John Coffelt, Editor

Manchester Police Department brought an ordinance to the Manchester Safety Committee that will likely need to be changed to meet state statutes regarding hunting within the city limits.

According to Chapter 8, section 11-806 of the city code of ordinances, “Hunting is prohibited … hunt inside the city limits, whether on public or private property, except the owner or someone with his written permission hunting by archery on tracts of 25 acres or more which have been previously approved by the safety committee.”  

“This is something we dealt with during duck season,” Police Chief Adam Floied said. “We had some duck hunter on a pond almost in the center of Manchester.”

Floied said that the department received a complaint about the hunters, yet when officers arrived at the scene they were told the TWRA had said that it was legal for them to hunt there, citing the state, Constitution, Article XI, Section 13.

“I spoke with the TWRA supervisor the following week. There’s some legal questions about our ordinance on what you can and cannot say.”

Floied found out from City Attorney Craig Johnson and the University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) that there is currently a bill in front of the state General Assembly to clarify the issue.

“Basically we are in a holding pattern,” Floied said.

The pond is located near the Little Duck River behind the old Southern Family Market.  

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.