S

As Tullahoma continues to prepare for future growth, city officials have announced the current Department of Planning and Codes will be separated into two new individual departments in order to serve residents and builders more effectively.

According to Community Engagement Officer Lyle Russell, the Department of Planning and Development will be led by Charles Rush, who previously served as the Director of Planning and Codes.

“This department will focus solely on working closely with developers and contractors on projects to assure city ordinances are being followed as written, all documents required to be submitted to the Planning Commission are all encompassing, comprehensive plan stewardship, and future land use mapping,” Russell said.

Rush holds a master’s degree from Auburn University in public administration and a master’s degree in community planning. Russell added a Senior Planner is slated to be joining Rush’s team in early 2025. 

The other department will be the Department of Safety and Codes Compliance, which will be led by the City of Tullahoma Fire Marshal, Nick Kimbro.

“Under the new structure, this department will focus on conducting fire investigations, relative fire safety training, building inspections, code administration, and issuing permits as needed by the public,” Russell said.

An employee of the city for over 17 years, Kimbro holds a degree in Fire Service and Administration and Leadership from Volunteer State Community College and is currently enrolled in the graduate program in Advanced Safety Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“Tullahoma continues to realize many opportunities for future growth, and we must ensure our City is solidly prepared to meet its many challenges,” City Administrator Jason Quick said. “Quality and strategic growth is always our top priority. Creating these new divisions in our current organizational structure will successfully drive this focus on maintaining our city’s unique character as development occurs and reducing any impact on our quality of life.

Quick continued, “Critical to this preparation for growth is maintaining a strong balance between preservation and progress all while seeking to enhance the quality-of-life Tullahoma offers. This new structure will allow Tullahoma to provide increased customer service attention to all its valuable stakeholders.”

The two departments will continue to operate out of the existing Planning and Codes building located at 321 N. Collins St. Residents and developers with questions about permitting, construction, codes and enforcement in Tullahoma may contact either office at 931-455-2282.