CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The County Commission approved a redistricting of Montgomery County at their Monday night meeting, putting the new districts on track to be official before the end of the year alongside the City of Clarksville.
The redistricting process for both city and county is based on data from the 2020 Census and was overseen by Regional Planning Commission Director Jeffrey Tyndall and Montgomery County Administrator of Elections Elizabeth Black.
The County Commission voted to approve the new district lines passed unanimously. Absent from the meeting were Commissioners Charles Keene (2), Randy Albert (6), Tangi Smith (8) and Robert Sigler (18).
Districts 19 and 20 swap names
District 19 Commissioner Garland Johnson put forth an amendment to swap the names of District 19 and 20.
Johnson said the reason for the change was that District 20 (as presented below) is largely made up of older neighborhoods with long-time residents, as opposed to District 19, which he said was mostly new neighborhoods and recent transplants.
“The area slated to remain District 19 is basically made up of very new neighborhoods, people who are only in recent years moved to the area. Thirty years ago, that was all farm land. The other part, slated to become District 20 … some of those neighborhoods have been there for 100 years” Johnson told commissioners. “If we go with the current labeling system, this will be their third name change in 10 years.”
Garland’s amendment passed unanimously.
City map also approved
The city similarly voted to approve reapportionment at their meeting last Thursday, Nov. 4.
City Council members voted 12-0 to approve reapportionment. Ward 6’s Wanda Smith’s vote was not recorded, but she told Clarksville Now her intention was to vote yes.
Some council members have expressed interested in amending the map in between readings. In particular, Smith as well as Ward 9’s Karen Reynolds expressed concerns with diversity in certain wards, citing a letter from the NAACP.
Redistricting ‘coming along well’
While the city’s time table is not as strict as the county’s (Jan. 1), Black told Clarksville Now it is her hope that both governments complete the process by the end of the year so that only one new round of voter cards needs to be printed, saving the tax payers a considerable amount of money.
In a recent interview with Clarksville’s Conversation, Tyndall said the process is “coming along well.”
The City Council is expected to hold their second round of voting in December, completing the redistricting process before the start of the new year. The county only requires one vote for redistricting.
Both maps are available for public viewing on the county’s website, as well as in person at the Elections Office.