Featured image: City of Martin board of Mayor and Aldermen before the special called meeting on Feb. 12, 2026. | (Pacer Photo / Bethany Collins)

In a 4-2 vote, Alderman Kent Kelso’s Voices, Vision and Viability strategic planning proposal passed during the special-called meeting of the Martin Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

Kelso first introduced the proposal at the regular board meeting on Monday, Feb. 9, describing it as a 10-year roadmap shaped by residents, city leadership and local stakeholders. He said the goal is to move Martin from reactive decision-making to a long-term plan with measurable outcomes.

Kelso said the community engagement initiative is based on the idea that “people support that which they help to create,” arguing that incorporating resident voices early can better align city priorities with community values and rebuild trust.

If implemented, the plan would create a shared vision, mission and values framework for the city, including values Kelso cited such as integrity, fiscal responsibility and honesty. Kelso also called for “radical transparency,” proposing stakeholder meetings across all wards and community groups, including citizens, educators from K-12 schools and the University of Tennessee at Martin, service and faith-based organizations, local businesses, nonprofits, city employees, students, senior citizens and parents.

A central part of the proposal is the creation of a citizens committee of about 20-25 members representing a range of stakeholders. Kelso said the committee would host meetings, collect and organize feedback, conduct a SWOT analysis—strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats—and use the input to help finalize the city’s mission, values and long-term vision. Kelso said the committee should include “workers” and “doers.” 

Kelso outlined a timeline that would begin with authorization in February, followed by forming the committee in March. Stakeholder dialogues and town halls would take place from March through May, with committee analysis and reporting expected in June. Public feedback on the committee’s analysis would follow in July, with a possible board review and vote to adopt a 10-year plan as early as August.

Kelso said the plan would also include a baseline scorecard and key performance indicators, including state-required benchmarks, with periodic public updates posted online. An annual “State of the Plan” review would be led by the mayor with progress reported publicly.

The proposal also calls for financial and operational assessments, including audits of city resources and comparisons with peer cities on taxation, debt ratio, population and debt per capita. Kelso said Martin’s debt per capita is estimated at just over $2,000. Alderman Terry Hankins noted that road work is a major expense, estimating it costs about $100,000 per mile to build roads.

Kelso said improving core fundamentals—including debt management, roads, schools and housing—is intended to strengthen Martin’s economic readiness and industry recruitment over the next decade. Alderwoman Celeste Taylor suggested using the Municipal Technical Advisory Service for benchmarking across city departments and inviting finance expert Eric Spencer for a deeper look at financial controls.

Kelso and other board members referenced the constraints of Tennessee’s open meetings law on informal board communication, arguing the process could help build board unity through structured, public discussion.

On Thursday, Feb. 12, the mayor and aldermen met again to vote on the plan. The city courtroom was filled with residents, and citizens were able to share their opinions before the board made its decision.

Eight people signed up to speak, but only five addressed the board. Several others also offered comments after Mayor David Belote opened the floor during the remaining time.

During public comment, multiple residents voiced support for a comprehensive strategic plan and urged the board to consider hiring a professional city manager, emphasizing transparency and taxpayer involvement. Speakers also raised concerns about city employee pay—particularly in fire and police—and called for a financial assessment of city departments amid ongoing debt tied to major projects and recent tax increases.

During board discussion, Alderman Danny Nanney spoke in favor of the plan, saying the city needs a committee to determine what Martin needs and that the process should begin immediately.

Alderwoman Celeste Taylor urged the board to delay action, citing ongoing efforts to change the city’s government structure.

“I think we are in the process of changing the structure of our government,” Taylor said. “Because we’re in that process, I think we should table this until we get a city manager in place, and it is their job to do the strategic planning and get us all involved and the citizens involved because they have professional expertise.”

Alderwoman Lynnette Wagster agreed more groundwork was needed before the city begins a formal planning initiative, but she said residents can still meet and share input.

Kelso responded that waiting on a separate proposal at the state level to potentially change the city’s government structure could delay action.

“That is not going to happen in months,” Kelso said. “So that’s months down the road. We have to decide.”

Kelso also pushed back on concerns that the process would add to the workload of city department heads, emphasizing the plan’s citizen-led structure.

“If the city department heads think that a strategic plan is going to be some great burden on you, I’m telling you, it’s not,” Kelso said. “That is why offering in the plan to have a citizen committee … that does the work.”

Kelso tied the proposal to the morale and compensation concerns raised during public comment, saying the planning process should help set priorities, including raises and other incentives for employees.

“What had better be our top priority is our people,” said Kelso. “And not just citizens, I’m talking about our employees.”

Kelso urged the board to approve the process, arguing the plan would guide decisions on government structure, debt and quality of life for residents and employees.

“Strategic planning is the horse,” said Kelso. “And we need to move forward.”

Taylor raised legal questions about how the committee would operate and asked City Attorney Kirk Moore for guidance. Moore said his concerns were procedural, not political, focusing on how the plan would function under Tennessee’s Open Meetings Act. Moore said if the board adopts the planning process and creates a committee to develop recommendations, the group could meet the legal definition of a public body, meaning meetings would need public notice and would be open to the public, similar to other city committees.

Moore also said committee membership would likely be limited to Martin residents. Under his reading of state law, anyone serving on an official committee created under the plan—and reporting recommendations back to the board—“is going to have to be citizens and residents of the city of Martin,” Moore said.

After Moore’s comments, Kelso argued the board should not delay the initiative by trying to finalize every procedural detail before beginning the process.

“Why are we getting into the weeds here in terms of having everything worked out before we launch an initiative?” said Kelso. “This is a strategic plan. This is not brain surgery.”

Kelso said strategic planning is common for cities and organizations and that legal compliance can be handled as the committee work begins. Kelso said the city can “take counsel from our city attorney on sunshine law,” adding there was “no reason why this process cannot happen completely in line with every single law in the state of Tennessee.”

Kelso also emphasized urgency and said that extended debate over structure could slow the effort.

“Time is of the essence right now,” Kelso said, calling the situation in Martin “urgent.”

Alderman Jacob Crowe, an early supporter of the proposal, said the board can rely on Moore to ensure the process complies with state law while still moving forward with community engagement.

“That’s something we’ll lean to you on, making sure that we are directing this with state legislation laws and what we can do,” Crowe told Moore.

Crowe said he viewed the citizen steering committee as similar to other city committees and emphasized the goal of involving a broad cross-section of the community. The committee, he said, should help develop a strategic plan that includes “our business owners, our not-for-profits, our religious side of our city” and other stakeholders.

Before the vote, Belote pointed to the packed courtroom as a sign of heightened public engagement and said the city should act while interest is high.

“It’s a wonderful sight. It’s a sight that we haven’t seen,” Belote said, referencing the crowd in attendance. He acknowledged that recent controversy and leadership concerns contributed to the turnout, but said residents have been “crying out” for change and more involvement.

Belote said the city has already taken steps to address structural and financial issues, including pursuing proposed charter changes that are now under review in Nashville. He said the city has also paused new projects that could add debt. “The city is debt ridden at the moment,” Belote said, adding that the board has worked to halt “all things that cause debt.”

Belote said adopting Kelso’s strategic planning process is “the next logical step,” describing the proposal as a document aimed at building community trust and providing direction.

“Now is the time because we’re at a peak level of community interest,” Belote said. “So it’s logical to move this thing forward. I’m all in.”

The plan passed with Nanney, Hankins, Kelso and Crowe voting yes. Taylor and Wagster voted no.

“What excites me is we’re going to have not only a committee of our citizens that are going to gather together and try to help us come up with solutions,” said Kelso. “But this city is going to go to as many of our stakeholders, our citizens, our local businesses, our corporations, our faith-based leaders, our service and nonprofit, and we want to go to schools and talk to students. I am very excited about that because I have seen it done in other cities. I have seen it transform cities and governments and led to a quality of life improvement people will want.”

Kelso said he also wants to involve public school and university students in the process.

“I have a meeting with Chancellor Yancy and Jake Bynum in two weeks,” Kelso said. “I would like to go to UTM and have a town hall with the administration, faculty and staff and the students, and let them tell us what it is they want.”

Correction: This story has been updated to clarify that Alderman Terry Hankins cited an estimated road-building cost of about $100,000 per mile and to correct attribution of comments about departmental assessments, using the Municipal Technical Advisory Service and inviting finance expert Eric Spencer, which were made by Alderwoman Celeste Taylor. Corrections were made on Feb. 20, 2026.