CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The City Council unanimously approved the annual budget on Thursday with few changes and debates compared to previous years.

The operating budget forecasts revenue from taxes and other financing sources rising from $136 million budgeted in fiscal year 2022 to $142 million in FY 2024.

Operating expenses were $120 million in the FY 2023 budget, and they would rise to $134 million in the FY 2024 budget.

MORE: To view the full city budget, open the agenda and click Ordinance 140.

Frosty Morn debate

A few amendments were proposed by council members, the most significant of which targeted the ongoing renovation of the Frosty Morn building in the Red River District.

Frosty Morn is a long-abandoned former meat packing factory that is being renovated into a community space that could include a food court, farmers’ market, outdoor amphitheater and office space for nonprofits and the city.

The amendment, proposed by Councilmember Ambar Marquis, was to move $2 million from the Frosty Morn project to improvements on Needmore Road. The Frosty Morn renovation is underway and is projected to cost $32 million over five years.

“The issue that everyone complains about is the traffic on the roads, and storm water mitigation. For that cost, we can be finishing off Needmore and Tylertown,” said Marquis.

Improvements to Needmore Road are already part of the mayor’s Transportation 2020+ Plan. The road is set for about 1.76 miles of widening, which would include five lanes with sidewalks, from Tiny Town Road to the Spring Creek Bridge.

During the meeting, councilmember Stacey Streetman asked Marquis if she had discussed the proposed reallocation of $2 million with the Street Department, to see whether they actually need the money.

Marquis said that she had not. Streetman messaged two Street Department officials during the meeting, and she said they told her that since the project is still in the planning stages, it doesn’t need an additional $2 million in the FY 2023 budget.

According to previous reports, preliminary plans were provided in September 2022, and final right-of-way plans are expected to be reviewed in November 2023. Following the release of the plans, the city will begin the right-of-way and easement acquisition process, which should take 12-18 months.

The council rejected the amendment 7-3, with only Marquis, Wallace Redd and Karen Reynolds voting for it. Voting to maintain funding for Frosty Morn were Streetman, Brian Zacharias, Deanna McLaughlin, Dajuan Little, Travis Holleman, Keri Lovato and Mayor Joe Pitts.

Councilmembers Wanda Smith, Wanda Allen and Joe Shakeenab were absent.

Following the amendment votes, the FY 2024 city budget passed its first reading 10-0.

What’s next

After the meeting, Marquis told Clarksville Now that council members continue to down vote development in certain areas because the roads nearby can’t handle new infrastructure. “I am trying to put funding to it to fix this problem, and they’re voting no.”

Marquis later shared a document with Clarksville Now in which the Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission offered comments on the Frosty Morn project: “With an outstanding $21 million price tag ($11 million spent and $32 million total) the improvements to Frosty Morn should be weighed against other pressing city needs such as parks and infrastructure… Funds could be allocated for parks in the eastern side of the city which has two wards with zero parkland. There are also additional roadway projects which $21 million could accomplish thereby alleviating some traffic concerns for many citywide residents.”

Marquis said she plans to discuss the matter with the Street Department before the second City Council budget vote, coming up at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20, at City Council Chambers on Public Square.

Lily Russell contributed to this report.