Clarksville, Montgomery County, TN – Montgomery County and the City of Clarksville presented to the local delegation of the Tennessee General Assembly Thursday evening at William O. Beach Civic Hall during an annual reception that combines representatives of state and local governments in collective dialogue.
Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden and City of Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts shared introductions, words of gratitude for the local delegation and the legislative committees, and a list of prior legislative accomplishments.
The state legislative delegation for Clarksville and Montgomery County includes 22nd District State Senator Bill Powers, 23rd District State Senator Kerry Roberts, 67th District State Representative Ronnie Glynn, 68th District State Representative Curtis Johnson, and 75th District State Representative Jeff Burkhart.
Montgomery County’s Legislative Liaison Committee is chaired by County Commissioner Lisa Prichard (District 16) and includes County Commissioners John Gannon (District 1), David Harper (District 15), Rashidah Leverett (District 5), and Joe Smith (District 3).
City Councilperson Stacey Streetman chairs the City’s Legislative Liaison Ad-Hoc Committee and includes Mayor Pro Tem Wanda Smith (Ward 6), and councilpersons Travis Holleman (Ward 7), Keri Lovato (Ward 12), Deanna McLaughlin (Ward 2), Joe Shakeenab (Ward 11) and Brian Zacharias (Ward 1).
“Presenting our legislative items together is another example of collaboration that makes us stronger and unique from many other communities. I appreciate the work done by the County and City Legislative committees and our delegates’ continued efforts on behalf of Clarksville and Montgomery County,” said Mayor Golden.
“I want to commend these councilpersons who take their service to heart, and have invested the time to create a working document for the coming session of the General Assembly that represents several of our City’s most significant needs,” said Mayor Pitts.
The combined legislative item from the County and City is to encourage the Tennessee Department of Transportation to obligate funding for the following road project phases in the FY24-26 Transportation Improvement Program.
FY24-26 Transportation Improvement Program
- SR237/Rossview from two to four or five lanes (from east of International Blvd. to east of Kirkwood Rd) and complete the construction in a timely manner.
- Widen Interstate 24 from four to six lanes (from KY State line to SR76/MLK Pkwy, exit 11) and complete the PE-NEPA and PE-Design in a timely manner.
Key agenda items presented on the County’s legislative agenda include:
- Dire Need to Address Infrastructure
- Private Act Limitation of County Commissioners to Hold Incompatible Offices – Would apply to counties with a population greater than 200,000.
- Collection of User Fees for Collection of Waste – Allow the legal application of user fees to be collected from all persons to whom fees are applicable
- Private Utilities Delaying Public Projects – Request a time limit for private utility companies to respond and act upon a local governmental project when utilities need to be moved.
- Sheriff Office Fees – Allow sheriffs to demand advanced fees for services of all process originating outside the sheriff’s county.
- Legalize Medical Cannabis
- Demolition by Neglect – Three key components: identification, incentives, and enforcement.
- Animal Welfare Regulations – Addition of regulations to the State of Tennessee Animal Control Laws pertaining to the duties of pet owners.
Key agenda items presented on the City’s legislative agenda include:
- Road projects and infrastructure
- State Route 48/Trenton Road
- State Route 374/Warfield Boulevard/Richview Road
- Private Utilities – Request an imposed time limit on private utility companies to address the need to respond to local government projects where utilities need to be moved.
- Fire Station Safety Improvement Grant Program – Replacing or renovating existing fire stations or building new fire stations
- Emancipation Day Holiday – Acknowledge August 8 as “Emancipation Day” in Tennessee
- Equalization Rate Application to Pilots – Exemption for municipal utilities from the equalization ratio.
- Legalize Medical Cannabis
- Restore/Return Shared Sales Tax – Support restoration of the historic revenue-sharing relationship (pre-2002)
- Local Sunshine Laws – Allow local governments to follow the same Sunshine Laws as state.
Following the presentation, Senator Powers spoke on behalf of the state legislative body.
“We always appreciate the legislative committees bringing the needs of our community to us. We are fortunate that the Clarksville and Montgomery County state representatives get along so well together. I promise we are constantly fighting for our fair share,” said Senator Powers.
The Legislative Agenda process has a history of making a difference for County and City constituents.
Mayor Pitts noted that one significant win for the process was securing state BEP funding for Genesis Teen Learning Center on Fort Campbell Boulevard, which is devoted to students having emotional or behavioral challenges that affect classroom performance.
Senator Powers also gave credit to Representative Burkhart for his successful efforts in securing state funding for the second DMV location, scheduled to open in 2025.
The County and City requested public input on legislative agenda items from June 2023 through August 2023 through local media outlets as well as County and City social media outlets. The detailed list of County/City legislative items as well as past legislative item successes is posted at https://bit.ly/3ROnUQP
