New Clarksville budget: Transportation tops priorities, but what's actually being funded?

While Montgomery County Government is winding down its annual budget process for 2022-23, the city of Clarksville is heading this week into its fiscal planning for the year beginning July 1.

From the outset, Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts is submitting a city budget totaling more than $144 million, with no change proposed in the current city property tax rate of $1.24 per $100 of assessed property value.

In a letter just submitted to the Clarksville City Council preceding budget preparations, Pitts has commended city departments for their work "during what can only be described as a year of challenge and opportunity.

"We are emerging from a disruptive pandemic and are getting back to a normal rhythm of business and life," Pitts said.

In an Election Year, the city council is seeking much to show for its efforts. The city election is on the calendar for Nov. 8.

New roads and more

Several items are highlighted in the proposed budget for 2022-23, including,

►Transferring a portion of property tax collections to capital projects funds to support the city's Transportation 2020+ Master Plan, moving highest-priority highway and street projects forward to combat traffic congestion and meet the challenges of growth.

►Implementing a 5% general wage increase for all city employees. The increase, Pitts said, is largely in response to wage inflation and increasing difficulty recruiting city employees.

►Adding 16 city police officers and 15 new city firefighters to help Clarksville meet the demands of growth and its impact on public safety.

►Adding a position in the city's Human Resources Department to focus on "diversity, equity and inclusion" in the city's workforce.

►Adding new capital projects to include:

• An administration and training facility for Clarksville Fire Rescue Department

• A fueling center and salt shed on property donated by the Clarksville Regional Airport for a planned city-county public safety campus

• Continued work on the Rossview Athletic Complex next to Interstate 24, at Exit 8

• Renovations to Edith Pettus Park and Bel-Air Pool

• Seeking $7 million for the regional recreation center complex in the northeast part of the city.

Downtown parking garage

One much-talked-about project that the city is already moving ahead with in the current budget is the downtown parking garage

The city council approved on Thursday during regular session, an ordinance amending the operational and capital budgets for fiscal 2022 "to create and add additional funding, totaling $27.5 million for capital budgets.

"The amended budget will fund the community's much-needed downtown parking garage," Pitts said, "to accommodate the exploding downtown growth and provide parking for the upcoming F&M Bank Arena, the future Roxy Regional Performing Arts Center and evolving downtown businesses."

Of the $27.5 million, City Hall says it will use $7.4 million to cover the costs of critical repairs, improvements, and renovations for the existing Cumberland Plaza Parking Garage, plus the Frosty Morn revitalization project in the Red River District, Smith-Trahern Mansion repairs, and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) multi -modal projects, such as sidewalks and bus stops along several city streets that are, in fact, state-maintained roads.

Reach Jimmy Settle at jimmysettle@theleafchronicle.com or 931-245-0247. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to TheLeafChronicle.com.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: New Clarksville budget lists transportation as top priority