Achievements

• 23 years with a AAA bond rating
• 33 years with the same property take rate 
• 34 years as a Tree City USA 
• 37th year the Finance Department has received the Certificate of Achievement for Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

Timeline  

1969 – On April 15, Brentwood was incorporated as a city. The first City Commissioners were elected on May 15 – John Sloan Jr.; Emery Pewitt, Mayor; and Bob Robinson, Vice Mayor. The private Brentwood Academy also was founded that year. 

1971 – The Brentwood Police Department was created, with Chief Howard Buttrey serving as the city’s first police officer. The City Commission also expanded from three to five commissioners.

1975 – Construction crews began work on the Maryland Farms Office Park. 

1980 – The City’s population nearly tripled in less than ten years, with 9,431 people calling Brentwood home. The City’s municipal offices (City Hall) moved from Pewitt Drive to a larger building at 116 Wilson Pike.

1982 – The Brentwood Place Shopping Center opened, and Williamson County opened the new Brentwood High School to serve the growing community.

1983 – The City took over the Brentwood Library, which was previously part of the Williamson County library system, and it purchased the Buchanan House on Franklin Road to house the library.

1986 – The City established a municipal fire department and built a fire station (Fire Station No. 2) on Wilson Pike, south of Concord Road. Brentwood also bought land from the state to create Granny White Park.

1987 – A new library and municipal center were built in Maryland Farms.

1989 – Betty Reagan became the first woman elected to the City Commission. That same year, the City established a Historic Preservation Board and began building Crockett Elementary School.

1990 – Mike Walker was hired as the Brentwood City Manager, beginning his 22-year career with the City.

1991 – The City opened Granny White Park, and it purchased 160 acres to create Crockett Park. The Rotary Club helped Brentwood convert the old sewer plant on the Little Harpeth River into the Deerwood Nature Park and Arboretum. That same year, the Cool Springs Galleria – a premier shopping mall – opened to customers. 

(Former Vice President Al Gore at the opening of Granny White Park.) 

1993 – Brentwood completed the first phase of Crockett Park, and it opened Middle Tennessee’s first bikeway network. Two historic homes – the Cool Springs House and the Gatlin Log House – were donated to the city. The homes were both relocated to Crockett Park.

1995 – The City opened an amphitheater at Crockett Park. This outdoor theater would later be named after Country Music legend Eddy Arnold after he generously helped fund the venue’s tensile roof.

1996 – The City Commission approved the Governors Club, creating Brentwood’s first private, gated community with an 18-hole golf course. Brentwood also opened a pedestrian path/bikeway that connected Lipscomb and Crocket elementary schools through River Park and Crockett Park. 

1997 – Anne Dunn was elected the first woman mayor of Brentwood. The final phase of the Crockett Park project was completed, bringing a tennis complex, a baseball complex, a concession area, and meeting rooms to the park. The City also launched its first website.

1998 – The Brentwood Library moved into a new, impressive building at 8109 Concord Road. 

2000 – Brentwood’s first police chief, Howard Buttrey, retired after 29 years, and the City installed an early warning system to alert residents about inclement weather and other emergencies.

2001 – The City established a preservation plan to protect the community’s historic sites. Brentwood also opened the 47-acre Tower Park next to the famed WSM radio tower. 

2002 – On May 6, two Brentwood police officers – Sgt. Tommy Walsh and Officer Stephanie Bellis – were injured during a bank robbery. BPD officers were nationally recognized for their courage and actions during the violent altercation. That same year, Ravenwood High School, the Martin Senior Center, and the Brentwood Safety Center East (Fire Station #4) opened.

2003 – Brentwood created a new residential zoning district – Open Space Residential Development-Innovative Project (OSRD-IP) – that encourages open space preservation and more housing options while retaining the City’s one-acre density standard. The City also opened Primm Park – the site of the old Boiling Spring Academy and the Native American Mound settlement. The Boiling Spring Academy was restored the next year.

2005 – The City opened Town Center Way, featuring a roundabout at the intersection of Franklin Road and Wilson Pike Circle. Mike Walker, during his 15th year with the city, was named City Manager of the Year by the Tennessee City Managers Association.

2006 – Following a referendum vote, the Brentwood City Commissioner expanded from five to seven members. The City also created an Engineering Department and a GIS Department, and the Library unveiled its new Outdoor Reading Terrace.

2007 – The Williamson County Indoor Soccer Arena (a joint project between the City and County) opened at Crocket Park. Brentwood also opened its new Owl Creek Park that year.

2009 – The Brentwood Fire Department became the Brentwood Fire & Rescue Department, and it entered into an Automatic Aid Agreement with the Franklin Fire Department. Under the agreement, both departments respond to structure fires within a defined area.

2010 – On May 1-2, during the “Flood of 2010,” Brentwood received an unprecedented 14-17 inches of rain in less than 30 hours. That event proved to be the worst natural disaster in the City’s history, causing water damage to 262 homes, along with mudslides and damage to roads and bridges. That same year, the City purchased the 320-acre Ravenswood Farm from the Smith Family. 

2012 – In a year of accolades, Brentwood was named the “smartest” mid-sized city in Tennessee, the library was recognized as the 8th best children’s library in the country, and the city’s drinking water system received a perfect score during the state’s annual Drinking Water Quality Audit. The Native American Mounds at Primm Park (also known as the Fewkes Mound Site) was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

2013 – After 22 years of service, City Manager Mike Walker retired. He was succeeded by Kirk Bednar, who’d worked as Brentwood’s Assistant City Manager for the last 12 years.

2016 – Lynda Lynch, Brentwood’s first community relations director, retired after 29 years of service. 

2017 – The Brentwood Library was renamed The John P. Holt Brentwood Library in recognition of a $4.2 million bequest from the Holt Family estate.

2018 – The Brentwood Fire and Rescue Department launched its drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), program.

2019 – The City celebrated its 50th anniversary with the Golden Gallop Parade through Maryland Farms and the inaugural BrentFest concert at Crockett Park.

2020 – Most city functions pivoted to remote operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with City Commission and Planning Commission meetings taking place virtually. On June 18, Officer Destin Legieza was hit by a drunk driver, becoming the first Brentwood police officer killed in the line of duty. 

2021 – The Brentwood Police Department officially opened its state-of-the-art, 56,000-square-foot, headquarters building at 910 Heritage Way. The building was the largest capital project in Brentwood's history.

2022 – The City unveiled the Miles Together Inclusive Playground – the city’s first inclusive playground – at Granny White Park, and it hosted the grand opening for Brentwood Fire Station 5 in the Southeast Corner of the City. That year, the Tennessee City Management Association named Kirk Bednar the 2022 City Manager of the Year.