By Chris Taylor/Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle
Clarksville, TN – Clarksville, Tennessee filed a lawsuit this week against its Power Board, seeking a court ruling to define the city's relationship between it and the electric utility, CDE Lightband. Attorneys for the city have asked the court to rule the utility was created by a private act under the city charter and is not bound by state rules. Attorneys representing the Power board recently ceded the utility was not created by Tennessee's Municipal Electric Plant Law of 1935, which would insulate the board from City Council oversight. That law was also used to justify a controversial hiring of former-Mayor Johnny Piper. The Clarksville Leaf Chronicle reports if the courts find in favor of the city, the ruling would allow the city council to oversee the utility's budget process.