Clarksville council weighs gradual withdrawal of extra school funding

Clarksville City Council is expected to vote Thursday on a proposal to gradually end additional sales tax payments to the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. The measure would preserve the city's legally required contributions while withdrawing extra funding it has provided for decades.

Councilmember Brian Zacharias proposed the resolution, which would reduce the additional payments over several years. The school system has long received financial support from both Clarksville and Montgomery County. At the council's October 28 executive session, Zacharias said his aim was to return the city's local option sales tax revenue to city government.

Mayor Joe Pitts supports the proposal after an earlier attempt to cut school funding failed. In May, Pitts sought an immediate reduction in the city's contribution, but school system officials and county leaders strongly opposed that effort. At the time, he described the proposed cut as a painful step reflecting the city's financial circumstances. Pitts told NewsChannel 5 that he plans to support the new resolution, while declining to comment further because he did not introduce it.

Councilmember Stacey Streetman opposes the current proposal despite its gradual timetable. She told NewsChannel 5 that she fears Montgomery County could sue Clarksville over the change. Such a dispute, she said, would leave city residents helping pay legal expenses for both governments because they are also county residents.

Streetman also raised the possibility that withdrawing city funding could lead to higher taxes for county residents. She said she is willing to reconsider the funding arrangement, but wants city and county officials to work together on a transition or other options through a partnership.

Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden's office said the existing sales tax agreement was approved by voters in a referendum to support schools and help pay teacher salaries. According to the statement, visitors and people living outside Montgomery County generate more than 30% of the revenue, reducing the share of school costs borne by local residents.

Golden warned that changing the agreement would shift the entire tax burden to residents. He said the county works with department heads and elected officials to manage public funds responsibly, and that removing the school funding could require a county property tax increase, reductions in county and school system services, or both.

The expected Thursday vote brings the funding dispute back before the council following the unsuccessful May effort. The latest proposal offers a slower withdrawal of the city's extra payments, but opposition remains over its potential effects on residents and the school system.