History

The City of Townsend was chartered in 1921 by folks who were involved with the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company. 

 The City operates under a charter by which the parameters of its boundaries and codes are defined.

The main source of revenue is the state sales tax collected by city businesses. The City of Townsend has no property tax. Some of the other sources of revenue to the City are: in lieu of taxes, franchise taxes, beer taxes, and road taxes.

The City provides services to the people. Some are police protection; street maintenance; street lighting; fire protection through paid subscriptions for City residents to the Townsend Volunteer Fire Department; planning; zoning and recreation.

The City of Townsend has a Board of Commissioners consisting of five (5) members. Their terms are for four (4) years and are staggered in elections every two years. 

The five (5) elected commissioners then elect one of their members to be Mayor. The Mayor serves for two years. In the same manner, the elected Commissioners then elect one of their number to serve their City in the capacity of Vice-Mayor.

The Current commission is made up of the following elected public officials:
– Mayor: Don Prater
– Vice-Mayor: Kelsey Satterfield
– Commissioner: Rindi Martin
– Commissioner: Becky Headrick
– Commissioner: Pat Jenkins

The City of Townsend holds it regular monthly meeting the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7 PM. If for some reason a meeting has to be cancelled, notifications will run in the local newspaper, time permitting. All cancellations or postponements will also be posted on our Facebook page. 

The City of Townsend also has a Municipal Planning Commission that meets the second Thursday of every month at the City office. These members have the responsibility to follow the guidelines of the Zoning and Sub-division laws of the City and to review and approve site plans and sub divisions.

The Members of the Planning Commission are :  Harry McIntosh, G. Alan Holley, Mayor Don Prater, Commissioner Pat Jenkins, and Christina Delaney.  The City Planner for Townsend is Ekem Amonoo-Lartson.

If you would be interested in volunteering to serve on the Planning Commission please contact the Mayor.

Please direct any comments to P.O. Box 307, Townsend, TN 37882.