By Katie Northcott, News Director
Evidence has surfaced that Manchester Water & Sewer Department Director Lonnie Foley held a job as General Manager at Berry’s Chapel Utility (now Harpeth Wastewater Cooperative) in Franklin, Tennessee as recently as February 2026.
Documents available through the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) show that Foley applied for an NPDES permit on behalf of Berry’s Chapel Utility at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Berry’s Chapel informed TDEC that Foley no longer worked for the company on February 4, 2026 in response to a draft of the NPDES permit sent on February 3, 2026.
The acting Manchester Water & Sewer Director would typically be in office on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. unless on vacation or sick leave.
Foley began working for the Manchester Water & Sewer Department as Assistant Director in April 2025. He was promoted to Interim Director in September 2025 and was appointed Director by the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen in January 2026.
Find the documents available for download below:
Harpeth Wastewater Cooperative recently listed the General Manager position on Indeed with the following job description: “Supervisory and administrative responsibility for the wastewater treatment facility, finances, and permitting. Plans, manages, organizes, and evaluates the operations. The position is full-time. Reports to the Board of Directors.”
The position is listed at a $70,000 to $90,000 salary and as an in-person position. Find the job listing here.
Manchester’s municipal code mandates that employees cannot engage in additional employment outside the official hours of duty unless approved by the mayor upon recommendation of the department head. The department head was unaware that Foley had continued his employment with Berry’s Chapel at the time Foley was hired by the city of Manchester.
Peterson Media Group reached out to the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen and Foley for comment on the situation, asking whether there was cause for concern that Foley may have stolen time from the city by working a second full-time job simultaneously with his Assistant Director, Interim Director, and Director positions.
Alderman Julie Anderson responded with the following statement:
“Thank you for the information and questions. During my time serving on the Manchester Water and Sewer Commission (9/24-9/25), Mr. Foley was hired and served as Assistant Director.
“At that time, I was not aware of Mr. Foley’s outside employment with another utility and would not have approved such a request. During that time, there were reports of Mr. Foley sleeping on the job, substantiated with photos in circulation of him asleep at his desk and in meetings. Former Director Perry wrote him up twice for this behavior.
“Holding two full time director/manager jobs at the same time is prohibited by our city code and employee handbook and raises questions as to whether both utilities (and their rate payers) were paying Mr. Foley for working the same hours. I haven’t spoken to any of my fellow board members about this and am only one vote/voice, but my preference would be for the city to place Mr. Foley on unpaid leave while this situation is investigated and consider beginning a search for a new director.”
City attorney Craig Johnson responded with the following statement:
“Unfortunately, you have not given the City much time to contribute to the actual facts of this story, but this is what the City understands, at this time, to be the facts in relation to the questions you asked:
“It is not uncommon for City employees to have second jobs that supplement family incomes when necessary. Also, it was not against City policy for Mr. Foley to have a second job at the time he was not permanent director, as long as the work didn’t conflict with his City duties or responsibilities. It is also not uncommon for employees to send non-city related emails or make phone-calls on non-city electronic devices during breaks, lunch, and after work hours. At this time, the City does not believe that Mr. Foley’s previous second job impacted his duties with the City in 2025.
“The Mayor became aware of Mr. Foley working a second job when he was being considered for the permanent director position. It is the City’s understanding that Mr. Foley had previously devoted 3 to 8 hours a week while working with a very small wastewater cooperative, while he was not in the MWSD permanent director position. He was informed that to be the permanent director; he could not work a second job while he was the permanent director of MWSD. It is the City’s understanding that he stopped doing work with Berry’s Chapel at that time (January 2026). The City will follow up to ensure no city policies or regulations were violated.”
Peterson Media Group responded with Manchester Municipal Code 4-214 and a link to the job listing on Indeed.
Johnson responded with the following statement:
Understood, the code says what it says, but we don’t think Mr. Foley was ever told about that requirement from the previous director, and Mr. Foley didn’t know the requirement until the Directorship came open. As already stated, that is when the Mayor told him he would have to give it up to be the permanent director. Not sure why that is surprising, it was not an issue once he was told the requirement, and he rectified the situation.
Peterson Media Group had made a comment that it was surprising that the city did not have more information available about the situation given that the city had known about Foley’s second job since January.
The post Manchester Alderman Suggests Putting Sewer Director on Leave Amid Allegations of Code Violation appeared first on Thunder Radio.
