CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A private security detail will soon patrol Veterans Plaza in Montgomery County. At Monday’s formal meeting, the County Commission unanimously approved a resolution amending the general fund to hire private security for the plaza.
The commission also voted down a rezoning of property on the edge of the county next to North Liberty Church Road, extending rental properties in that area.
Private security
The private security team will replace the Sheriff’s Office deputies who have been regularly staffed at the plaza over the last few years.
The mayor previously explained that if the deputies were called to the scene of an accident or other event, the plaza would be left without a security presence, hence the need for private guards.
The measure saw support from Sheriff John Fuson, who last week assured the commission that even with private security, officers would respond to the area just like any other call in the event something were to happen.
The resolution stated that funding would not exceed $50,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year. Commissioner David Harper proposed an amendment to the resolution to include where specifically those initial funds would come from.
The resolution originally just said private security would be paid for from undesignated funds from the Montgomery County General Fund. The amendment replaced that language to include that the service would be paid for with unused funds from the budget of the Sheriff’s Office for medical insurance.
The amendment passed unanimously.
The resolution itself saw no further discussion and was also passed unanimously.
Rezoning fails
In other action, the commission voted down a zoning ordinance that would have rezoned about 18.3 acres of land fronting North Liberty Church Road.
The land, currently zoned R1, was requested by Hunter Winn and Vernon Weakley to be rezoned to R4 with plans to extend rental properties in that area.
The plan was to request annexation to bring the development into the city and possibly extend sewer to other homes in the area, which several commissioners saw as a benefit to the community.
On the other hand, concerns were previously raised by Harper and later by Commissioner David Shelton, who weren’t sold on the higher density that would occur at the back of the neighborhood.
“The other day I decided to drive out there,” Shelton said. “What we’re putting at the end of a street that has maybe 10 or 15 homes on it, at the end of that, there (would be) over 100 homes with hundreds of cars driving through that little strip of street. I have some concerns about that and the fact that it cannot be the only access point into that neighborhood.”
Commissioner Jason Knight moved to defer the vote to give the body more time to look at the area and respond to questions raised by the residents.
The motion to defer failed 15-4, with only John Gannon, Knight, Joe Smith and Jorge Padro voting yes.
The zoning ordinance itself later failed 13-7; the yes votes were Gannon, Knight, Smith, Rickey Ray, Tangi Smith, Padro and Walker Woodruff.