Image Credit: City of Jefferson City, Tennessee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal]-
In 2023, Jefferson City, Tennessee City Council made a resolution to forcefully take 95 acres of land from the parent company of Tennova Health System for recreational purposes.
The result was an industrial grade backfire on the city.
The local Jefferson County Commission made a resolution condemning the use of eminent domain for recreational purposes and asked the Tennessee General Assembly to intervene with legislation to stop the practice of forceful takings for “parks and recreation.”
The general assembly did exactly that with its enactment of Public Chapter 1034.
Cities and Counties can no longer use eminent domain to force people off their property for recreational projects.
During the hearing of the eminent domain legislation in the Civil Justice Subcommittee on February 13, 2024, to end takings for parks and recreation, one representative commented on the abusive practice of eminent domain by Jefferson City Council.
“I’m just sitting here trying to wrap my head around any [local] government that would want to do that. Our founding principles of property rights are at the core of everything we do, which is one of the reasons that we are the greatest nation in the world.” – said Representative Rusty Grills (R-Newbern)
Fast forward to 2025.
Jefferson City, Tennessee now has plans to develop a modern recreation facility on property long used for recreation in combination with 30+ acres of adjacent land donated by the late Jay Mosier. The tracks of property are located on Old A.J Highway near downtown, a location favored by the public that does not require the abusive practice of eminent domain for property acquisition.
The public and city taxpayers are on-board with the new approach via a “Needs Survey” and property rights are now being respected.
The city manager commented as follows for this news report.
“Since 2023, the City has continued to work towards improving the city’s Parks and Recreation System. Springboarding off the 2023 Recreational Needs Survey we engaged with CanOpy Landscape Design and funded the design of 5 of our park spaces. With the unfortunate passing of Mr. Moser, his offer to donate 32 acres adjacent to our current ball fields next to American Book was on hold as his properties went through the testamentary and trust process. This past summer we received notification that the family and their trust company was ready to move forward. City staff engaged with consultants from the office of Outdoor Recreation to advise us of the process for applying for State grants to move forward with the development of the city’s desire for a sports complex. We learned that a prerequisite for such grants required the completion of a city-wide recreation master plan. The city had applied for the 2025 Outdoor Recreation Planning Grant (80/20 match) but was unsuccessful. In order to move forward, the City Manager reported back to Council and advised that the city pursue the completion of the recreation master plan despite not receiving the grant. They subsequently requested that I seek out recreation planning firms –> leading so far to the interviews we conducted today with the two firms that responded to our invite. I will be tabulating scores and reporting back to council with a recommendation to negotiate with the prevailing firm on a cost-effective fee.” – said James Gallup, City Manager of Jefferson City, Tennessee
For a complete set of supporting documents on Jefferson City’s Recreational Development, links are provided below.
Park Concept – Dog Park / Fishing Pond
Park Concept – Downtown Mossy Creek Station
Park Concept – Mossy Creek Sports Complex
Park Concept – Nelson Merry Park & Gym
Park Concept – Roy Harmon Park
Jefferson City Conceptual Park Plans
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and past Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award & has received an accolade from the Institute For Justice for successfully lobbing the TN legislature to protect property rights. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
GOOD!!