CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Candidates for Clarksville mayor got their first chance to address a large audience together on Thursday in a forum at the Clarksville Industrial Association meeting, and they faced questions on the sales tax for schools, support for military families and the Vulcan property.
The three candidates who have announced so far – Clarksville Gas & Water Director Mark Riggins, Councilwoman Wanda Smith, and Councilman Brian Zacharias – will face each other in the Nov. 3 City Election. They are running to replace Mayor Joe Pitts, who is not running for re-election.
(Video by Wesley Irvin)
On Thursday, they took questions from the audience of over 200 local business and industry leaders at the CIA event, presented quarterly by the Clarksville-Montgomery County Industrial Development Board.
Sales tax shared to local schools
Former County Mayor Jim Durrett kicked things off with a recent controversy, asking about the city’s proposal to reclaim about $3.5 million in sales taxes it normally gives to local schools.
Mark Riggins: “I can tell you flat out I would not have done this,” Riggins said. “If the city is in a situation to where they are paying more than their fair share to the county, I certainly would not have waited until the school system was complete with their budget, and the county was nearly complete with their budget (to address it).” He said he would have met with the county to discuss the matter and see what effect a change would have, and then work together on a plan. “I just find it hard to believe that there’s not other ways to cut this budget.” He said there are ways other than raising property taxes to increase revenue, and that requires having “better relations with the county, better relations with the IDB, and better relations with the EDC.”
Wanda Smith: She said her understanding was that the share to schools “was not documented.” “We should continue to support the schools financially to ensure that our students have a great education,” Smith said. “I think education is power, and so I do see that we need to keep giving money to the school system, even though we don’t run the school system, per se.”
Brian Zacharias: “It’s distressing. … If the city is going to be put in a situation where they have to make cuts, and it looks like that’s where we are now, I think our school system should be the last place that we look for cuts.” He said Tennessee’s tax system tends to be regressive, “in that the people who earn the least in our community are the most significantly affected. So when we have to make cuts in the services that government provides, I think it’s important to protect those that are most vulnerable to losing those services.” He said when it comes to cuts, the city should reprioritize capital projects to ones that support schools, such as sidewalks and roads.
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Water park, TIF support, mixed use development
Among other highlights from the discussion:
Riggins: On the topic of the empty and unsold Vulcan property on College Street, Riggins said that while the property is in private hands, the city could and should do more to support its development, through PILOT and TIF initiatives. Currently, he said, the land is drawing very little in tax revenue, but through the right incentives, a developer could be drawn in to improve the area and increase the property tax revenue from new projects. “That is how you fund other roads. … that’s how you build a bridge somewhere, that’s how you put in a park and things like that, and that is exactly what we’ll do if I’m your next mayor.”
Smith: On the topic of supporting military families, Smith said there aren’t enough exciting, fun things to do in Clarksville. “We need to develop a destination city where we can build something to excite our youth, bring families together. … We need an amusement park and a water park so that we can take a staycation here instead of a vacation to keep the revenue here in Clarksville.” Smith later suggested building a pay toll road and freeway to improve road infrastructure. “We need to take care of our infrastructure before we build anything else in this city,” she said.
Zacharias: On the topic of smart growth, Zacharias said “mixed-use is where we need to be going as a city,” adding that he wants to work with the Regional Planning Commission to mitigate some of the risks and barriers to mixed-used development in the core of the city. He said this would keep more people in the city’s center, taking pressure off of the arterial roads. “One of our biggest struggles in getting our work force here in Clarksville to work is our public transportation system,” he said. “I believe that I have a plan that is going to revolutionize Clarksville transit. It’s going to make Clarksville transit relevant to every single person in Clarksville wherever you live in this city.”
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What happens next in local elections?
Aug. 6 election: This will be the Montgomery County general election, it will also be the state primary, with governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and all three state House races on the ballot. Early voting will begin July 17.
Nov. 3 election: In addition to Nov. 3 being the state general election, it will also be the City of Clarksville general election, with the mayor and half the City Council seats on the ballot.
For more information on voting, including registering to vote, go to the Montgomery County Election Commission website, visit their office at 350 Pageant Lane, Suite 404, email vote@mcgtn.net or call 931-648-5707.
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