Clarksville City Council Business Meeting: TCAT Internship Presentation, Consent Agenda, Committee Reports – February 3, 2026

The Clarksville City Council met on February 3, 2026, at 4:30 PM in City Council Chambers, 106 Public Square, Clarksville, Tennessee. The meeting featured a special presentation on the Tennessee Early Technical College (TCAT) internship program, followed by the consent calendar, committee reports, and council comments. No public comments were offered, and the mayor adjourned the meeting until Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Although the agenda was labeled an executive session, the transcript reflects an open business meeting.

Special Presentation: TCAT Internship Program

• Mayor Pitts introduced Constance Brown, TCAT/ETC, who presented with Levi Good, a senior at Early Technical College studying heating, cooling, and refrigeration and president of the National Technical Honor Society.
• Good opened the presentation, noting that February is CTE Month in Tennessee and that the City of Clarksville was the first partner when ETC launched its internship program in 2021.
• Brown reported that Building and Codes has hosted four interns, Building Facilities and Maintenance 13, Fleet Maintenance seven, and the Street Department 11. She said 21% of students who interned with the city are now working for the city.
• Brown highlighted multiple success stories, including Gavin Brumley working at the city Garage, Jeffrey Ortiz as a wind turbine travel technician at Vestas, Cole Guerro as a promoted senior electrical technician at Arcosa Marine, Carlos Lopez as a second-shift maintenance technician at Florim USA, Kara Thomas Robison as a multi-craft maintenance technician at AO Smith, Edward Saucer as a mechanic at Concrete Pump Partners, Xander Hall as a maintenance technician at Triota, Gage Wilson as a traffic control technician with the Street Department, Nathan Chisholm as a controls technician at C Tech, Blaine Cockerell finishing his IEMM program while working part-time for the city, and Phoenix Walker in a full-time city position with benefits while finishing his IAM credential.
• Good shared an anecdote from a code enforcement ride-along in which he recognized refrigerant tanks used in meth production and reported them, crediting his ETC training.
• Brown stated the interns are no more than 22 years old and have salaries ranging from $40,000 to almost $100,000 with full benefits, many living and spending in Clarksville-Montgomery County.
• Brown expressed hope that the city partnership can expand next year to include more departments, especially those with vehicle maintenance, PLCs, robotics, or hydraulics.
• Brown announced TCAT is finalizing an articulation agreement with Pellissippi State for a water quality technology associate degree, allowing IEMM students to transfer 13 credits and creating a potential pipeline for city gas and water positions.
• Mayor Pitts praised Brown as a champion for student opportunities and thanked the ETC students for investing in their futures.

Consent Calendar

• Ordinance 46-2025-26 (Z-52-2025): zone change for four tracts at the northern terminus of Bell Road from AG Agricultural District / R-2 Single Family Residential to R-3 Three Family Residential, requested by Ligon Home Builders, Gayla Stewart, and Darroll Akins.
• Ordinance 49-2025-26 (Z-55-2025): zone change for two parcels at the western terminus of Quarry Overlook Way from R-5 Residential to R-2A Single Family Residential, requested by QP4.
• Ordinance 50-2025-26 (Z-56-2025): zone change for 12 Concord Drive from R-1 Single Family Residential to R-2A Single Family Residential, requested by Crest Properties.
• Resolution 41-2025-26: appointment to the Clarksville Housing Authority. Councilman Brown asked for information about the appointee; the mayor said the application should have been in the package and would be available before Thursday.
• Resolution 42-2025-26: repeal of the Certificate of Compliance for Corks and Caps Liquor Store at 100 Highland Bluff Way.
• Adoption of the January 8, 2026 meeting minutes.
• No council member requested removal of any consent item. The transcript does not record an explicit motion or roll-call vote on the consent calendar; after the comments, the council moved to committee reports.

Committee Reports and Discussion Items

• Finance Committee, Chairman Stacey Streetman:
  • Ordinance 52-2025-26 (first reading) would amend the city code to update building permit fees and adopt the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code, replacing the current 2009 energy code. Justin Crosby explained the change brings the energy code back into compliance with the rest of the city's code series and prevents a permit from being charged twice. Finance and Public Safety committees approved. Councilman Smith asked whether fees would decrease; Crosby said fees would stay the same, with the change only stopping duplicate charges.
  • Resolution 40-2025-26 would authorize the Office of Finance and Revenue to write off uncollectible accounts. The Finance Committee approved. Under city code, receivables exceeding $25,000 require council approval, and property taxes are uncollectible after 10 years; the 2013 property taxes are therefore deemed uncollectible.
• Neighborhood and Community Services Committee, Chairman Joe Shakeenab: full report deferred to Thursday.
• Parks and Recreation Committee, Chairman Brian Zacharias: full report deferred; he promoted the Polar Bear Plunge event on Saturday.
• Public Safety Committee, Chairman Keri Lovato: full report deferred; she congratulated 16 recruits from CFR's first-ever six-month academy, all assigned to shift with required training and EMR certification. She also noted Chief Montgomery’s recognition of Chief Burdine as his mentorship ends February 28, with recommendations to be forwarded to the mayor.
• Transportation, Streets and Garage Committee, Chairman Wanda Smith: report deferred to February 5. The mayor noted there was no planning commission report because of the weather.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public came forward. The agenda provided three public comment slots of five minutes each.

Mayor and Council Comments

• Mayor Pitts thanked the Street Department, Fleet Management and Garage, and CDE for their work during the recent weather event.
• Councilman Smith thanked Street Department staff, David, and Mr. Lee for clearing ice, noting he still slipped like many others but appreciated their efforts.

Key Outcomes

• The consent calendar advanced without objection; no item was pulled for separate consideration, though Councilman Brown requested additional information on the Housing Authority appointment.
• Ordinance 52-2025-26 and Resolution 40-2025-26 were presented with committee approval; no final council vote is recorded in the transcript.
• Several committee chairs deferred full reports to Thursday, February 5; the meeting was adjourned until Thursday at 6:00 p.m.