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Tax break considered to lure hotel
Hotel
This is a rendering of a 74-room hotel thats proposed for Sparta Street across from the hospital. The development will include a restaurant and retail space.
Lisa Hobbs
Updated: Jun 17, 2018, 3:22 AM
Published: Jun 17, 2018, 3:23 AM

Property tax relief is under consideration to attract a hotel into Warren County, a development appraised at almost $10 million.

David Hunt of Hunt Properties seeks to construct a Hilton Gen 8 Hampton Inn Hotel, along with restaurant and retail space on the empty lot on Sparta Street across from Saint Thomas River Park Hospital.

The hotel would have approximately 74 rooms with an indoor swimming pool and approximately 2,000 square feet of conference room space. A retail center would be approximately 20,000 square feet. The restaurant has not been named.

Plans for the project have been submitted to the Warren County Tax Assessor’s office and an appraisal has been set at $9.73 million.

Current property taxes on the empty lot are $6,685 annually. After development, estimated annual property taxes are projected to be $157,585.

For his investment in Warren County, Hunt has requested a property tax rebate from both local governments through the Industrial Development Board.

IDB director Don Alexander presented the deal, called Tax Increment Financing (TIF), to members of the city Finance Committee in hopes of gaining approval.

“This Hilton property is as nice of a facility as this area can command,” said Alexander. “This is going to be something we can be very proud of. It’s something that I would have no hesitation inviting my relatives to come in and stay.”

Alexander estimated, using the county’s appraisal on the project’s plans, the annual property taxes after development to be $157,585. Left unchanged, city government would receive $81,018 and county government $76,567.

Under TIF, $138,345 is considered “available tax increment” and by the agreement, that amount would be rebate at a rate of 70 percent to Hunt Properties, 29 percent to Warren County Schools and $1,383 to IDB for an administrative fee. The agreement would be for 20 years.

“He wanted a higher percentage, but we negotiated that down,” said Alexander. “We also wanted Warren Schools to get 29 percent. Tennessee Code Annotated lets us get a service report fee so that’s why we took 1 percent to handle all the paperwork.”

At the estimated amount of $138,345, Hunt Properties would have $96,841 of its property taxes returned, Warren County Schools would receive $40,120, and IDB $1,383 annually.
Alexander reminded officials the city of McMinnville will soon have a 5 percent hospitality tax on local hotels, and is currently in the process of designating that tax to the Tourism Development Board at 100 percent.

Alexander estimated, on $109 a night room rate and an 80 percent occupancy rate for 360 days each year, a 74-room hotel will generate $115,758 a year in additional taxes for the city. Likewise, Warren County government has a 5 percent hotel tax and it would also receive $115,758.

“Keep in mind, this is just the hotel tax and it’s already greater than the incentive for him to bring in his facility,” said Alexander. “We haven’t thrown in anything like sales tax or any other taxes. We haven’t thrown in the fact this could be a catalyst for bringing in entertainment venues, ball teams, and nursery shows. The list goes on and on.”

Finance Committee member unanimously approved the property tax relief. The measure will be sent to the full Board of Mayor and Aldermen for its consideration. If the deal is approved, Alexander will then turn his attention to obtaining Warren County government approval.
Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
local news.png
Published: Apr 2, 2025, 11:31 PM

Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community