Clarksville City Council Executive Session – May 28, 2026

The Clarksville City Council met on May 28, 2026, at 4:30 PM in City Council Chambers, 106 Public Square, Clarksville, Tennessee. The agenda included first-reading zoning and finance ordinances, a consent agenda, committee reports, public comments, and council member comments. The official minutes were not available, and the transcript does not include recorded vote tallies; several items were discussed in advance of a later regular session.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda included routine second-reading ordinances, including zoning changes, eminent domain authorization, a property conveyance to the Clarksville Montgomery County Museum, liquor certificate actions, board appointments, and approval of prior meeting minutes.
• Ordinance 58-2025-26, the rezoning of property on Seven Mile Ferry Road from R-1 to R-3, was pulled for discussion. Streets representative Mr. Smith explained that the site has steep slopes, drainage ditches, narrow existing asphalt of about 16.5 to 18 feet, limited right-of-way of 19 feet across a third of the property, and a utility pole. He said widening and sidewalk requirements would likely make land acquisition necessary, though retaining walls could reduce the amount needed. Councilman Claunch said he would vote no, citing resident concerns and the traffic impact of additional development.
• Note on agenda/transcript discrepancy: the clerk read the Pinkstaff Fantasy Lane zoning item as "Ordinance 72-2025-26," while the agenda lists Ordinance 72 as the Richard Garrett Trenton Road/Hayes Street office rezoning and lists the Pinkstaff item as Ordinance 75-2025-26. The transcript also does not reflect the agenda's Ordinance 73 (Lozano) second reading.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dr. Gregory Fryer spoke about the Ajax Senior Center, saying members are required to leave by June 30 and have begun packing. He opposed moving the senior center under Parks and Recreation, argued the proposed free-admission model could still require per-activity fees, and noted the building failed another fire marshal inspection. He urged the council to consider keeping the center under nonprofit operation for fiscal responsibility.
• Billy Lang said his mother ran the senior center for seven years, supported finding a workable resolution, asked for more clarity, and emphasized the center's importance to seniors, volunteers, and the community.
• David Key described the senior center's medical-equipment lending closet and said it serves 1,400 paid members and about 300 to 400 people per week. He asked the council to pursue an amicable outcome during the transition.

Planning Commission – First-Reading Zoning Ordinances

• Ordinance 71-2025-26 (Z-11-2025) – Casey and Beth Brown Community Property Trust requested a zone change on 1.51 acres on Merchants Boulevard from C-3 to C-5 for a gymnastics center. RPC Director Jeffrey Tyndall said staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval.
• Ordinance 79-2025-26 (Z-17-2025) – Marvin Pitts requested a zone change on about 0.85 acres on Kraft Street from M-2 to C-5 to make an existing tire shop compliant with zoning. Staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval. Councilman Streetman noted for the record that he is not related to the applicant.
• Ordinance 82-2025-26 (Z-20-2025) – Tonya Bosley requested a zone change on 4.41 acres at Rossview Road and Bosley Lane from R-1 to C-5 for retail and child care. The Planning Commission recommended approval. Council members split: Councilman Streetman opposed broad C-5 uses near the school, Councilman Brown cited child-safety concerns about retail traffic and a shared driveway, Councilman Chandler opposed the change because of existing school traffic, and Councilman Shakeenab supported it as a way to add commercial options without adding apartments. School system concerns about traffic, capacity, and pedestrian safety were read into the record.
• Ordinance 83-2025-26 (Z-21-2025) – Todd Morris requested a zone change on Industrial Drive from M-1 to C-5. Staff recommended disapproval because the parcel lacks arterial frontage; the Planning Commission recommended approval. Tyndall said the applicant had mentioned a contractor's office, which may be allowed in M-1, and that an update on the intended use would be provided by the next meeting.

Finance Committee – Ordinances and Resolutions

• Ordinance 74-2025-26 (parking code overhaul) – Sponsor Councilman Shakeenab proposed creating a new parking chapter and eliminating the Clarksville Parking Commission, placing parking enforcement under CPD. He said the commission lacks enforcement authority and reported 31,000 unpaid downtown parking tickets worth more than $845,000, 3,300 vehicles with two or more open tickets, and one vehicle with 217 open violations. Councilman Brown raised concerns about moving civilian employees under the police department, legal authority to issue citations, and the lack of Public Safety Committee review. City attorney personnel cited state statute and an attorney general's opinion on which departments may issue city court citations. Chief Birdine said officers could cite vehicles without the owner present through due-process notification. Councilman Streetman said he wanted more time to study the proposal. No vote was recorded.
• Ordinance 76-2025-26 (employee leave changes) – Human resources representative Ms. Luntz presented changes to allow annual leave accrual after three years instead of ten and to add Good Friday as a paid city holiday, effective January 1, 2027. She cited employee survey feedback, FY2025 separation data showing 17.5% of separations occurred between three and five years of service, and noted 12% of general employees used annual leave on Good Friday. Councilman Peters said he was a firm no because of cost, Councilman Chandler objected to HR and the mayor amending bereavement policy without council approval, Councilman Streetman acknowledged retention benefits but cited cost and reduced citizen services, and Councilman Holliman supported giving the holiday to city employees.
• Ordinance 77-2025-26 (donated property at 0 Jack Miller Blvd) – Neighborhood and Community Services Director Michelle Austin said the city would accept donated property for a housing development using HOME funds. The donated land is appraised at $400,000, which offsets HOME's 25% match requirement, and no general fund dollars were expected to be needed. Councilman Claunch asked about opportunity zone eligibility.
• Resolution 65-2025-26 (Saint Thomas Hospital Economic Impact Plan) – Ms. Wilson presented a request for a tax increment financing (TIF) plan supporting roughly $418 million in development, including a 44-bed hospital on about 96 acres off Exit 11. The requested infrastructure assistance was about $12 million; the transcript contains a garbled partial figure. The TIF was described as performance-based with zero city/county risk if development does not occur. Councilman Brown noted the city would go from zero property tax revenue to an estimated $413,000 in property taxes after the TIF, plus about $705,000 in sales tax.
• Resolution 66-2025-26 (fund balance policy) – Sponsor Councilman Streetman proposed reducing the minimum unassigned fund balance from 20% to 17% of general fund expenditures, which he said could support about a six-cent property tax rate reduction. Ms. Wilcox of the finance staff said the policy would still meet best-practice standards but cautioned that it would not by itself make the city fiscally sustainable. Councilman Zacharias asked about multi-year effects, and Councilman Holliman said he supported it begrudgingly while linking the city's financial crunch to years of rapid growth.

Committee Reports

• Neighborhood & Community Services: Chairman Shakeenab reported on an Opportunity Zone 2.0 presentation and said the city may expand from five to nine opportunity zones.
• Parks & Recreation, Public Safety, and Transportation-Streets-Garage chairs said full department reports would be given the following week.

Council Member Comments

• Councilman Haywood thanked Streets and CPD for supporting a neighborhood cleanup and said he was planning a school cleanup.
• Councilman Shakeenab thanked street crews for clearing right-of-way along Rossview Road and raised concerns about continued residential growth feeding Rossview Road traffic, noting the difficulty of widening the road.
• Councilman Claunch thanked the IT department and promoted a food-box distribution at the Center of Hope.
• Councilman Peters said the Wawa on Ringo Road is scheduled to open June 18 and urged street and intersection improvements at the Ringo Road/101st/Parkway Place area before it opens.

Key Outcomes

• No vote tallies are recorded in the transcript; first-reading items are expected to return at later meetings.
• Ordinance 58-2025-26 was pulled from the consent agenda for discussion.
• For the Industrial Drive C-5 case, staff said an update on the applicant's intended use would be provided by the next meeting.
• Councilman Shakeenab said he would distribute an annual breakdown of unpaid parking ticket data before the next meeting.
• Public speakers and council members flagged follow-up items related to the Ajax Senior Center, traffic safety, Rossview Road capacity, parking enforcement, and the Ringo Road/Wawa intersection.