The Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce is trying to rev back up consolidation efforts for the city and county government. Business leaders approved a surprise resolution this week asking the city council and Montgomery County commission to establish a charter commission.
Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan is stepping in to first start a task force to educate voters on the benefits and build consensus around consolidating.
“It only makes sense to move forward after you have built understanding and support,” McMillan says in a statement. “Simply wanting it to happen, without truly unifying the whole community around the concept, is little more than wishful thinking.”
There are complicated state laws to navigate, including a nine-month time limit once the formal consolidation process begins. Two previous attempts in Clarksville and Montgomery County failed. And after a failed attempt, communities can’t restart the process for several years.
Clarksville already has a joint school system. Nearby Nashville and Davidson County merged in the early 1960s, making it one of the earliest sizeable cities to become a metropolitan form of government.
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