CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Clarksville City Council has failed to pass a budget three times as the city's July 1 fiscal year deadline approaches, leaving officials divided over whether to raise property taxes or cut city services.
Council members remain split on how to close the gap, with some supporting a property tax increase and others pushing for spending cuts. So far, neither side has found enough support to move forward.
Ward 4 Council Member Tim Chandler said the situation is dire. "I'm scared for the entire city because I'm not sure what's coming next," Chandler said.
Among the sticking points is funding for police, fire, road improvements and the future of the Mason Rudolph Golf Course. Ward 10 Council Member Stacy Streetman called for the course to reopen during a special budget meeting earlier this week, while Ward 12 Council Member Keri Lovato pushed back. "Mason Rudolph is one of those pet projects that is not needed," Lovato said.
Chandler, who supports raising property taxes, pointed to rising costs as a key driver of the budget shortfall. "Eight to nine years ago, a fire engine was $300,000, now they're $2.4 million," Chandler said.
The council has already trimmed some items from the proposed budget, but Chandler said it has not been enough. "We've already cut out sidewalk projects, we've already cut out intersection improvements," Chandler said.
Chandler said he is not optimistic a deal will come together before the deadline. "I'll put it to you this way, if I was in Las Vegas and I was gambling, I sure wouldn't bet on getting one passed," Chandler said.
Mayor Pitts Responds
NewsChannel 5 requested an interview with Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts for this story, but we were told Pitts didn't have room in his schedule Wednesday. Instead, his office sent this lengthy statement:
The City of Clarksville and the Clarksville City Council continue to work toward passage of a general fund operating budget for the new fiscal year (FY2027). We are optimistic that this process will conclude in a way that serves the City’s, and tax-paying residents’, best interests.
Like most of middle Tennessee and the Southeast region, Clarksville has uniquely experienced spiraling, unsolicited growth, and we need a budget in place that supports the needs of all City Departments and the residents served by them. We need a budget that keeps pace with, and stays ahead of the steep growth curve. In the long run, reacting to growth and providing patchwork solutions to challenging public safety or infrastructure issues and their required support services will only cost the City more than would be otherwise needed with the right fiscal planning, done now.
In short, we cannot continue to “kick the can down the road” with respect to budgeting for Clarksville. The City goes above and beyond the call of duty to operate efficiently now, and is committed to striving for the best-possible efficiencies going forward. However, given Clarksville’s current population growth rate, the resources now needed, to sustain at least the same level of operational efficiency well into the future, realistically exceed what has been needed in prior years. Inflationary pressures also factor into this.
All Departments within Clarksville City Government work together cohesively, with a common goal of keeping the City’s residents and visitors safe, and served by basic municipal facilities, programs and services that the public verbally demands year-round.
To that end, all City Departments – and the Employees of these Departments who are also residents, neighbors, friends and community servants – are vitally important, and have to have the right fiscal support to accomplish their work. And, we have to make the City of Clarksville a place of employment that continues to attract and retain the best-qualified and skilled individuals out there. This requires a combined commitment to competitive pay and benefits, and the right work environment. We cannot, and should not settle for less.
There are no excesses in Clarksville City Government’s budget, no great surpluses, and no frivolous spending. What actually exists today throughout the City of Clarksville, budgetarily speaking, is quite to the contrary. Together, we will make the right choices, and succeed in adopting a budget that works both for now, and the future of Clarksville.
What happens if the council misses the deadline?
According to John Dunn, a spokesperson for Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower, the goal is always to have a budget passed before the fiscal year begins on July 1. If that does not happen, cities like Clarksville can operate under a continuation budget through Aug. 31.
"While operating on a continuation budget, a department of a municipality may not expend more than the amount spent during the corresponding month of the prior fiscal year. In other words, July 2026 expenditures should not exceed July 2025 spending," Dunn said.
The stakes grow significantly after that deadline. "If a city does not pass a budget by August 31, the city would not have the authority to spend money until a budget is in place," Dunn said.
That means if the council cannot reach an agreement, city operations would effectively grind to a halt after Aug. 31.
Chandler said the weight of that possibility is not lost on him. "I'm just scared right now," Chandler said.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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