City council votes on anti-camping ordinance, more during monthly meeting

JACKSON, Tenn. — It may be Election Day, but that did not stop the Jackson City Council from holding their monthly meeting.

The first Tuesday of each month is reserved for the city council’s monthly meeting and this one is no different. One of the few items voted on was an anti-camping ordinance. This would result in individuals being fined $50 per day if they are caught sleeping overnight on city property.

“Our goal in the city of Jackson is if you want to get help, we have opportunities for you to get help, to get you housed, to get you back on your feet. But Jackson is not a place for people to come and set up camp. Jackson is not going to be a campground,” said Jackson Mayor Scott Conger.

This will still need to go into the second reading before going into effect. Also, the city accepted the now former city recorder’s, Bobby Arnold, resignation. Nathan Reed was then appointed as the new city recorder. He was previously hired as the assistant.

“Ideally, they would have been there a lot longer with Bobby, but we are where we are. So, I think he has the experience. He’s been here for almost a month acclimating with the staff and working with the staff,” said Mayor Conger.

Previously, Reed worked as the city recorder for the City of Dyer for over a decade.

“It’s important to provide as much context to the people that are listening as you can. It’s up to them if they want to digest that. The public needs to know how a city spends its money and they need to feel comfortable understanding that,” said Reed.

The city council also voted to consider a bond counsel for a pending debt issue. These public improvement bonds are going to total $15 million.

This is $3 million more than the $12 million dollars discussed back when the budget discussion was happening.

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