New TCSA Members on the Way

TCSA and its affiliates have been busy combing through election results and determining what changes are coming. While we don’t have details on how every county is impacted, we do know that this election is bringing about significant changes in county governments across the state. There will be 48 new county mayors and executives taking office on September 1st, and 16 new county highway superintendents. We don’t have a final count yet on county commissioners, but we know many counties experienced substantial turnover on their legislative bodies as well. They may not realize it yet, but these new local leaders will also be new members of the county associations.

TCSA + Affiliates Plan to Meet New County Officials at UT CTAS COOP in August 2026

TCSA and its affiliates will all be on hand at the County Officials Orientation Program (COOP) hosted by the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service in Murfreesboro later this month. (More details about that event can be found here: https://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/training/coop2026)  

The orientation program is free for newly elected officials. Returning incumbents are also welcome to attend for a small registration fee. At COOP, county commissioners, mayors, and highway officials will receive training designed to help them navigate their entry into office and understand their duties and responsibilities. The educational programs for these TCSA-member officials take place on Monday and Tuesday, August 24 and 25th, with a special, additional day meeting for mayors and a half-day for highway officials on the 26th with their affiliate associations – the Association of County Mayors and the Tennessee County Highway Officials Association. 

For county commissioners, the two-day orientation program will be quickly followed by a series of 8 Tennessee County Commissioners Association regional meetings in September held at locations across the state. At these meetings, newly elected and reelected county commissioners can meet for dinner, network with their counterparts from neighboring counties, learn more about their associations, and receive more training from the Center for Local Planning.  

Happening October 21 – 23, 2026: TCSA Fall Conference and Trade Show in Rutherford County

This is all just the start of a busy fall, with the TCSA Annual Conference and Trade Show returning this year to Murfreesboro on October 21-23. That program will continue the flow of networking and education opportunities, featuring an array of presenters on topics like emergency management and disaster response, planning and zoning, county revenues, cybersecurity, highway and bridge infrastructure, and education funding. This year, that event is preceded by a new TCHOA Roadeo competition and equipment expo on October 20th.