Clarksville, TN – This week, an organizational meeting at Clarksville City Hall launched the new Arts, Culture, and Tourism Authority, or ACT Authority, of the City of Clarksville.
This Board, through its funding activities and overarching support, will encourage and promote the public’s participation in and enjoyment of local attractions.
This includes, for example, visitor centers, performing arts centers, recreational facilities such as greenways and trails, and other government-owned tourist attractions.
The Clarksville City Council approved the formation of the ACT Authority as a legally separate entity from the City government, with Board appointments exclusively provided by the City. The Executive Director of the ACT Authority will be appointed by the ACT Authority Board.
Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts is enthusiastic about the ACT Authority’s potential to boost the arts, the local tourism economy, and global awareness of Clarksville’s rich heritage.
The new ACT Authority will be governed by a board of seven directors appointed by the City Council upon Mayor Pitts’s nomination.
“I am grateful to the six very busy leaders who agreed to serve and will launch this very important initiative for our City,” Mayor Pitts said. “The Authority will be the catalyst for the arts for generations.”
Those inaugural members of the ACT Authority and their terms of appointment are:
Carol Clark: February 2024 – January 2027
James Durrett: February 2024 – January 2025
Salome Herrera: February 2024 – January 2027
Dwight Jemison: February 2024 – January 2026
Keya Patel: February 2024 – January 2025
Peter Reyman: February 2024 – January 2027
Reyman will serve as ACT Authority Chairman in the organizational launch. The Vice Chairman is Durrett, and Carol Clark is the Board Secretary.
An additional seventh Board appointment is forthcoming, pending City Council approval.
In part, the City is creating this Authority to assist with financing the new, expanded Clarksville Performing Arts Center (CPAC), a long-awaited capital project, on the site of the existing Roxy Theatre downtown.
To finance a large CPAC that will provide a public service and also a private benefit, debt will need to be issued to pay for this project. State law prohibits the City from lending its credit. This separate ACT Authority can, therefore, issue debt and legally avoid the lending-of-credit issue.
The Authority, and not the City, will hold title to the property for the CPAC.
Funding for the ACT Authority will be derived from the revenue generated by operating the facilities.
Other funding sources will include:
– City Hotel/Motel occupancy tax of 2.75%, effective January 1st, 2025, and dedicated to tourism.
– County Hotel/Motel tax of 8%, with 12% of collections going to the City’s General Fund
Under this plan, the Arts & Heritage Council and Roxy Regional Theatre will each submit annual budget requests to the ACT Authority, which will, in turn, allocate funding to each entity.
The main objectives of the Authority are:
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To maximize the economic, tourism, social, and cultural benefits of Clarksville
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To identify and assist in developing cultural events and provide locations to display the various forms of art within Clarksville
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Coordinate a calendar of events for cultural and artistic creators.
