CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The City Council voted down a councilmember’s ordinance that would’ve taken $120,000 from the Human Resources Department and given it to the Forestry Department for the creation of a seed bank.
Before discussion of the proposed seed bank began at Thursday night’s meeting, Mayor Joe Pitts apologized for erroneously ruling the ordinance as “not valid” last week.
While the proposed ordinance was voted down, the council discussed the idea of a seed library instead.
Proposal meets objections
The sponsor, Councilperson Travis Holleman, previously said he’d like to see the DEI position removed from HR to pay for the project, which he said was needed in case of a national emergency that cut off “supply lines and grocery stores run empty.”
On Thursday, Holleman referenced recent terrorist attacks as a reason to have a backup plan in place. “It is important for us to store these seeds, because it is a backup plan,” he said. “Some plan is better than nothing.”
Councilman Joe Shakeenab said the ordinance was an idea, not a plan. “If we get that bad to where we need seeds, we also are going to need some good soil to plant the seeds in, we’re probably going to need some water, we probably need a lot of generators, we need a plan to replenish all of this stuff.” Shakeenab said there had been no new information brought forward by the sponsor since the ordinance was introduced and objections were raised.
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While defending his proposal, Holleman said the school sidewalk project approved in October 2022 was similar to his ordinance, and it was similarly added to an existing budget.
However, Councilperson Stacey Streetman, pointed out, “Sidewalk projects are capital projects, so when we move money or put money in for that project, it is specified for that.” Streetman added that moving operating budget money between departments isn’t specific, and they cannot direct departments to do anything with the money.
Councilman Jerry Haywood said he asked the Building & Facilities Maintenance Director Michael Palmore what his department would do with the $120,000. Palmore said the City Forester doesn’t have the qualifications to build a seed bank, so he would have to create a new position for it, which would cost more than $120,000.
Additionally, Streetman said, the city forester is already overtasked.
Councilperson Keri Lovato said she can’t support something that hasn’t gone through the correct committees. “If the department heads are against it, you better have a really good reason why they’re wrong and you’re right,” Lovato said.
The seed bank ordinance was voted down 1-11-1 with only Holleman voting in favor and Councilperson Wanda Smith abstaining.
Seed library instead of seed bank
While the seed bank idea as presented went nowhere, council members were open to the idea of the city getting involved in seed preservation.
Councilmember Ambar Marquis said, “The public likes the idea of seeds, but gets lost in the execution portion of it.” She said that the logistics still need to be worked out, but in the meantime, there are events like the Planting Party at the Wade Bourne Nature Center that provide this service.
In addition to local organizations providing seeds for food, the Southeastern Grassland Institute at Austin Peay State University has its own seed bank for conservation of native wildlife.
Haywood introduced the idea of a seed library, in partnership with the APSU Department of Agriculture and Future Farmers of America, alongside the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library. This would allow people to donate and pick up the seeds they need from storage containers within the library. The library could also store books on farming in the area, to be used for educational purposes.
When asked if he would pursue the idea, Haywood expressed interest in proposing a seed library or working with Holleman. He said, “We don’t need to fire someone from HR just to buy fridges with nitro-frozen seeds.” It’s also less expensive to hire a librarian than someone to construct a seed bank, Haywood said.
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