Karen Reynolds City Council - Ward 9

There is a proposal for a gas rate hike on the agenda, that will make to increases for individual residents on the same agenda. Please review and share your concerns with all the council members, our emails are listed. Your Voice Matters.

Ward 9 ReExecutive Meeting - We vote on 7 December 2023 We will be voting on Gas Rate Increase-Please review and reply to everyone Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Ward 9 Newsletter Executive Meeting November 23, 2023 Dear Community Members, As we navigate through the holiday season, it's ess...

And a big thank you to all the community members and City staff that support the tree board initiatives.

Clarksville Tree Board named best in the state for 2023 The TN Urban Forestry Council, whose mission is to inspire and empower people to develop, grow and sustain vibrant, healthy and productive urban community forests, selected the Clarksville Tree Board as the top tree board in the state for 2023.

City of Clarksville offers document shredding services Nov. 4 The City of Clarksville is hosting a Shred Day event for the citizens of Clarksville, at City Hall on November, 4, 2023, from 9 a.m. - noon.

I am sharing my newsletter, we vote on 2 Nov, your voice matters. Check out the sidewalk ordiance draft and presentation. We are not voting on it this month, I am sharing to get public input. Reachout if you would like to meet and discuss the updated ordiance.

Ward 9 Regular Meeting - We vote on 2 Nov 2023 Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Ward 9 Newsletter Regular Meeting October 5, 2023 Good Evening, I am writing this a bit out of order. I am working to update the Sidewalk Ordinance. When I knocked on doors in our community and and asked....

I will be presenting my update to the sidewalk ordinance . You can view the presentation or watch me on New 2.

https://www.cityofclarksville.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10262023-1583

https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/clarksville/proposal-to-expand-clarksville-sidewalks/

Proposal to expand Clarksville sidewalks As Clarksville continues to grow, some city leaders worry sidewalks aren’t keeping up. With the city’s average walkability score coming in at 18 out of 100, Ward 9 Councilwoman Karen Reynolds is pr…

I attended the
Best In Black Fundraising Gala: Bright Nights It was a wonderful event and I was honored to receive the Outstanding Allyship and Advocacy Award. Rashidah Leverett, County Commissioner, District 5 was also recognized for her excellence as an educator.

Black Women are the most educated group in the United States, I was honored and humbled to attend this event. It is our job as elected officials to listen and learn from them. The only assistance they need from us is to help remove barriers and then get out of the way and watch them RISE.

Billy and I attended the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council convention at Fall Creek Falls State Park with two amazing women Karla K Gargus and Katherine Killebrew. It was our honor to accept the award and recognition for the Clarksville Tree Board. We were Tennessee Urban forestry recognized as a local board that has made outstanding accomplishments in completing urban forestry projects, provided exemplary leadership, and made significant progress in meeting the goals of their local urban forestry program.

Our board, led by Karla Gargus and Katherine Killebrew works diligently to protect and expand the city of Clarksville Tree canopy. We do the work for our community but it is nice to be recognized for it.

Clarksville Tree Board

I am sharing my October 2023 Newsletter and I discuss my work on the city's sidewalk ordinance, reach out if you have questions or concerns.

Ward 9 Regular Meeting - We vote on 5 Oct 2023 Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Ward 9 Newsletter Regular Meeting October 5, 2023 Good Evening, On October 2nd Mr. David Smith presented the update for the 2020+ plan. I held several town halls and received input from several residents....

Congratulations Ashleigh Travis, from our Leadership Clarksville Class of 2023, on her appointment to 19th Judicial District Circuit Court. I am very proud of her and I know she will do great things for our community. Of course, we always expect the best from the best class.

I compiled a list of innitiatives to present at the Special Called Session on Monday, October 7th. For those of you who would rather not read the entire letter, here is a direct link. I thank all the residents who shared their concerns and ideas for our community.

www.karenreynoldsvote.com

I support transparancy and the state legislature should follow the same sunshine laws they enacted for local governments. I wrote a letter to the editor to clarify my intent and how I truly stand on the issue. I understand our messaging could have been more clear but as I state in my Letter to the Editor, my actions speak for themselves.

"As a City Councilperson, I work diligently to be transparent with the community. I write two newsletters each month, one before our voting session to encourage community input and another afterward to provide insight into my voting decisions. I hold town hall meetings, three in the past month, to encourage citizen involvement. I meet with various community groups, giving residents an opportunity to voice their concerns. I sponsored a resolution requesting three “public vision sessions' allowing council members to discuss and promote initiatives that enhance transparency in our budgeting process. Unfortunately, the resolution did not pass."

Clarksville doesn't want secrecy. We want the state to abide by the Sunshine Law too. The essence of a Clarksville City Council amendment is to inform the state legislature that transparency should be a shared commitment.

I am sharing my recent newsletter, we vote on Thursday, October 5th. I have included a presentation of our recommendations for the city’s transportation plan. I say “ours” because I have compiled the input, I received from all of you into the list. Please review and share your comments.

Ward 9 Executive Meeting September 2023 - We vote on 5 October Let's work together to create a wish list for Ward 9 Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Ward 9 Newsletter Executive Meeting (Non-Voting) September 28, 2023 Good Evening, I am sorry for the delayed note, I was on vacation and visited New Or...

I am sharing my September Newsletter, there is still time to share your input for our next meeting regarding infrastructure, we have one more townhall scheduled for tomorrow at Lasaters Coffee on Wilma. The Legislative agenda passed with an amendment that requested the State Legislature modify the Sunshine Law to cover themselves. Transparency at every level of government is important.

Ward 9 Regular Meeting September 2023 Let's work together to create a wish list for Ward 9 Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Ward 9 Newsletter Regular Meeting September 7, 2023 Hello Everyone, We only have one last townhall meeting – tomorrow (Tuesday – 19 Sep) at 5:30 to...

Thank you for bravery and standing up for women in TN and our entire nation. Women in TN deserve the standard of care in accordance with ACOG.

⚡️NEW: “The Center for Reproductive Rights has filed legal actions in Tennessee, Idaho and Oklahoma on behalf of women who say they were denied abortion care in medical emergencies…” https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/09/12/abortion-rights-lawsuit-medical-care/

Getting ready to Walk to End Alzheimer’s

The mayor set the date for the Transportation 2020+ Update Meeting for October 2nd at 4:30.

In preparation for this meeting, I am scheduling a couple meet ups to discuss and grab a coffee/beer with Karen during the month of September. I added them and the locations in the newsletter.

https://t.e2ma.net/webview/u0lbfd/1976393d2c7eab864729ab214aae6e42

I am sharing my newsletter, we vote on 7 September. I am also working to schedule some meet and greets to discuss the mayors upcoming vision session to discuss drainage, sidewalks, street, beautification projects.

Share the newsletter and I look forward to your input regarding creating a list of projects for Ward 9.

Ward 9 Executive Meeting (NON-Voting - August 31, 2023 Let's work together to create a wish list for Ward 9 Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Ward 9 Newsletter Executive Meeting (Non-Voting) August 31, 2023 This note is a bit early, I usually wait until after the Executive Meeting, but I want...

I am sharing my recent newsletter regarding the Vulcan Property.

The EDC and mayor's office have pushed this rezoning/PUD with lightning speed while ignoring the historical black community. It was done with such secrecy that Commissioner Leverette and I did not know the affordable housing aspect was off the table until 2 days before the presentation to city council. They did not meet with community and they are not even updating Red River Drive - it would cost too much and not be attractive as stated on floor.

The mayor has called a special meeting to finish off the underhanded deal and prevent the community from learning what they were doing.

I just do not undersand "why".

We are going to lose this fight but we can still push them to improve the neighborhood.

I will not be at tonight's meeting, but as the saying goes,"Democracy dies in the Darkness".

As I said in the newsletter, please send your letters, we can still let them know we what they are doing to our Historical Red River Community.

Ward 9 Specila Session - August 10, 2023 Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Special Session Scheduled August 2023 Before I discuss the Special Session, I need to correct my last newsletter. I don’t know if I was “furiously typing” or typing furiously but I said, “at the e...

I am sharing my newsletter from the August 2023 Regular Session. I was very disappointed that the Vulcan Property PUD passed, it should have been deferred to address our concerns.

Ward 9 Regular Meeting - August 3, 2023 Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Ward 9 Newsletter Regular Meeting July 27, 2023 We had a very long meeting on Thursday. We started the meeting with two people who addressed the community. I will share that information below. I am going....

Thank you Darla, I can't think of a better place to celebrate milestones in our lives.

The cheapest house they'll be our current state of housing in Clarksville Tennessee but let's not talk about affordable housing.

Congratulations Aftyn Behn for TN HD51 we are so proud of you for winning the Democratic Nomination to represent Nashville.

Aftyn Behn Wins House District 51 Democratic Primary Behn is the presumed successor to Bill Beck

Thanks Arts for Hearts Clarksville for the wonderful presentation today at the Kiwanis Club of Hilldale, Clarksville

We vote on Thursday, 3 August, your voice matters. I would like to note that we are NOT Voting on the Vulcan Property TIF or affordable housing, we are only approving the PUD.

Ward 9 Executive Meeting - July 27, , 2023 We Vote on Thur-3 August, your vote matters Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Ward 9 Newsletter Regular Meeting July 27, 2023 Good Evening, I have two links this month for our meeting, I am not sure why the city has not posted the video a...

Affordable housing is an issue in our community. We need to look for reasons and ways to help build affordable housing centering our residence and not the builders and businesses.

Questions on affordable housing enter City Council debate on stadium development | ClarksvilleNow.com The need for affordable housing was at the center of a City Council debate over the Vulcan Mixed Use and Entertainment District on Thursday night.

Taste of Clarksville 2023 is open come on down join us.

Come on down and join us there's plenty of room inside and you can get some delicious food and join us

We love supporting our friends at the Clarksville Area Urban Ministries SafeHouse!

The Mission of Clarksville Urban Ministries is to empower individuals and families with access to wholesome food, safe shelter, and an array of trauma-informed services centered upon personal needs while promoting dignity and hope for a more secure future.

🎟️ Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased here until August 4th: https://clarksvilleaor.com/handbags/

I am attending the
Tennessee Municipal League conference to learn more tools to use input City of Clarksville, TN Government It is truly a small world, today I met Dick Pelley who is a Council Member in Athens, TN. We chatted and I learned he was born in Newfoundland, Canada... My mother was a Newfie, I loved making the connection.

Myself and other members of the Healthy Yards Clarksville Montgomery County met to help cleanup and establish pollinator gardens at Byrns Darden Elementary School. I would like to give a shoutout out to Megan Ross, the teacher who donated her personal time and supplies to organize and lead the event with the support to Sheena Dixon - Haus Realty. I would also like to thank Randy and Su Whetsell from Haus Realty for donating their time and supplies, we are grateful for your support of Healthy Yards and our school system.

This is what working a a community looks like, thanks to all the volunteers.

Catching up after my vacation.

Ward 9 Regular Meeting - July 6, 2023 Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Ward 9 Newsletter Regular Meeting July 6, 2023 I am sorry for the delay in publishing the newsletter, but I have been on vacation with limited internet access. At our meeting residents spoke against the P...

TDOT is joining the movement to increase our pollinator population, they wrote: POLLINATORS are a diverse group of species that includes birds, bees, butterflies, bats and beetles. They are critically important to life and their numbers are in steady decline as a result of habitat loss, pests, pathogens, pesticides and other stressors.

Everyone in our community can make a difference by growing native plants. You can request milkw**d seeds from TDOT and they whill send them to you for free.

Tennessee Department of Transportation Pollinator Habitat Program Dedicated to growing, supporting, and protecting pollinators across Tennessee through education, partnerships and sound environmental practices.

TDOT launches effort to save monarch butterflies, offers free milkw**d seeds for residents It's National Pollinator Week.

Planting to help pollinators becomes popular in the U.S. From farms to college campuses, more and more Americans are planting bee-friendly gardens, lawns, orchards and public spaces.

It's too hot to start plants now. But it's the perfect time to kill grass or w**ds and prepare planting beds, chemical-free. Solarization - covering lawn or other planned garden area with clear plastic sheeting. Solarization during the hottest time of year will kill plants and w**d seeds in the soil. Your native garden space will be ready for planting when the weather cools in fall (the best time for most natives). Read more about the process https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/solarization-occultation

I am sharing my newsletter; we vote on July 6th. Your voice matters.

Ward 9 Executive Meeting - June 29, 2023 We Vote on July 6th so please respond before then if you have concerns Karen Reynolds, City Council Person Ward 9 Phone 931-980-7345 City Councilperson Karen Reynolds Ward 9 Newsletter Executive Meeting June 29, 2023 I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable 4th of July Holiday. I have several notes belo...

Slow down in the neighborhoods, tickets are going to cost a lot more.

Good evening, I had a wonderful day today which started off at the Clarksville Downtown Farmers Market supporting the sustainability Clarksville Tree Board and the Healthy Yards Clarksville Montgomery County and Clarksville TN Native Plants - gardening with plants native to Tennessee promoting our pollinators. I then had the privilege of attending and speaking at the Annual Ladies English Tea hosted by the Clarksville TN Buffalo Soldiers

Clarksville TN Native Plants - gardening with plants native to Tennessee Clarksville Parks and Recreation stop fire table and pick up some milkw**d or other native plants that support our pollinators. Did I mention they're free?