure. These things don’t appear magically. They cost money. And that revenue has to come from somewhere.
That’s the challenge: how do you preserve the character of a town without starving it of the resources it needs to take care of its citizens?
Smart Growth Isn’t Selling Out—It’s Stewardship
The key isn’t no growth. It’s smart growth—growth that matches the scale, infrastructure, and values and vision of Coopertown citizens. It’s projects that are well thought out, responsibly placed, and beneficial not just for new arrivals but for the residents who already call Coopertown home – many of whom have lived here their whole life.
Mayor Jeff Smith and the BOMA are trying to thread a very difficult needle. On one hand, there’s real pressure from property owners and developers coupled with the economic realities of managing a small town with increasing demands. On the other hand, there’s a vocal and engaged community that rightfully wants to protect what makes Coopertown special. Striking a balance between those two forces is no small, easy, or enviable task.
Whether it’s evaluating the impact of a small rezoning request on Woods Road or weighing the long-term implications of a mixed-use development on Highway 49, all of these decisions carry weight and consequences. And they often involve unseen trade-offs, compromises, and difficult calls that won’t win applause from either side.
The Elephant in the Room: Revenue
It’s time we all acknowledge what often goes unsaid in many of these sorts of conversations: things cost money—and Coopertown has needs and responsibilities.
Our roads need maintaining. Our police and fire departments need staffing and equipment. We need expanded infrastructure and maintenance. While our BOMA and city staff have done a commendable job of finding creative solutions within limited means, the truth is revenue is finite. There is no bottomless pit filled with cash, or forest of trees upon which money grows.
Coopertown has the second-lowest property tax rate in Robertson County. That sounds great until you consider what it means: we have less to work with…fewer tools to solve the problems we have now, and those surely ahead.
In a world where we say “no” to most new development—and especially to commercial, sales tax-generating development away from the interstate or Highway 431—the financial burden inevitably shifts to the property owners. If we want to maintain and improve our services without building strip malls or subdivisions, the only viable alternative is to raise property taxes.
And let’s be honest: no one wants that either. Citizens don’t want it. Leaders don’t want it. It is the proverbial third rail, politically.
So we have put BOMA in an impossible position—trying to deliver more with less, while being told to avoid both development and tax increases. At some point, we as a community have to make a choice.
Do we allow for strategically placed commercial development (away from the interstate and Highway 431) that contributes to our tax base and offsets infrastructure costs? Or do we accept that maintaining a low-growth, low-impact rural environment means we, the property and homeowners, will need to pay a bit more to fund the services we all use?
We can’t have it both ways. And that’s not a failure of leadership—it’s a reality of basic economics.
Pick your poison, as they say. Personally, I’d prefer to pay more to preserve the rural nature of Coopertown. It is worth it to me. I also realize I am blessed to be in a position where $200 per year in city property taxes vs. $400 per year in city property taxes doesn’t move the needle at all for me. Others may not be in such a position…but I firmly believe there is a creative solution to this problem.
Local Control Is Still the Best Control
Last year some in the community suggested reverting Coopertown back to county governance—a move that might seem attractive when frustrations boil over, specifically on the topic of property taxes.
When you have a town government, you have a seat at the table. You know the names of the people making decisions. You can email them, call them, and see them out and about. You can show up at a meeting and look them in the eye and say your piece…and actually be heard.
If Coopertown were to dissolve back into the county, our future would be decided by a group of commissioners who mostly don’t live here, likely don’t share our values on maintaining the rural nature of our area, and don’t understand our local needs, wants, and desires. Don’t take my word for it – look at what the county commission has allowed to occur across the county – we are seeing major pushback all over the county regarding growth and development they’ve courted and approved.
We’d lose more than local leadership—we’d lose local voice. With a town government, we at least have the chance to shape our own future—through elections, conversations, and engagement. That’s worth preserving, even when the road gets rocky. City property taxes are a small price to pay, compared to the gamble we’d be taking on the fickle finger of fate that is every county commission meeting with developers chomping at the bit to turn a profit no matter what.
Showing Up Matters
This isn’t to say residents shouldn’t question decisions or oppose bad plans. They absolutely should. But as we do, let’s also recognize that our leaders are trying to serve a complex and evolving community. Let’s encourage transparency, demand better data, ask tough questions—and keep the conversation constructive, even when we disagree.
Let’s also take some ownership ourselves. If we want to preserve Coopertown, we need to participate beyond Facebook posts. This is a real-world contact sport. I’m not saying you have to run for mayor or alderman. Show up to meetings. Offer solutions, not just objections. Help imagine what smart development looks like—because the truth is, the town can’t just say no to everything and still meet the growing needs of its citizenry.
Development Is a Choice
A citizen at the last night’s BOMA meeting said it best:
“Development is a choice. It need not be thrust upon us.”
That sentiment captures the heart of where we are today. We are not powerless. We are not victims. We have choices—and we have a voice.
Growth and development will continue to knock on our door, but how we respond is entirely up to us. We can choose to reject careless, quick-profit, ill fitting development. We can choose to require thoughtful, well-planned projects that serve the public good. We can choose to preserve the rural soul and nature of our town while still making room for some progress.
But choosing not to act—or demanding “no growth, no taxes, no changes”—is a choice too. One that risks underfunding our services, overburdening our roads, and backing our local leaders into a corner with no good options.
If we want to preserve Coopertown as we know it, we must be willing to engage in the messy middle—to make informed, sometimes difficult choices that reflect our values and protect not only our present, but our heir’s future.
Development doesn’t have to be thrust upon us. But if we want to steer it instead of being steamrolled by it, we need to show up, speak up, and stay involved.
We have a local government. We have a seat at the table. Let’s use it—not just to say “no” but to say “what comes next.”
Got an opinion? Drop us your editorial at coopertowntimes@gmail.com
