Wilson County mayor discusses growth in annual address
WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — In Wilson County, growth continues to be a headline. About 60% of that growth has been in the city of Lebanon over the last six years.
While it's considered a desirable location, Wilson County also ranks No. 1 in the state when it comes to public safety, education, and agriculture, according to data from the mayor's office.
'Of course we want to be the best in the state of Tennessee when you compare us to all 95 counties,' Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto said.
During Hutto's annual State of the County Address on Wednesday, March 26, he pointed out Wilson County is the 27th fastest growing county in the nation. Meanwhile, as News 2 reported last year, Lebanon was named the 12th fastest growing city in the country.
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According to Hutto, the county is No. 1 in the state when it comes to public safety based on several factors.
'We've just doubled the size of the jail here in Wilson County. With that double in size of the jail, we put a 911 location center there,' Hutto said.
Last week, law enforcement and first responders across the county trained for an active shooter situation.
'This is a big process, something we've never been through, but it's something that can happen any day,' Capt. Scott Moore with the Wilson County Sheriff's Office told News 2 on Thursday, March 20.
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On top of safety in schools, officials had license plate recognition cameras installed across the county, with cameras in both Mt. Juliet and Lebanon catching criminals from surrounding areas.
According to recent data, more than 88% of the people arrested in Mt. Juliet this month were not Mt. Juliet residents. In fact, the majority of them were from the Nashville area.
Hutto said Wilson County also leads in education as the growing population demands more schools. In the last 12 years, the county built 12 schools.
'I know the most asked question I get all the time is, I'm driving down the road and I see that construction site and everybody says, 'What's over there?'' Hutto said.
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When it comes to new development, from the Costco Wholesale in Mt. Juliet to the In-N-Out Burger coming to Lebanon, just to name a couple, Hutto said the county has seen a 44% increase in jobs, which has brought more people to Wilson County.
'We're the second lowest unemployment rate in the state of Tennessee, and that was as of August of '24,' Hutto said.
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