CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Local leaders came together on Thursday for the 2023 Legislative Agenda Reception, which is where members of the Clarksville City Council and the Montgomery County Commission tell our representatives what legislation they would like to see passed at the state level.

All of the local state representatives attended to hear out the members of the council and commission, including Sen. Bill Powers, Sen. Kerry Roberts, Rep. Curtis Johnson, Rep. Jeff Burkhart and Rep. Ronnie Glynn.

Before diving into the items on this year’s Legislative Agenda, City Mayor Joe Pitts and County Mayor Wes Golden both spoke on the past success of the meetings, which included the following:

  • $14 million to build a county parking garage.
  • $98-plus million for a new nursing facility at Austin Peay State University.
  • $20 million to build the Tennessee Wings of Liberty Musuem at Fort Campbell.
  • Stipends for EMS employees completing training requirements.
  • $34 million for an expansion of Nashville State Community College in Clarksville.
  • Dunbar Cave State Park repairs, Port Royal State Park interstate signage.
  • Referendum required of the residents before annexation.
  • Funding for construction of an additional Driver’s License Center.

2023 Legislative Agenda

As for this year’s Legislative Agenda items, the City Council and County Commission both listed the need to build up local highway infrastructure as the No. 1 need.

Members of the council and commission came together to detail combined road projects they would like to see funded by the state. The first road project listed involved widening Rossview Road north of Interstate 24 from two lanes to four or five lanes. The second was widening I-24 from four to six lanes, from the state line to Exit 11, then all the way to Nashville.

The County Commission said they are doing their best to address infrastructure challenges in regard to schools, but the problems rely heavily on the state and federal governments to fund road and bridge projects.

The City Council requested funding for a couple of additional projects, the widening of Trenton Road, and the widening of Warfield Boulevard and Richview Road from three to five lanes from Dunbar Cave Road to Madison Street.

The city and county also had shared interests in holding private utility companies accountable and in passing medical marijuana.

Commissioner Joe Smith and Councilperson Stacey Streetman said private utility companies delay local road projects, in some cases for years, costing taxpayers additional money. Both felt as though these companies should have a limited timeframe to begin their work when asked, so that projects aren’t repeatedly stalled. The city suggested a 30-day limit after notification for private utility work to begin.

Commissioner Lisa Pritchard and Streetman said legalizing medical marijuana would benefit local residents, especially with the number of veterans suffering from PTSD in our community. Pritchard said medical marijuana would provide those who are in need of an “alternative therapeutic option.”

County wish list

The following are the other legislation the county wants to see at the state level, according to the agenda:

  • Private Act Limitation of County Commissioners to Hold Incompatible Offices: “We consider the office of City Council and the office of County Commissioner to be incompatible with each other and sometimes in direct conflict of interest. New legislation that limits this could help us prevent any conflict of interest.”
  • Collection of User Fees for Collection of Waste: “Fees for the collection and disposal of waste necessary to maintain the facilities, operation, and the capital outlay associated therewith are necessary and should be equally applied to and paid by all persons who are accessible users of said facilities.”
  • Sheriff’s Office Fees: “The purpose of this legislative change is to allow sheriff offices to demand in advance the fees authorized by law to serve a range of processes that originate from outside of the sheriff’s county. … Counties with high transient populations are burdened with an extraordinary number of processes originating from other jurisdictions. If service is unsuccessful, or processes such as levies and executions are not fruitful, sheriffs will not likely recover any fees.”
  • Demolition by Neglect: “Drawing inspiration from the recent Dunlop Mansion case and successful models in New Orleans, the District of Columbia, and California, this legislative agenda seeks to foster a culture of responsible stewardship of Tennessee’s irreplaceable historical assets. … The proposed legislation for Tennessee should focus on three key components: identification, incentives, and enforcement.”
  • Added Animal Welfare Regulations: Among the proposed measures are requirements for adequate food and shelter, limits on tethering, and additional enforcement powers for violations.

City of Clarksville Legislative Agenda

The following items are the other legislation that the city wants to see at the state level, according to the agenda:

  • Fire Station Safety Improvement Grant Program: “Replacing or renovating existing fire stations or building new fire stations are among the most expensive projects a community can undertake. In 2019, NFPA took a deeper look into data from the 2015 survey in the report Renovation Needs of the US Fire Service. The report identified funding needs of $70 to $100 billion for fire station renovation and/or replacements. The report identifies 21,230 of U.S. fire stations (43 percent) are more than 40 years old, representing an 11 percent increase in aging infrastructure over the past 15 years the number of stations that are over 40-years old; are not equipped with exhaust emission control; are without backup power; do not have separate facilities for female firefighters; do not meet NFPA cancer prevention standards and need mold remediation.”
  • Request State Legislators to Create an Emancipation Day Holiday: “In 2007, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredeson signed legislation acknowledging August 8 as “Emancipation Day,” in Tennessee, to recognize the celebration and action of Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States who was then the Military Governor of Tennessee.”
  • Equalization Rate Application to PILOTs: “Requesting that municipal utilities PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) payments be exempt from application of the equalization ratio. Municipal utility PILOTs are in part calculated based on their balance sheet asset values and revenues. The valuation of their assets is based on original acquisition cost and depreciated annually; municipal utility assets are not represented at fair market value, therefore the assessment ratio calculated based on the current market should not adjust their payment in lieu of taxes calculation.”
  • Restore/Return Shared Sales Tax: “The return of this sharing relationship between the State and cities would provide relief to local taxpayers and assist local governments in meeting the increasing demand for services, provide an environment that has enabled existing businesses and industries to succeed, promote further economic expansion, and afford residents a high quality of life that has allowed the state of Tennessee to prosper.”
  • Sunshine Law: “Requesting the State Legislature allow local governments to fall under the same Sunshine Laws that they follow.”

MORE: Read the complete Legislative Agenda, with further detail on each item.

At the end of the reception, Sen. Powers told those in attendance that he and his fellow state representatives consistently work together to put money back into Clarksville-Montgomery County.

“The reason we get these things done is we get along with people in our caucus – we get along with Democrats, we get along with Republicans. But let me assure you that when we’re there together – when Ronnie Glynn and Curtis Johnson and Jeff Burkhart and I are together – our party is Clarksville-Montgomery County, and we are fighting for Clarksville-Montgomery County every day.”

Chris Smith contributed to this report.