Six members of the Clarksville City Council were sworn into office and given an opportunity to address the council before business resumed, and the body later elected Ward 1 Councilmember Brian Zacharias as mayor pro tem.

The meeting included a public hearing on multiple zoning cases, votes on first readings of ordinances and one abandonment resolution, committee reports including a Gas & Water update on voluntary PFAS sampling, and new-business action on a city resolution backing preservation of Swan Lake at Dunbar Cave State Park. The council also rejected a budget amendment that would have shifted $120,000 to begin a municipal “seed bank” project.

Council members and mayor pro tem sworn in
Carlos Peters (Ward 3), Tim Chandler (Ward 4), Amber Marquis (Ward 5), Jerry Haywood (Ward 8), Jimmy Brown (Ward 9) and Carrie Lovato (Ward 12) each took the oath of office and delivered brief remarks thanking family, voters and colleagues. Peters said, “give me a chance. I'll earn your trust and your respect. I will uphold this office faithfully and honestly.” Several new and returning members emphasized plans to work across wards.

The council nominated and, by voice vote, selected Ward 1 Councilmember Brian Zacharias as mayor pro tem for the next two years. Zacharias was sworn in and said he was honored to serve in the role and thanked his family.

Zoning and land-use: public hearings and mixed outcomes
The council held a public hearing on a series of zoning applications and took votes on first readings. Several applicants and nearby residents spoke during the hearing. Developers described proposed sidewalk or road improvements and plans for affordable housing; neighbors at multiple sites raised concerns about traffic, road widths and compatibility with existing single-family lots.

Developer Terrence Burney said his proposals for sites on Kelly Lane and North Ford Street were intended to add affordable housing. At one Kelly Lane hearing Burney told the council he would "definitely make sure sidewalks are there" and that ingress and egress would connect to Crossland Avenue and Paradise Hill Road. At the North Ford Street hearing opponents Joy Welker and Brad Welker said the existing cul-de-sac and narrow road could not support additional multifamily units: "The quadplex that's already there is bringing in so much traffic," Welker said.

Calvin Ligon, the developer for a Bell Road-area rezoning, told the council he planned to widen Bell Road and that the extra density (R-2A proposed) would help offset the cost: "I've actually have to widen Bell Road. It's... pretty expensive. So that's why I'm requesting R-2A to get the density to help offset that cost," Ligon said.

Votes at a glance (zoning and other formal actions)
- Ordinance 42 (first reading; zoning case Z46-2024 — application of Judy Clayton to rezone a parcel on Pea Ridge Road to C-5 highway and arterial commercial): motion to approve; clerk recorded the vote and the ordinance passed first reading (vote recorded in the transcript as 13 yes, 0 no; 1 abstain). Outcome: approved (first reading).
- Ordinance 44 (first reading; zoning case Z47-2024 — Terrence Burney, Kelly Lane from R-2 to R-6): motion to approve carried, vote recorded as 9 yes, 3 no, 0 abstain; ordinance adopted first reading.
- Ordinance 45 (first reading; zoning case Z48-2024 — Antonio Ramos, Calvert Drive from RM-1 to R-6): motion to approve failed; vote recorded as 1 yes, 12 no, 0 abstain. Outcome: failed.
- Ordinance 46 (first reading; zoning case Z49-2024 — Terrence Boerne, North Ford Street from M-2 to R-4): motion to approve failed; vote recorded as 1 yes, 12 no, 0 abstain. Outcome: failed.
- Ordinance 47 (first reading; zoning case Z50-2024 — Todd Morris, Peachers Mill Road from R-4 to R-6): motion to approve carried; vote recorded as 9 yes, 3 no, 1 abstain; ordinance passed first reading.
- Ordinance 48 (first reading; zoning case Z51-2024 — Nanny W. Bell Trust, land adjacent to Bell Road from AG and R-2 to R-2A): motion to approve failed; vote recorded as 2 yes, 11 no, 0 abstain.
- Resolution 34 (2024-25 — approval of abandonment of unnamed public right-of-way): motion to approve carried; vote recorded as 13 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain. Outcome: adopted.
- Consent agenda (includes several items, among them Ordinance 36 (second reading) and an amendment to the fiscal 2025 operating/capital budgets): approved by voice vote; clerk recorded 13 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain.

Swan Lake at Dunbar Cave: council adopts preservation resolution
Councilmember Streetman introduced Resolution 33 requesting the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation preserve Swan Lake at Dunbar Cave State Park. Streetman told the council he had spoken with the local state delegation and said Swan Lake is a local historic feature and that a change that converts the lake “to a stream and a parking lot” would be detrimental. Councilmember Chandler and others recounted local history of volunteer restoration of Dunbar Cave.

The motion passed. Clerk recorded the vote as 12 yes, 0 no, 1 abstain; the resolution was adopted.

Seed bank budget amendment fails after abbreviated debate
Councilmember Holloman introduced Ordinance 43, a budget amendment that would reallocate $120,000 (from human resources accounts) to begin a city seed-bank project. The sponsor framed the measure as an investment in local resilience and food security. The proposal drew immediate procedural and policy pushback from several council members and department chairs who said the idea lacked planning, a departmental lead, a storage and maintenance plan, and specificity about what seeds or crops would be stored and how they would be used.

Councilmember Shekinah moved to end debate; that motion passed (9 yes, 4 no). On the final vote the ordinance failed: clerk recorded 1 yes, 11 no, 1 abstain.

Gas & Water committee report: voluntary PFAS sampling
The Gas & Water committee reported it had performed voluntary non‑regulatory sampling of untreated source water (the Cumberland River) after news about PFAS detections at Fort Campbell. The report said the utility’s treated drinking water remains safe and noted the utility draws from a different source than Fort Campbell. The committee said the utility’s investment accounts were earning 4.74% and that staff had applied for multiple grants; the committee scheduled its first meeting of the year for Jan. 23.

Public comment and committee reports
Several residents spoke during public hearings on rezoning cases, most often about traffic, road width, and compatibility with existing neighborhoods. Committee chairs delivered routine reports — finance, parks and recreation, public safety, transportation — and the council heard multiple departmental updates including building and codes activity and transit ridership statistics.

What’s next
Most zoning actions during the meeting were first‑reading votes. Where approved on first reading, ordinances will return for a second reading before final adoption. The Swan Lake resolution will be transmitted to state officials as the local government's formal expression of support for preservation. New council members begin serving on the council committees noted during the meeting; committee calendars were announced by chairs.

—

Votes and formal motions reported in this article are taken from the meeting transcript excerpted by the clerk and recorded during the council’s roll calls. Where the transcript shows a specific tallied vote, that tally is reported above exactly as recorded in the meeting minutes.