Council debate over Ajax Turner Senior Center funding spotlights allegations of mismanagement and service disruptions

A contentious portion of the Clarksville City Council’s special session centered on proposed funding and operational concerns at the Ajax Turner Senior Center.

Councilman Smith moved an amendment to restore approximately $800,000 to the Ajax Turner Senior Center by removing that amount from parks and recreation accounts, arguing the center serves nearly 1,500 seniors and operates more efficiently as a nonprofit. “We can ... put the money back into the senior citizen center,” he said while urging a vote to support seniors’ programs.

That proposal drew sharp pushback from several members and from the mayor. Council members raised immediate concerns about transparency, missing or incomplete financial statements for the center and potential liability if the city assumed operations. Council members repeatedly asked whether the council had received current financials; Miss Wilcox said the council had received the center’s December 2025 financials and that the first-quarter 2026 financials had been submitted to the finance office but not yet compiled for council review.

The mayor outlined a multi-year history of complaints and alleged operational failures at the center that he said justified terminating or altering the city’s relationship with the board and contractor. He cited reported instances of staff retaliation, allegations of sexual harassment that led to staff terminations, accounting irregularities in adult-day billing, suspension of nonprofit status for a period, and equipment/maintenance concerns. The mayor also said the adult day center’s premature closure had left about 15 families without day services.

Public commenters during the meeting presented differing perspectives. A longtime user, Carrie Johnson Gary, said she brings her mother to the center twice a week and described services that include meals, adult day programming and volunteer clinical support; she warned that disruption would have wide ripple effects, and gave a figure of about 1,483 seniors serviced by the center. Another commenter (who did not give a name at the microphone) accused the senior center board of causing many of the problems and said she possessed recordings she intended to release.

After extended discussion, the council voted on Councilman Smith’s amendment to restore funding. The clerk recorded the result: 2 yes, 11 no. The amendment failed. Council members who opposed the measure said they could not responsibly restore $800,000 without current compiled financials and that unresolved governance and potential liability issues required further review.

The record from the session does not contain a formal audit or a complete financial presentation from Ajax Turner leadership; council members directed staff to compile and present available financials and indicated the issue would remain for further work.

The procedural outcome — the failed amendment and the ultimate failure to pass Ordinance 90 — leaves the Ajax Turner funding question unresolved and signals the council will need additional sessions or committee work to resolve governance, transparency and funding for senior services.