CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – At the informal meeting Monday night Montgomery County Commissioners heard from supporters on both sides of the proposed plan for a multi-purpose event center in downtown Clarksville.
The commission chambers were filled with supporters of both sides. People held signs saying “I SUPPORT THE EVENT CENTER-VOTE YES” and others displayed “LET THE PEOPLE VOTE.”
It was a non-voting session Monday for commissioners as they discussed a resolution to authorize the issuance of $130,700,000 in general obligation bonds for the project.
Steven Currie is a member of Residents for Effective Government. Currie described his organization as one that monitors county and city government to make sure they’re doing effective things, like keeping taxes low.
The organization is pushing for a referendum to allow the public to vote on the multi-purpose event center. “This is non-essential spending, it’s entertainment. We think that the citizens should vote on this,” said Currie.
Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett said he totally disagreed with the need for a referendum unless the people call for it and doesn’t think commissioners should vote to impose a referendum on themselves.
“I think that the public elects these 21 commissioners to represent them and I don’t think they should be voting to send it back to the public, that’s not a way to govern. If the public gets enough signatures and bring it to a referendum, so be it,” Durrett said.
The Montgomery County Commission is expected to vote on the resolution authorizing the issuance of the bonds at their formal meeting Tuesday, November 12 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Montgomery County Courthouse.