CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After months of debate and postponement, the City Council narrowly voted down an ordinance that would have abolished the Parking Commission. However, with no action taken, the city is left with unanswered questions about the commission’s future.

In June, the City Council voted to postpone the ordinance to abolish the Parking Commission, among other proposed changes to the city’s parking ordinance. The ordinance was introduced by Councilman Joe Shakeenab, who brought up concerns about the commission and its inability to enforce parking tickets.

The council voted to postpone the ordinance again in August until their October regular session meeting.

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Amendment introduced to alter proposed ordinance based off feedback

Upon the proposal being reintroduced on Thursday, Oct. 1, Shakeenab brought forward an amendment based on feedback from fellow council members. The amendment included changes such as altering the parking ticket fee from $40 to $10, as well as who should be responsible for setting the rates for downtown parking.

Shakeenab said he believes that responsibility should fall under the Finance Committee instead of the Parking Commission, and management of downtown parking should fall under Building and Facility Maintenance.

Shakeenab also said he believes city parking should not be represented as an enterprise fund, rather, it should fall under the city general fund. Downtown parking violations would still be expected to be monitored by city parking staff with the amendment in place, while safety violations would fall under CPD, he said.

Shakeenab’s amendment also proposed for parking ticket appeals to transition from the Parking Commission to the City Court system entirely.

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Questions over impact of FY 2026-27 budget, city court fees

Councilwoman Keri Lovato said she is not for abolishing the Parking Commission but asked how the FY 2026-27 budget could be affected if the amendment were to pass. Mayor Joe Pitts said that City Court already has been established to hear appeals, and they have been included in the conversation regarding changes to the parking ordinance.

Pitts also said finance staff already handles the record keeping for the Parking Commission, so it’ll be no additional work for them.

Councilman Jimmy Brown asked about the City Court appeal process, and if additional costs may be applied for a resident who received a parking ticket. Pitts said only if the individual is found guilty.

Brown said he feels as though the amendment penalizes somebody for wanting to appeal their ticket. “You’re adding to the fine just because they want to appeal it. If I get a speeding ticket, the speeding ticket is a set price whether I go to court or not,” Brown said.

Shakeenab said over his three years on the Parking Commission, usually one or two people appeal their tickets every other month. “So, it’s not like you’re talking about a high volume of people. Right now, the majority of people know they don’t have to pay at all. It’ll continue to be that way, because we cannot enforce it,” he said. “That’s the real dilemma that this council is facing; we have something in place we cannot even enforce.”

Councilwoman Wanda Smith said she believes the council needs to find a way to enforce tickets without ceasing the Parking Commission’s function. Smith suggested another postponement.

Debt from First Street Garage: ‘This governing body was warned’

While discussing the debt associated with the Parking Commission, specifically tied to the First Street Parking Garage, Lovato said the Parking Commission was not the body that voted to approve that project.

“The commission did not vote on that; they did not ask for that debt, and they did not ask for that garage,” she said. “This governing body voted on that on their behalf. The CFO at the time stood at this podium and warned this body that that commission would not make up the money to pay for it. The Desmond Study, that is posted on this city’s website, was from 2022, and it said not only did we not need that parking garage, but that we would not be able to afford it.”

Lovato said in this instance, the City Council was warned multiple times, and the project still moved forward. “Stop pointing the finger at the Parking Commission for decisions this governing body made.”

Free electric vehicle charging stations at garage

Brown brought up that electric vehicles can be charged for free at the First Street Parking Garage.

“Currently, people can use those EV chargers in the garage for free,” Brown said. “People can come downtown, park their electric vehicle, and they don’t have to pay for the parking spot nor the electricity.”

Brown said that’s why the Parking Commission isn’t bringing in money off the First Street Parking Garage. “If we’re not going to charge for that, they’re never going to make any money,” he said. “But that was a decision made by the Parking Commission.”

Lovato added: “It was not just the Parking Commission; they voted on that per the parking director, because it had sat there for months and nobody knew it was there. It was only supposed to be free for a few months, then they were supposed to start charging again.”

City Council approves amendment, votes down ordinance

Shakeenab’s amendment was approved 11-1 with the lone no vote being Smith.

However, the ordinance to abolish the Parking Commission failed on a 6-6 tie.

Voting yes were Eric Claunch, Travis Holleman, Jerry Haywood, Brown, Shakeenab and Pitts. Voting no were Brian Zacharias, Carlos Peters, Ambar Marquis, Smith, Stacey Streetman and Lovato. Councilman Tim Chandler was absent.

Clarksville Now has reached out to Shakeenab for additional information.

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