The University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service (IPS) will receive $2 million recurring from the state to establish a dedicated local planning function, assisting Tennessee’s cities and counties with economic development, zoning and infrastructure planning.

The planning agency will join the institute’s existing six agencies and one initiative that provide training and consulting to state and local governments, manufacturers and law enforcement. The funding will also allow UT Extension, a branch of the UT Institute of Agriculture, to offer a statewide landowner education program.

“We continued to hear from our cities and counties that planning, development and zoning  are areas where they needed assistance,” said IPS Vice President Dr. Herb Byrd III. “We are grateful to Governor (Bill) Lee and the General Assembly for also recognizing this and providing the funding to us to provide this service to our communities.”

State planning offices were previously operated by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development in regions across the state. Those offices were closed in 2011 when the department shifted its focus to align with then Governor Bill Haslam’s Jobs4TN program.

In late 2022 and early 2023 the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began seeking accurate Tennessee data on losses of agricultural and forestry land to development. With support from the UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) and IPS, data was collected and analyzed by Dr. Charlie Martinez and presented to key stakeholders. Data show that from 1997 to 2017 1.1 million acres, or the equivalent land mass of four counties, were converted out of ag and forestry production. Since 2017, the loss has equaled 86,588 acres per year, or 237.2 acres per day, or 9.8 acres per hour. The projected cumulative loss is estimated to be approximately 2 million acres, the equivalent of eight counties, lost to production by 2027.

In light of these data, Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Hatcher, assembled a working group with representatives from TDA, UTIA, IPS, Tennessee Farm Bureau, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD), Tennessee County Services Association (TCSA), Tennessee Municipal League (TML), and the Tennessee Association of County Mayors (ACM) to determine steps to minimize farmland loss. 

Recommendations of the working group included programs provided by the state to support farm profitability and incentives to keep farmland in production. In addition, the group suggested that two programs be funded at the University of Tennessee to support these efforts. UTIAs Center for Profitable Agriculture received budgetary support for a statewide Landowner Education Program. The group also recommended that a Local Planning Agency be established at IPS to assist cities, counties, and regions in updating their long-term growth plans and for facilitating coordinated statewide smart growth that preserves the rural landscape in Tennessee. 

The local planning function at IPS will begin operation in July of this year. The agency will employ an executive director and planning experts in each of the state’s grand divisions.