Council member proposes eliminating DEI officer to create seed bank, ruled out of order

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A proposed ordinance by a City Council member to eliminate a city Human Resources position in order to create an emergency seed bank was knocked down by Mayor Joe Pitts at Monday’s meeting.

The ordinance was sponsored by Councilperson Travis Holleman, arguing that the Biden administration doesn’t care about “the American people’s wellbeing” and that Clarksville can’t depend on the federal government to “aid us in a time of need.” It proposed creating a Clarksville Emergency Seed Bank as “a solid backup plan in the event we lose access to all supply lines and grocery stores run empty.”

To pay for it, the ordinance proposed saving $120,000 by removing the DEI officer position from the Human Resources Department, moving the money to the Building & Facilities Maintenance Department to construct the seed bank.

The ordinance was ruled not valid and out of order by Pitts for containing line items that would’ve changed the fiscal year budget, which would have exceeded the City Council’s authority. Holleman is allowed to amend the ordinance at Thursday’s meeting, however, there were more objections discussed than its legality.

Departments not consulted

Councilperson Stacy Streetman said that, if the ordinance was passed as is, the City Council won’t be able to direct how the money is spent, meaning $120,000 would be going to the Building & Facilities Maintenance Department with no authority as to what the money could be spent on. When asked what exactly the money was for, Holleman said it was for purchasing seeds and refrigeration units (if needed). He also said they shouldn’t dictate what the experts should do.

The ordinance says the project would be a one-time expense, but Streetman said that would be unrealistic when considering the cost of refrigeration. The process would require additional maintenance, electricity and storage needs. “I’m not sure how there wouldn’t be additional expenses in the future,” she said. “I just don’t see this as a smart use of our taxpayer dollars, and I’m not sure if they’ll see it either.”

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At a City Council meeting on Dec. 3, City Councilperson Deanna McLaughlin asked Holleman to speak to Karla Kean with the Tennessee State University Extension Office, which supports farmers and farming education.

Holleman said he spoke to her, but the conversation didn’t go anywhere.

McLaughlin referenced a similar situation when Councilperson Karen Reynolds proposed an ordinance to the Finance Committee to update the Tree Board. The ordinance would’ve added responsibilities to the City Forester position. McLaughlin suggested that Reynolds consult the affected departments and update the plan so that by budget time the councilmembers would know exactly what they were voting on.

She suggested that Holleman do the same because, “fiscally responsible people like several of us here don’t just want to put money out there, not knowing how it’s going to be utilized, what it’s going to be used for, is it a new position, do we have to buy buildings to store the seed farm, who’s going to maintain it, all those things.”

He also said he hadn’t discussed the matter with the Human Resources Department or the Building & Facilities Maintenance Department.

McLaughlin expressed discontent that Holleman said he wanted to leave the plan up to the experts, but he didn’t speak to any of them. She said the council acts together on decisions, and that she would appreciate if experts were brought in to discuss a plan.

Finance Committee bypassed

Streetman asked Holleman why the proposal didn’t go through the Finance Committee, as is standard for ordinances requiring a budget change.

Holleman said there were multiple reasons. “For one, it’s the holidays, and two, I do have other things I’ve got to do that were taken care of. So, there is a time constraint as well.”

Since the Finance Committee wasn’t involved, Human Resources Director Tessa Luntz wasn’t able to speak on the matter. However, Streetman confirmed that HR staff is full, meaning if the ordinance was passed, someone would be out of a job.

Holleman said the ordinance would “get rid of a very specific position, and I know we can’t dictate which positions they are, it’s the DEI position that we’ve tried to get rid of a few times.” He is referring to his proposed amendment to the budget to remove the DEI position, which failed earlier this year.

Chris Smith and Christian Brown contributed to this report. 

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