Which Clarksville road and sidewalk projects get priority in Mayor Pitts' budget?
Thirteen planned city transportation projects  ranging from roads and bridges to sidewalks and traffic signals  take center stage in the proposed 2021-22 city budget submitted to the Clarksville City Council by Mayor Joe Pitts' administration. "This is a historic opportunity ... to invest in Clarksville's future," Pitts told the council Tuesday afternoon in the opening moments of a special council session and budget workshop. It's a multi-tiered, ambitious "Transportation 2020+" master plan that Pitts has introduced as the centerpiece of the new budget. At the top tier, there are these 13 immediate transportation needs identified by Pitts and those working alongside him in drafting the plan:  The top 13   Rossview Road improvement and Dunbar Cave Road realignments, local and state-funded at a cost of $8.52 million   Whitfield Road widening/101st Airborne Division Parkway-Needmore Road intersection improvements, locally funded at $16 million   Tylertown Road/Oakland Road improvements, with local funds partially allocated at $37 million   Spring Creek Parkway connecting Trenton Road and Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, then extending to Ted Crozier Sr. Boulevard, with partial local funds allocated at $51 million   Exit 1 traffic signals and ramp, with lighting and a slip lane, utilizing local and state funding anticipated at $1.61 million   Needmore Road improvements from Boy Scout Road to Tiny Town Road, phase 1, with local funding anticipated at $17.5 million   Memorial Drive Extension/Old Farmers Road and Trough Springs Road improvements, with local funding anticipated at $26.5 million   Tiny Town Road 10-foot multi-use path, with local grant-eligible funding anticipated at $23.4 million   Greenwood Avenue and Edmondson Ferry Road sidewalks, with local grant-eligible funding anticipated at $4.2 million   Jordan Road five-foot sidewalks, with local grant-eligible funding anticipated at $2.98 million   North Senseney Circle and Barkers Mill School sidewalks, with local grant-eligible funding anticipated at $990,000   Highway 48/13 sidewalks and crosswalks, with local grant-eligible funding anticipated at $2.5 million  Added to all of this is a proposed relocation of the Clarksville Transit System's bus transfer station downtown. The project will utilize anticipated federal dollars to the tune of $10 million. About the tax hike  The proposed budget that is unusually top-heavy on transportation comes with a recommended 20-cent property tax increase for fiscal 2021-22, and there were rumblings Tuesday of having that question put to a public referendum. Councilperson Trisha Butler, in particular, said she wants to know what is involved in holding a referendum. In a non-election year, where such a referendum wouldn't be tied to a designated election day, a special election would have to be held, and Pitts said that would come at a cost to city taxpayers  possibly upwards of $100,000. "The 20-cent increase is dedicated solely to funding the transportation plan," Pitts added, re-emphasizing that there is no gray area on where the new revenue would be spent. Clarksville's current property tax rate is $1.0296 per $100 of assessed property value. Under the plan, the rate would increase to $1.23. Clarksville's tax rate has not been higher than $1.24 in 10 years. The average homeowner will pay an extra $84 per year  or $7 a month. Meanwhile, the average home in Clarksville is valued at $166,998, according to the city. The tax, Pitts said, will provide $6.9 million in additional revenue, allowing the city to address critical transportation infrastructure by enabling borrowing of $167 million over the next six years to pay for the features of the bold transportation project. City officials say the tax hike is simply necessitated by projected revenues not keeping pace with expenditures. The city's chief financial officer, Laurie Matta, said even with the proposed tax hike, Clarksville's tax rate and revenue capacity from each penny in that rate compares favorably with other comparable Tennessee cities. At a tax rate of $1.23, the value of a penny on the Clarksville rate would be $343,289 in generated revenue. Jackson has a tax rate of $2.10 and tax rate penny value of $145,689;  Murfreesboro with a tax rate of $1.28 and penny value of $455,882  Knoxville's tax rate of $2.43 and penny value of $532,202  Chattanooga where the tax rate is $2.27, and revenue generated on the penny is $666,445  The proposed city of Clarksville budget is valued at close to $585 million. Thirty-five new city employees are included in the budget. The Clarksville City Council meets next on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in council chambers, Public Square. This meeting will be devoted to deliberation, and a possible first-reading vote on the new city budget. In Clarksville, the budget requires two readings with two separate council votes before final adoption. If the city's schedule stays on course, the vote on second and final reading will be taken on June 22 at 5:30 p.m.  Reach Jimmy Settle at jimmysettle@theleafchronicle.com or 931-245-0247. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to TheLeafChronicle.com.