Offering free van rides to veterans since 1989

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TN – Montgomery County Veterans Service Organization (MCVSO) recently hosted its annual volunteer appreciation dinner for the dispatchers and drivers of the Montgomery County Veterans Transportation Service (MCVTS) at The Tanglewood House.

The service, formed in 1989 to fulfill transportation needs for veterans and their dependents, made the first trip to Nashville in September of 1991 and, has since transported over 38,000 veterans and family members. For more than 30 years, the all-volunteer transportation network has provided veterans and their eligible dependents free transportation every week of the year to and from VA and civilian medical facilities in the Nashville area traveling between 20k to 40k miles per year. Telehealth and Community Care Network have helped to reduce the number of trips but the need still exists. 

At the dinner, the drivers and dispatchers were recognized and honored for their service. Some were newer divers and some have been dispatching and driving for over 20 years.

Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden addressed the group. “It is an honor to be here and live in Montgomery County where we have more than 34,000 veterans. We have a community that understands what it means to serve and what it means to serve others. I believe we are supposed to love God and love people. Our veterans understand that and I’m so grateful for an organization like this and for all of you who take care of our veterans every day. I love it! Thank you so much!”

Director of the Montgomery County Veterans Service Organization, Hector Santos, said, “It is an honor to continue this tradition and recognize you all this evening. Those who wore the uniform and the military spouses know we serve our Nation for God, Country, and Old Glory. It is in here (pointing to his heart), engraved, and I thank you. When I see a veteran, they ask me how I get to my appointment in Nashville. I tell them to leave my office, take a left face, and keep walking until you hit a door, and they will take care of you. That is reassuring to them. I appreciate what you do daily and know our veterans appreciate it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Ed Mayers, Chairman of MCVTS, wrapped up the evening by sharing some memories, thanking the volunteers, and giving a call to action, “When I first started driving we carried some WWII Veterans, the greatest generation and we are losing them every day. I remember one WWII Veteran who lived off Highway 13 almost to the County line and he was a character. At 17, he joined the Navy in 1944, and some of the stories he could tell! It has been a privilege and honor to serve them over the years. Many of you have your own great stories and have been volunteering for years. We run the gamut with Vietnam Veterans, retired Special Forces, helicopter pilots, air police, and others who volunteer but we are getting older and need some younger volunteers to step in. I am proud of the work we’ve done to support our veterans.”

To continue providing this service, more drivers are necessary. Drivers can volunteer as many days or as few days a month as they choose. To qualify, a volunteer must be insurable, hold a valid driver’s license, pass a background check, be in good health, and enjoy helping veterans.

Anyone with a desire to volunteer is welcome. In addition to drivers, volunteer dispatchers also staff the MCVTS office from 9:30 am. to 2:30 pm. Monday through Friday, answering questions and scheduling rides at the three designated pick-up and drop-off locations. 

Though the service is free to veterans who need transportation, the MCVTS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that needs ongoing monetary donations to cover, gas, vehicle maintenance, insurance, and other operating costs such as office supplies. The cost to operate the service is over $6,000 yearly which includes gas and servicing the tires. Additionally, MCVTS replaces one van every three to five years as finances allow. 

Veterans and their family members needing transportation to hospitals in the Nashville area can call 931-553-5175 to schedule a seat on one of the two vans – one which is equipped to transport wheelchair riders. Without the help of those who have donated funds and the MCVTS, some veterans and family members would be unable to receive proper medical attention in Nashville. MCVTS is the only all-volunteer organization in Tennessee that transports wheelchair patients to the VA and civilian medical facilities. The veterans’ van runs Monday through Friday with three designated locations, except holidays. 

Veterans who use the service are grateful for the rides and the people who selflessly serve, stating that the transportation eases some of the burden of dealing with a disability or disease.

To learn more about volunteering with the Montgomery County Veterans Transportation Service, or to donate to offset transportation costs, contact the office at 350 Pageant Lane, Suite 308, Clarksville, TN 37040, or call 931-553-5175.

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Caption for the MCVTS Standing Group from left to right:  Phyllis Mayers, Mayor Golden, Marion Yarborough, Dennis Langlois, Tony Tidwell, Ed Mayers, Brian Prentice, Gene Gibson, Daisy Picket, Gary Chilcott, Henry Bock, Nancy Carter, Larry Hogan, Victor Garcia, Steve Ferrell, Gail Rutland, Andrew Kester, Sabrina Norris, Hector Santos

The Montgomery County Veterans Service Organization is hosting its annual Memorial Day Ceremony at 10 a.m., May 27, at the William O. Beach Civic Hall, Clarksville.

City and county officials, as well as MCVSO staff, will give remarks, with the keynote address given by Colonel Samuel L. Preston III, Commander, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Ft Campbell, Kentucky. Musical selections will be presented by Stella McKnight and the Carnival and Encore Choirs from Clarksville High School, with the posting of the colors by the 101st Airborne Division Color Guard. Area Veterans Service Organizations will conduct a wreath-laying ceremony.

The William O. Beach Civic Hall is located in Veterans Plaza, 350 Pageant Lane, Clarksville.  

For more information, contact the Montgomery County Veterans Service Organization at 931-553-5173 or [email protected].

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TN – Property owners in Montgomery County will receive a postcard value change notification from the Montgomery County Assessor of Property Office in May via the US Postal Service. The notifications represent the market value and assessment classification for the 2024 revaluation year for all properties in Montgomery County.

Cyclical revaluations are a State of TN requirement for all 95 counties. In Tennessee, reappraisals are conducted on four, five, or six-year cycles. Montgomery County is on a five-year schedule with the last revaluation completed in 2019. A county assessors' main responsibility is to determine a property's fair market value and classification rate as of the reappraisal year. Those values are then applied to a tax rate established by the County Commission and, if applicable, the City Council.  Assessors do not collect taxes or determine a local property tax liability.

“It is my team's responsibility to gather good data. We have conducted a visual inspection of every real property in Montgomery County over the last five years that shows the outside of a property. If there are issues inside the property, we are unaware unless the property owner brings it to our attention. Owners should contact us immediately if they disagree with their property value. We do not want anyone paying more or less or more than their fair share,” said Assessor of Property Erinne Hester.

Once the Montgomery County revaluation is approved by the Tennessee Division of Property Assessments, the new, equalized values will be published on the Montgomery County Assessor of Property webpage. 

“The value increases will be significant because Montgomery County has not revalued since 2019, when the local market started its historic climb. This revaluation accounts for five years of market growth, not just the change from 2023 to 2024. Reappraisal is a revenue-neutral process based on the historical capture of what has already happened and includes the amounts based on willing sellers and willing buyers, the quality of the building, and the location of the property,” added Hester.

Market increases in reappraisal rates throughout the state have been at historical highs. This is also true regionally as shown by the following Middle Tennessee counties on a five-year reappraisal cycle revaluing in 2024. The latest percentage increase shared by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office for Cheatham County was 72.8%, Dickson County at 52.7%, and Sumner County at 67.1%. All percentages are based on assessed value and include new construction. Montgomery County’s increase is calculated at 64.9%.

Dates to remember:
May 20: State deadline to notify property owners of any change in their assessment values. Notifications will be mailed to the address on record on or before Monday, May 20.

May 31: Last day to file an appeal with the County Board of Equalization.
June 3: Appeals to the County Board of Equalization begin.

July: The legislative bodies of the County Commission and the City Council set the respective property tax rates. 

Property owners enrolled in the Greenbelt Program are protected under state law to a cap of six percent per year or 30% on their land value. Greenbelt Program assessment change notices will show the new land market value for 2024 in addition to a capped “use value” for land that is currently enrolled in the program.  All improvements (structures) on the property are valued using the same methodology the rest of Montgomery County.

For information on how property taxes are calculated, the appeal process, the certified tax rate (CTR), and how to calculate taxes, read this brochure. The valuations for properties affected by the Dec. 9, 2023 tornado, are based on what existed on Jan. 1, 2024.

Tennessee is a truth-in-taxation state.  This means a new, revenue-neutral, certified tax rate (CTR) will be calculated.  Click here for more information on the CTR.

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – The Montgomery County Veterans Service Organization (MCVSO) recently launched its new Veterans Services Client Portal to make it easier for veterans, eligible dependents, and surviving spouses to request appointments and/or benefits briefings. The portal includes sections for new and existing clients and a request form for a VA benefits briefing.

For new MCVSO clients, two VA forms must be filled out to book the first appointment. The forms can be completed in person or online. The New Clients tab includes a step-by-step VA form tutorial video. Filling out the forms can only be done on a laptop or desktop computer, not a mobile device. Clients already registered will fill out the Existing Clients online form.

“We developed this portal for the convenience of our military veterans and surviving spouses. The portal is open 24/7 and provides our clients with clear directions and an easy-to-follow video that they can view as many times as they need. Of course, we are always here by phone and in-person as well to serve those who served us,” said MCVSO Director Hector Santos.

To access the portal for all options, visit https://vso-secure.mcgtn.org/

MCVSO provides multiple appointment options including the client portal, calling 931-553-5173, or in-person at 350 Pageant Lane Suite 405 Clarksville, Tennessee. For more information on MCSO, click here https://mcgtn.org/vso

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – As part of Distracted Driving Month, the Clarksville-Montgomery County Traffic Safety Task Force conducted their annual Distracted-Driving Operation Hands-Free bus tour on April 11.

Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services (MCEMS) provided bus transportation for the Task Force members while Tennessee State Troopers, Clarksville Police, and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies patrolled the nearby areas. Traffic Safety Task Force Members who rode the bus assisted law enforcement officers in identifying hands-free violations, seatbelt violations, and other road hazards to help limit traffic incidents and crashes. 

Stats from the three-hour bus tour resulted in 21 hands-free citations including 23 seatbelt violations, 8 speeding citations, and 42 other driving-related violations. 

“The Operation Hands-Free Bus Tour is a great way for our Traffic Safety Task Force Agencies to unite on our roads and highways to bring awareness to distracted driving. Those who work traffic incidents have seen too many unnecessary tragedies due to distracted driving. We want people to focus and practice safe driving,” said Montgomery County Driver Safety Administrator Lisa McClain.

"Operation Hands-Free" aims to reduce distracted driving crashes and fatalities by increasing enforcement efforts and educating citizens about Tennessee’s Hands-Free law. 

“Cooperation between multiple agencies in a community is vital to keeping the citizens safe and allows law enforcement to make a greater presence on the roadways and bring awareness to the importance of not being distracted while driving. We observed numerous traffic infractions and conducted several traffic stops on the tour. The event was successful and hopefully brought awareness to the importance of remaining distraction-free when driving,” said Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Denis Bowles.

Learn more about Tennessee's Hands-free law at www.HandsFreeTN.com  

To access distracted driving crash data provided by Tennessee’s Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN), visit www.tn.gov/safety/stats/dashboards/distracted-driver.html

Participating agencies include the Clarksville-Montgomery County Safety Task Force includes members from Tennessee Highway Safety Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services, Montgomery County Driver Safety Office, Montgomery County Highway Department, Montgomery County Health Department, Montgomery County Mayor’s Office, Montgomery County Emergency Management, Clarksville Police Department, Clarksville Fire & Rescue, Clarksville Street Department, Clarksville Gas & Water Safety, Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Transportation, Ft. Campbell Military and Civilian Police, APSU Campus Police, Nashville Metro Police, and others.  

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