*Note: Councilman Burkhart was not present at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. He submitted this opinion prior to the vote.
I am so proud of the growth that Clarksville has seen over the last several years. As a developer, I believe we are going in the right direction. Growth and development are what I do. However, I do believe there are priorities to that growth and development. I do not see the proposed soccer complex as a priority at this time and I want to express my reasons for my position on this matter:
First, the members of the City Council are divided on this decision: 1/3 of the council wants the proposed soccer complex at Exit 8; 1/3 wants it on Tiny Town Road; and the final 1/3 does not believe we can afford to build the complex at this time. I am among the final group on this decision. Our present general debt is $115 million. The proposed cost of this new complex is $82 million. Typically, government projects cost 20-25% more than the initial proposal. If we, the City of Clarksville, go forth with this project, we will double our debt within a couple of years;
Second, in the present budget, we have allotted approximately $8 million towards debt service. If we build this complex, we will incur another estimated $8 million of debt service annually. That is $16 million a year to pay our debts. In order to do this, we would essentially have to increase the tax rate by $.30. Right now the city property tax rate is $1.24, it would, over time, increase to $1.54 to cover this debt;
Third, there are 300 acres in the proposed soccer complex. These 300 acres are prime real estate. Most other cities do not use prime residential or commercial development properties for activity areas like this. By taking these 300 acres, we are essentially leaving, at the very least, $2.4 million of annual tax revenue on the table. That is if the property were to be developed for residential use. It would be an even greater amount if the property were developed as multi-family or commercial. In addition to that, what will remain of Heritage Park? We have just now started the completion of the last 2 soccer fields at that location. If we continue with the new complex, Heritage Park would go unused and basically wither away; and
Finally, the City of Clarksville just spent $40 million on the Marina and Liberty Park. By completing the proposed complex, we would have nearly $150 Million in TWO (2) recreational projects that, in all fairness, would be used by a very small portion of the population. Image what we could do with $100 million in desperately needed infrastructure that is used by everyone every single day. In my opinion, this boils down to NEED vs. WANT. I feel the infrastructure is a NEED and the soccer field is a WANT.
Clarksville is my home and I love it dearly. If money were not an issue and we did not have roads that need immediate attention, I would be more supportive. However, the numbers just do not add up to a positive for the community at this time. As an elected official, it is my responsibility to make sure that every dollar collected of the city’s budget is used in the most responsible way, and to ensure that every taxpayer is represented in the way their tax dollars are spent.