CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A controversial proposal to gradually reduce the city of Clarksville's additional payments to the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System is back before the city council, with a vote expected Thursday.
For decades, the school system has received funding from both Montgomery County and the city of Clarksville. Under the proposal by Clarksville City Councilmember Brian Zacharias, the city would continue handing over the money state law requires but would phase out extra sales tax revenue it has contributed to schools for decades.
"Bring the city's local option sales tax revenue back into the city," Zacharias said during an executive session of the council October 28.
Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts proposed an immediate cut to the city's school contribution back in May, but that effort failed after the school system and county leaders pushed back hard. "It's painful, I wish we didn't have to do it. But that just kind of tells you exactly where we are as a city government," Pitts said in an interview back in May.
Pitts tells NewsChannel 5 he supports this latest proposal to gradually reduce the city's additional payments. "I don't really want to make a statement since it's not my proposal, but I do plan to support the resolution," Pitts told us in a statement.
Not all council members are on board. Council member Stacey Streetman said she opposes the current approach, even though this version of the plan would phase in the reduction over several years. "I'm absolutely not in support of something like this," Streetman said in an interview with NewsChannel 5.
Streetman is worried the move could prompt Montgomery County to sue the city — a legal battle that would ultimately cost residents on both sides. "Myself along with every other city resident would then be paying the legal fees no matter which way you look at it, because we're residents of both," Streetman said.
She also warned that reducing the city's contribution could shift the financial burden to county residents. "I can only assume that that means that instead, the county residents could be potentially looking at a tax increase on their side having to pay it," Streetman said.
Streetman said she is not opposed to revisiting the funding arrangement but wants the city to take a collaborative rather than combative approach. “Let's look at it and see if there's a way to transition this, or other things that we can do in a partnership-type atmosphere,” Streetman said.
Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden did not reply to a request for comment.
The Clarksville City Council is expected to vote on the proposal Thursday.
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