[5:03] Good evening everyone. I would
[5:04] like to open our announcement
[5:07] period. Today is Tuesday, JUNE
[5:09] the 16th. I would like to open
[5:11] by acknowledging that this
[5:13] meeting is being held on the
[5:15] unceded stolen land of the
[5:16] Cherokee, Shawnee, and Yuchi
[5:19] people. And to remind everyone
[5:21] that no one is illegal on
[5:23] stolen land built by stolen
[5:25] labor. Before we get started, I
[5:27] would like to wish everyone a
[5:29] happy Juneteenth. Juneteenth
[5:32] commemorates JUNE 19th, 1865,
[5:34] the day when enslaved African
[5:36] Americans in Galveston, Texas,
[5:37] finally learned that they were
[5:38] free. This historic
[5:40] announcement arrived two and a
[5:41] half years after PRESIDENT
[5:43] Abraham Lincoln signed the
[5:44] Emancipation Proclamation on
[5:47] JANUARY 1st, 1863. Because
[5:48] Texas was the most remote
[5:49] Confederate state, the
[5:51] proclamation was entirely
[5:53] unenforceable until Union
[5:54] military forces arrived to take
[5:56] control, and this order
[5:57] immediately affected more than
[5:59] 250,000 enslaved people in
[6:01] Texas. So this is something
[6:02] that we celebrate each year,
[6:04] and I would just love to wish
[6:07] everyone a happy Juneteenth
[6:08] holiday. I hope you all enjoy
[6:09] your celebrations and
[6:11] festivities, and we have one
[6:14] under presentation today, our
[6:17] 2026 1996 Council Member,
[6:19] Quincy Tombs, a resolution
[6:20] honoring the life and legacy of
[6:23] Frankie Mae Keeling, Henry.
[6:24] Civil rights activist, Freedom
[6:26] Rider, educator, and beloved
[6:27] Nashville. And with that
[6:29] council member Toombs, you are
[6:30] recognized.
[6:33] Thank you, MADAM Pro Tem. This
[6:35] evening, we have the distinct
[6:37] honor of reading this
[6:39] resolution honoring the life of
[6:41] Frankie Mae Keeling Henry, who
[6:44] is one of our esteemed freedom
[6:48] fighters, who sacrificed her
[6:51] safety and devoted her life to
[6:53] helping her community and where
[6:55] we all owe her a debt of
[6:58] gratitude for the work she did
[7:00] for us. We are joined this
[7:03] evening by her family. Her son,
[7:05] Lamont Henry, as well as her
[7:08] daughter in law Claudia Henry,
[7:11] as well as their daughter and
[7:13] grandson. Um, before we read
[7:15] the resolution, I do want to
[7:18] recognize COUNCILWOMAN Zoe
[7:20] Suara, who always shares such,
[7:22] uh, heartwarming stories about
[7:24] MISS Frankie. And so I want to
[7:25] give her an opportunity to
[7:26] speak before we start reading
[7:30] the resolution.
[7:31] Thank you. Thank you,
[7:32] Councilmember Tombs, for this
[7:34] resolution. And thanks for the
[7:37] opportunity to once again
[7:39] express my gratitude for the
[7:40] life and legacy of MISS
[7:41] Frankie. As she
[7:42] s ideally
[7:44] known. In addition to being a
[7:45] civil rights icon, she was a
[7:47] pillar in the community and
[7:49] does a whole lot of things. Uh,
[7:51] as a teacher, as a community
[7:52] member, as a Delta, uh, she
[7:53] s
[7:54] one of the people that you just
[7:57] have to know her to love her,
[7:59] uh, very fashionably dress. Uh,
[8:02] are always on point. Uh, and a
[8:03] community person, you just have
[8:05] to be in a presence. It was an
[8:06] honor for me to get to know
[8:07] MISS Frankie, uh, for
[8:08] everything that she did for our
[8:10] community. Uh, we read a lot of
[8:11] it in the proclamation, but
[8:13] every opportunity that I get,
[8:15] uh, to place, uh, homage to
[8:17] these folks for what they did,
[8:19] I never say no. So, uh, thank
[8:21] you, Councilmember. Uh, tombs.
[8:24] And then, uh, my big brother,
[8:27] uh, uh, for for letting us have
[8:29] your mom and for your family
[8:30] sacrifice. And for that MISS
[8:33] Frankie did. Thank you.
[8:35] All right. A resolution
[8:36] honoring the life and legacy of
[8:38] Frankie Mae. Killen. Henry,
[8:40] civil rights activist, Freedom
[8:41] Rider, educator, and beloved
[8:43] Nashville. Whereas Frankie MAY
[8:44] killing Henry, one of
[8:45] Nashville
[8:46] s last living Freedom
[8:48] Riders and a courageous
[8:49] participant in the Civil Rights
[8:51] movement, departed this life at
[8:53] the age of 85, leaving behind a
[8:55] legacy of service, sacrifice,
[8:57] courage and unwavering
[9:02] commitment to justice and.
[9:03] Whereas a young student at
[9:06] Tennessee State University,
[9:08] MISS Henry, answered the call
[9:10] of a generation determined to
[9:12] confront segregation and racial
[9:14] injustice in America, joining
[9:16] the historic, historic
[9:19] Nashville lunch counter, sit
[9:20] after an encounter with civil
[9:28] rights leader Diane Nash and.
[9:30] Whereas killing enemies to
[9:31] shoulder to shoulder with young
[9:33] people who would go on to
[9:34] change the course of American
[9:36] history, including leaders such
[9:38] as John Lewis demonstrating
[9:40] extraordinary bravery in the
[9:42] face of hatred, violence and
[9:45] intimidation, and.
[9:48] Whereas during the sit, MISS
[9:50] Henry endured a physical
[9:52] assault when a white woman
[9:53] burned her arm with a cigarette
[9:55] and attempted to set her poncho
[9:57] on fire, yet she remained
[9:58] committed to the principles of
[10:00] nonviolence, dignity and
[10:01] disciplined protest that
[10:03] defined the national movement
[10:08] and.
[10:11] Whereas after peacefully
[10:12] participating in the
[10:14] demonstrations, MISS Killing
[10:16] Henry and her fellow protesters
[10:18] were arrested and jailed for
[10:20] two years, two weeks, rather
[10:22] suffering the consequences of
[10:23] standing on the right side of
[10:24] history during one of the
[10:24] nation
[10:30] s darkest chapters and.
[10:32] Whereas because of her
[10:34] imprisonment and participation
[10:35] in the movement, MISS Killing
[10:37] Henry received failing grades
[10:39] due to missed coursework and
[10:41] was forced to leave school. A
[10:42] painful reminder of the
[10:44] personal cost. Many young
[10:46] activists paid in the pursuit
[10:48] of equity in the pursuit of
[10:52] equality and justice, and
[10:53] Whereas.
[10:55] Despite those setbacks, MISS
[10:56] Henry persevered.
[10:56] And ultimately.
[10:57] Earned her degree.
[10:58] From Tennessee State University
[11:00] in 1970.
[11:01] Exemplifying resilience.
[11:03] Determination. And faith.
[11:04] In the power.
[11:05] In education.
[11:14] And.
[11:16] Where MISS Killing. Whereas
[11:17] MISS Keeling Henry devoted her
[11:19] professional life to educating
[11:22] future generations, serving as
[11:24] an educator who not only taught
[11:26] academic lessons but also
[11:28] carried forward the living
[11:29] history of the civil rights
[11:31] movement by speaking to
[11:33] students across Tennessee about
[11:35] black history, civic
[11:38] responsibility, and the ongoing
[11:39] struggle for justice and
[11:43] equality, and.
[11:45] Whereas through her life and
[11:47] testimony, MISS Keeling Henry
[11:49] ensured that the sacrifice of
[11:50] ordinary citizens who
[11:52] transformed Nashville and this
[11:53] nation would never be
[11:54] forgotten. Reminding
[11:56] generations that progress is
[11:58] not inevitable, but instead
[12:00] requires courage, persistence,
[12:05] and collective action and.
[12:07] Whereas MISS Keeling, Henry
[12:08] represented the very best of
[12:10] Nashville, a woman whose quiet
[12:12] strength, moral clarity and
[12:13] willingness to sacrifice for
[12:15] others helped move the city and
[12:16] this country closer to its
[12:21] ideals and.
[12:23] And before I read this one,
[12:24] whereas I want to say something
[12:26] else, my apologies. I think
[12:26] it
[12:28] s very, very critical.
[12:30] Honestly, as we remember her
[12:31] and we continue to remember the
[12:32] legacy, that we don
[12:33] t tarnish
[12:35] it by letting all the assaults
[12:37] on our democracy and voting go
[12:38] to waste. I think it
[12:38] s very
[12:40] important that we continue to
[12:42] remember them and to stand so
[12:44] that their life work, that they
[12:46] put their life on the line. For
[12:46] we don
[12:48] t let it go away in our
[12:49] in our time. So I
[12:50] m encouraging
[12:51] every one of you, wherever you
[12:53] are, however you can, please
[12:54] and please and please stand up
[12:56] and fight for our democracy and
[13:04] honor their legacy. Whereas
[13:06] MISS Killeen Henry represented
[13:08] the best of Nashville, a woman
[13:10] whose quite strength, moral
[13:11] clarity and willingness to
[13:13] sacrifice for others help move
[13:14] this city and this country
[13:20] closer to its ideals and.
[13:22] Whereas MISS Keeling, Henry
[13:24] leaves behind a loving family,
[13:26] including her son Lamont Henry,
[13:28] among the countless former
[13:30] students, community members,
[13:31] friends and fellow freedom
[13:33] fighters whose lives were
[13:35] forever impacted by her example
[13:40] and.
[13:41] Whereas it is fitting and
[13:42] proper that the Metropolitan
[13:44] Council honor the extraordinary
[13:46] life and enduring legacy of
[13:47] Frankie Mae Keeling Henry,
[13:49] whose courage helped shape the
[13:50] city of Nashville and whose
[13:51] legacy will continue to inspire
[13:53] future generations to pursue
[13:56] justice, equity and freedom for
[13:58] all.
[14:00] Now, therefore, be it resolved
[14:01] by the Council of the
[14:02] Metropolitan Government of
[14:04] Nashville and Davidson County,
[14:05] the Metropolitan Council hereby
[14:06] goes on record to honor and
[14:08] celebrate the life, courage and
[14:10] legacy of Frankie Mae. Killing
[14:11] Henry, Freedom, writer,
[14:13] education educator, civil
[14:15] rights activist, and treasured
[14:17] daughter of Nashville. The
[14:18] Metropolitan Council extends
[14:19] its deepest condolences,
[14:21] prayers, and sympathies to the
[14:22] Henry family and all those
[14:23] mourning the loss of MISS
[14:25] Keelan Henry, while giving
[14:26] thanks for a life that
[14:28] profoundly impacted Nashville,
[14:30] Tennessee in this nation. This
[14:31] resolution shall take effect
[14:33] from and after its adoption.
[14:35] The welfare of the metropolitan
[14:36] Government of Nashville and
[14:47] Davidson County, requiring it.
[14:49] And I want to say that this
[14:51] resolution was sponsored by
[14:53] every single council member
[14:54] that was present and voting on
[14:56] the day of its passage. And I
[14:58] want to give MR. Lamont Henry
[15:00] an opportunity to speak about
[15:03] his mama.
[15:05] Good evening everyone. First of
[15:09] all, thank you so very much for
[15:11] honoring my mother and the
[15:12] dedication that she had for
[15:16] this city. Uh, at a 19 as a 19
[15:18] year old, uh, sophomore
[15:21] student. Uh, she said it was
[15:23] worse for all of us to be able
[15:25] to sit together, to eat, to go
[15:27] to the same restroom, to drink
[15:29] out of the same water fountain.
[15:29] Let
[15:31] s make sure that we keep
[15:34] this legacy going, uh, two
[15:36] words discipline and fairness.
[15:36] That
[15:39] s what she wanted. So I
[15:41] encourage all of you all to
[15:42] make sure that you keep that in
[15:44] mind. Discipline and fairness.
[16:01] Thank you very much.
[16:20] Issue
[16:21] legacy.
[16:24] Right there. Not don
[16:36] t. Thank
[16:39] you. Thank you, thank you.
[16:53] Thank you. All right. Okay. She
[17:09] took it from me like.
[17:11] All right. Thank you so very
[17:14] much. And we have some special
[17:16] guests joining us today. We
[17:19] have Brandi Bishop, who is
[17:21] coming up representing mc
[17:23] three, and we also have the
[17:26] newest cohort of mc three, soon
[17:30] to be graduates joining us. And
[17:32] MISS Brandi is making her way
[17:48] up.
[17:55] Hello. Hello. Good evening. My
[17:57] name is Brandi Bishop and I am
[17:58] the Workforce Development
[18:00] program coordinator for Music
[18:02] City Construction Careers. Mc
[18:04] three is an apprenticeship
[18:05] readiness program that
[18:07] introduces people to the union,
[18:08] trades in the construction
[18:10] industry, and we assist them
[18:12] with starting a career in the
[18:13] union trade apprenticeship
[18:15] program that they choose. We
[18:17] are currently in session with
[18:20] our Summer 2026 class, and on
[18:23] Thursday they will graduate and
[18:25] share which union trade they
[18:28] will pursue, not only is this
[18:30] an exciting time for them, this
[18:33] is also an exciting time for mc
[18:36] three as this is our 20th
[18:38] cohort for our community based
[18:44] class. I also like to add we
[18:46] are also in Maplewood High
[18:48] School and this year we will
[18:51] start a partnership with Hunter
[18:52] Hunters Lane High School. I do
[18:54] want to give a special shout
[18:55] out to our school based
[18:57] instructor, Angela Simpson, who
[19:02] is also here with us today. As
[19:04] you can see, our class, we are
[19:06] here in attendance. Civic
[19:08] engagement is very important to
[19:10] us for us to bring that up in
[19:11] our class, as they will become
[19:13] members of a union. And I do
[19:15] have one student here that
[19:16] would like to share very
[19:18] quickly.
[19:20] Hi everyone. My name is Zaria
[19:21] Hutchinson. I am a student here
[19:23] at mc three. I just wanted to
[19:25] say that the mc three program
[19:27] has been an amazing experience
[19:29] specifically for me. Um, it
[19:30] s
[19:33] leading me into my career and
[19:33] I
[19:35] m hoping to join the ib union
[19:40] if possible.
[19:41] There are so many more stories
[19:43] like this. As you can see from
[19:45] the 28 people that I have
[19:46] standing here behind me. Again,
[19:48] our graduation is this Thursday
[19:50] and we do welcome all of you to
[19:52] come join us at the ibew Union
[19:55] Hall at 130 is when the, um,
[19:57] the graduation will start. But
[19:58] we thank you for your support
[20:00] and helping to change lives
[20:09] here in the Nashville area. And
[20:10] thanks to all our volunteers to
[20:13] help us.
[20:14] All right. Thank you so very
[20:15] much. And we will go into
[20:17] announcements first. And q is
[20:19] Council Member Bradford. You
[20:20] are recognized.
[20:22] Thank you. Pro tem, as a
[20:23] reminder, for residents of
[20:25] district 13. This Saturday I
[20:26] will be having my monthly
[20:28] office hours at the Dunkin
[20:29] Donuts there on Broadway
[20:31] Parkway. There is a change to
[20:33] the time this month. It will be
[20:36] from 11 A.M. To 1 P.M.. Uh,
[20:36] the. I
[20:38] ve been double books. I
[20:39] wanted to make sure everybody
[20:40] knew that the time is
[20:41] different. This month we
[20:41] ll go
[20:43] back to the normal 9 to 11 next
[20:45] month. Also, a reminder to
[20:47] everyone that next weekend is
[20:49] pride, and I look forward to
[20:51] the Metro Council joining the
[20:53] lgbtq caucus in marching in the
[20:54] parade. There should be
[20:54] information coming to the
[20:58] council soon about that.
[21:00] Thank you. Council Member Nixon
[21:02] and q is Council Member Cooper,
[21:04] before we get started, we are
[21:06] in announcement period. So if
[21:08] you all could please respect
[21:09] the people that are speaking,
[21:10] it will be appreciated. Council
[21:11] Member Cooper, you
[21:11] re
[21:12] recognized.
[21:13] Thank you, Pro tem. And if I
[21:14] look tired today, it
[21:14] s because
[21:15] I was woken up at midnight with
[21:17] some shouts of excitement. And
[21:18] I want to wish a very, very
[21:21] happy 12th birthday to our
[21:22] goddaughter. She is very
[21:23] excited as her birthday, day,
[21:25] week and potentially month that
[21:25] we are we
[21:26] re working through
[21:27] right now, but I wanted to just
[21:28] wish her wish her happy
[21:31] birthday today.
[21:32] Happy birthday to the little
[21:33] one. Councilmember Cooper and
[21:34] Councilmember Styles, you are
[21:41] recognized. Thank you. I wanted
[21:43] to. Let people know that the
[21:44] district 32 Community Meeting
[21:46] for JUNE is going to be taking
[21:49] place this upcoming. Tuesday on
[21:52] JUNE 23rd at 6 P.M.. At the
[21:53] Southeast Community Center. And
[21:55] also because we have a bit of a
[21:57] break after this community
[22:00] meeting. Ah, Antioch, JULY 3rd.
[22:02] Fireworks are on JULY 3rd from
[22:05] 7 P.M. To 10 P.M. At Mill Ridge
[22:06] Park, so we will have
[22:09] fireworks, dj and some food
[22:10] trucks so hopefully everyone
[22:12] can come out, bring a blanket,
[22:13] bring some friends and family
[22:14] and have a good time. Thank
[22:17] you. Council Evans. You
[22:17] re
[22:18] recognized. Thank you, MADAM
[22:22] Pro tem, um, the organization
[22:23] that was created to honor the
[22:25] late doctor Alisa Lockett.
[22:27] Freedom move is continuing
[22:29] their Greenway Walk audit
[22:31] series. This Saturday, we will
[22:33] be at the stones River Greenway
[22:34] and I signed up to be the
[22:36] council representative for that
[22:38] particular walk. It is Saturday
[22:41] morning from 9 A.M. To 10 A.M.,
[22:43] and we are meeting at the Percy
[22:46] Priest Dam trailhead for about
[22:47] a three and a half mile walk
[22:49] and audit of the stones River
[22:51] Greenway. So anyone interested
[22:53] can rsvp. We are free to
[22:56] move.Org. Thank you, thank.
[22:57] You, Councilmember Evans.
[22:58] Councilmember gamble, you
[22:58] re
[23:00] recognized.
[23:01] Thank you, MADAM.
[23:01] Pro.
[23:01] Tem, I
[23:02] d like to.
[23:03] Take a personal privilege and
[23:05] wish myself a happy birthday
[23:07] today. It is my birthday today
[23:09] and I am happy to be here
[23:11] sharing it with all of you.
[23:12] Thank you.
[23:13] Happy birthday.
[23:16] Councilmember Gamble. I was
[23:16] saying, but I
[23:17] m not that good.
[23:19] So do we have any other
[23:20] colleagues? Oh, Councilmember.
[23:21] Aurora.
[23:21] You
[23:23] re recognized.
[23:24] Thank you. I think
[23:25] Councilmember Gamble reminded
[23:26] me. So I just wanted to stand
[23:28] and wish my daughter, our
[23:29] oldest child, the person that
[23:31] gave us our first grandchild,
[23:33] uh, doctor. Zaynab. Suara.
[23:34] Happy birthday. She will. I
[23:35] won
[23:37] t say age. I will be on
[23:38] Thursday, so happy birthday,
[23:39] Zina.
[23:42] Happy birthday Zainab. Kylie
[23:42] s.
[23:43] Is there anyone else I.
[23:44] Would like.
[23:47] To be recognized?E I.
[23:48] Would like.
[24:05] To be recognized?
[34:25] Will the meeting please come to
[34:29] order? Today is Tuesday, JUNE
[34:34] 16th, 2026.
[34:36] Council as well as the public.
[34:38] Please rise for the invocation
[34:39] and remain standing for the
[34:41] pledge of allegiance. The
[34:42] invocation is being offered
[34:43] this evening by MISS Shiva
[34:47] asaad, MRS. Khaled, an mlk
[34:48] graduate and current belmont
[34:50] university student leader
[34:51] serving as the diversity,
[34:53] equity and inclusion chair of
[34:55] the phi mu theta chapter at the
[34:57] college. She is the guest of
[34:59] district 18 council member tom
[35:04] cash. MRS. I'd go ahead.
[35:04] Good
[35:06] evening council. Good evening
[35:08] audience. My name is shiva azad.
[35:09] I'm a current belmont
[35:11] university student, a member of
[35:13] phi theta, and I have the
[35:14] immense privilege of calling
[35:15] myself a nashville native. I
[35:17] want to thank you all for this
[35:19] opportunity today, when I think
[35:20] of nashville, I think of
[35:22] community. When I think of the
[35:23] word community, I think of my
[35:25] pottery class, my friends, my
[35:26] roommates. I think of my
[35:27] parents who immigrated here in
[35:29] the 80s, and I think of my
[35:31] neighbors. And what would this
[35:32] community be without each and
[35:34] every one of us? It can be so
[35:36] easy to overlook the people in
[35:37] our community whom we do not
[35:38] know personally, but we can
[35:39] make nashville a better
[35:41] community for us all when we
[35:42] with something as simple as a
[35:45] little bit of empathy. Empathy
[35:46] is defined as understanding a
[35:47] person from their frame of
[35:49] reference rather than one's own.
[35:51] I personally define empathy as
[35:52] a true devotion to the
[35:54] well-being of others. I believe
[35:56] empathy is a choice, and it is
[35:57] one that we have a
[35:58] responsibility to make every
[36:00] time we make decisions about
[36:01] our home. Tonight, each of you
[36:03] are making important decisions
[36:04] about our city's budget and
[36:06] about how to spend money on the
[36:07] wants and needs of a diverse
[36:09] group of nashvillians. I hope
[36:10] that as you do so, you put
[36:12] yourself in the shoes of others
[36:14] to see needs as they see them.
[36:16] By thinking more like your
[36:16] constituents, meaning all of
[36:18] your constituents. I hope you
[36:20] can practice empathy as a body
[36:22] to working to understand each
[36:24] other's perspectives, even when
[36:25] you disagree, like the people
[36:27] of nashville do every single
[36:30] day, I hope you. I, in the wise
[36:31] words of coretta scott king,
[36:33] freedom is never really won.
[36:35] You earn it and win it in every
[36:36] generation. Those words remind
[36:38] me that freedom is not only won
[36:40] in big historic moments, but
[36:41] also in the everyday decisions
[36:43] leaders make for their
[36:45] communities. You all have the
[36:46] opportunity to make decisions
[36:48] rooted in empathy and community,
[36:49] and thereby a chance to take
[36:51] one more step towards justice,
[36:53] one more step towards equity,
[36:54] and one more step towards
[36:55] freedom. I want to thank each
[36:57] ofyou for your commitment to
[36:58] the city and for all the hard
[37:00] work you do. It does not go
[37:02] unnoticed, and I hope that in
[37:03] every vote you take tonight,
[37:04] you remember a little extra
[37:05] empathy for the community you
[37:07] serve and for the neighbors
[37:08] whose lives in your decisions
[37:13] touch. Thank you so much.
[37:14] i
[37:16] pledge allegiance to the flag
[37:19] of the united states of america
[37:21] and to the republic for which
[37:25] it stands. One nation under GOD,
[37:26] indivisible.
[37:28] With liberty and
[37:35] justice for all.
[37:35] All right.
[37:39] Thank you, MRS. Welcome,
[37:40] council and community members
[37:42] to what some would say is our
[37:44] most consequential meeting of
[37:46] the year, when the operational
[37:47] budget and tax levy ordinance
[37:49] are on their third and final
[37:51] reading. Without objection, I
[37:52] do plan to pull these
[37:54] ordinances, agenda number 69
[37:58] and 70 forward on our agenda
[37:59] directly after the public
[38:01] comment period. Members have
[38:02] received a memo from me
[38:05] regarding two vacancies on the
[38:06] auditorium commission. I will
[38:08] take those nominations at the
[38:11] JULY 7th council meeting. So we
[38:13] encourage you to think about
[38:14] constituents who MAY be
[38:16] interested in serving and
[38:18] invite the community to put
[38:19] themselves forward to their
[38:21] council members if they wish to
[38:23] serve. Metro government will
[38:24] observe the juneteenth holiday
[38:26] this friday, and we wish
[38:28] everyone a happy celebration.
[38:30] Pride month continues and I
[38:31] hope everyone will make plans
[38:34] to join me and the lgbtq caucus
[38:35] of the council for nashville's
[38:38] pride parade on saturday, JUNE
[38:40] 27th. Pride is a celebration of
[38:43] our lgbtq community and elected
[38:44] officials showing our support
[38:45] for this community continues to
[38:47] be very important at this
[38:49] moment in our country, and is
[38:51] especially important for our
[38:53] trans neighbors, who are sadly
[38:54] subjected to dangerous
[38:56] fearmongering. By far too many
[38:58] state and federal officials. So
[39:00] I want to make a point to
[39:01] express that we stand with
[39:02] nashville's trans neighbors
[39:04] during pride month and all year
[39:06] round. Before council meets
[39:07] again, our nation will
[39:10] celebrate its 250th birthday,
[39:13] marking the 250 years since the
[39:15] adoption of the declaration of
[39:19] independence on JULY 4th. In
[39:21] 1776, when colonies of the
[39:23] british empire said no to kings,
[39:25] monarchy and autocracy, and
[39:27] then fought for many years to
[39:28] establish a government of laws
[39:31] and not of men. With a clear
[39:33] separation of powers, the
[39:34] health of our democracy has
[39:36] declined precipitously in
[39:38] recent years, and thus this is
[39:40] a perilous time for our nation.
[39:42] So let us recommit ourselves to
[39:44] civic education and engagement
[39:47] and protecting and using our
[39:49] vote so that we MAY secure our
[39:51] messy, imperfect, and beautiful
[39:54] democracy for another 250 years.
[39:57] We hope everyone has a safe
[39:58] celebration and enjoys their
[40:01] time with neighbors and friends.
[40:02] All right, without objection,
[40:03] we will suspend the calling of
[40:05] the roll and ask the clerk to
[40:07] please record the names of the
[40:08] members present throughout the
[40:10] meeting. I want to recognize
[40:11] council lady jennifer gamble,
[40:13] who is celebrating her birthday
[40:20] with us this evening. Is there
[40:22] a motion for approval of the
[40:23] minutes of the meeting of JUNE
[40:25] 9th, 2026? Okay. There's a
[40:27] motion, properly seconded
[40:29] without objection. And seeing
[40:31] no one seeking to be recognized
[40:34] for a change to the minutes,
[40:35] the minutes of the meeting of
[40:38] june 9th are approved, MR.
[40:41] Clerk. Are there any messages
[40:45] from the mayor? MR. Clerk,
[40:46] would you say that again?
[40:46] There
[40:47] is a message from the mayor.
[40:50] All right. Okay. So we invite
[40:53] you, MR. Mayor, to come forward
[40:55] and address us. Thank you, sir.
[40:57] Good to see you.
[40:57] Thank you.
[41:01] Sorry for stealing your seat.
[41:02] Well, thank you, MADAM Vice
[41:05] mayor. Thank you to all the
[41:06] members of the metro council,
[41:08] to the staff from our office,
[41:10] the council office and metro
[41:11] departments who are represented
[41:12] tonight in nashvillians. Good
[41:14] evening. Tonight, as you heard,
[41:15] the vice mayor mentioned, is
[41:17] one of the most important
[41:18] nights on our annual civic
[41:19] calendar, passing a
[41:20] structurally balanced budget in
[41:22] the midst of spirited debate is
[41:24] the ordinary yet critical work
[41:26] of a healthy government. It's
[41:28] how government should work. I'm
[41:29] grateful for the leadership of
[41:31] the vice mayor, budget and
[41:32] finance committee chair quint
[41:34] tombs and all the members of
[41:36] the metro council who got us
[41:37] here. I appreciate the
[41:39] thoughtful discussion of the
[41:40] budget, and I especially
[41:42] appreciate all the nashvillians
[41:43] who lent their voice to this
[41:46] year's budget process. We had
[41:47] extensive public comment on the
[41:49] budget this year, and those
[41:50] comments reinforce something we
[41:52] all know. Affordability is one
[41:53] of our biggest challenges, and
[41:55] it's why my recommended budget
[41:57] prioritizes addressing it. A
[41:59] budget isn't just a list of
[42:00] expenses, it's a statement
[42:02] about our values, the kind of
[42:05] city we are and want to be. My
[42:06] recommended budget and the
[42:07] chair's thoughtful substitute
[42:09] both prioritize funding for
[42:12] more housing, better schools,
[42:14] higher employee pay, and
[42:15] tighten spending in recognition
[42:17] of slowing growth. I urge you
[42:20] to pass the chair substitute
[42:21] unamended so our residents know
[42:23] we're the kind of city that
[42:24] uses the power of the purse to
[42:26] make life a little easier for
[42:28] the people who live here. The
[42:30] cost of housing is easily among
[42:31] our biggest challenges, and
[42:32] we're meeting it by
[42:33] recommending the biggest
[42:34] investment of local dollars to
[42:36] date in housing affordability.
[42:38] Since we launched the unified
[42:40] housing strategy last year,
[42:41] we've created or preserved more
[42:44] than 3000 affordable homes. We
[42:45] need many more, and I've
[42:48] proposed a 150% increase in
[42:49] funding for housing
[42:50] affordability to double down on
[42:52] those successes. But we don't
[42:53] stop there. We're boosting
[42:54] public education funding and
[42:56] building on the many successes
[42:58] we're already seeing from
[42:59] students in our public schools.
[43:01] The future of nashville is
[43:02] being built in classrooms
[43:03] around the city, and this
[43:06] budget continues our commitment
[43:07] to supporting teachers and
[43:09] educators with improved pay
[43:11] support to safely implement
[43:12] healthier school start times
[43:13] and protecting programs we
[43:16] expanded during the pandemic.
[43:17] The budget is built around
[43:19] another important measure
[43:20] before you tonight, cutting the
[43:24] local grocery tax by 22%. Right
[43:25] now, inflation is hitting all
[43:27] of us. When we buy pretty much
[43:28] anything. Lowering the grocery
[43:29] tax lets nashvillians keep some
[43:31] of that hard earned pay. So
[43:33] while the folks up the hill
[43:34] have balked at putting money
[43:35] back into the pockets of
[43:37] tennesseans by cutting the
[43:39] grocery tax or funding this
[43:40] reduction, I hope you'll
[43:42] support $9 million of economic
[43:44] relief for nashville families
[43:45] and pass this reduction of
[43:47] local sales tax on groceries.
[43:50] We cannot MISS This opportunity.
[43:51] Tonight. Let's deliver for
[43:53] nashvillians. Cut the grocery
[43:54] tax, invest in housing
[43:56] affordability, support quality
[43:57] schools, and deliver a balanced
[43:59] budget that supports our
[44:00] residents. Nashvillians are
[44:02] asking us to meet this moment
[44:03] with a decisive statement about
[44:05] who this city is for. And as I
[44:07] said in my state of metro
[44:08] address, the answer is loud and
[44:10] clear. The city is for all of
[44:25] us. Thank you.
[44:27] All right. Thank
[44:32] you, MR. Mayor. I'll roll right
[44:38] into our agenda. First is
[44:41] section e appointees and
[44:43] nominees. This portion of the
[44:44] agenda shares all persons who
[44:45] are scheduled to appear before
[44:46] the rules, confirmations and
[44:47] public elections committee for
[44:50] an interview this evening.
[44:51] Referrals back to the committee
[44:53] are by rule as part of the
[44:54] council's two meeting process
[44:55] for elections and confirmations.
[44:57] No votes will be taken by the
[44:58] body in this section of the
[45:01] agenda other than for deferrals,
[45:04] or rather MAY not even need to
[45:06] do that. If we're going to MR.
[45:10] Cash. But a brief report, sir.
[45:12] No vote totals necessary,
[45:13] simply the name of those
[45:14] interviewed and for which board
[45:16] and commission, committee or
[45:18] entity. And you are recognized,
[45:19] sir.
[45:20] Thank you. I'm sorry, did
[45:21] you say no? Don't mention
[45:22] deferrals.
[45:23] No. You can mention
[45:24] deferral. So we don't in fact,
[45:26] have to vote on them. We used
[45:28] to do that previously, but you
[45:29] can just share with us when
[45:31] those people will be with you
[45:32] again. Thank you.
[45:33] Okay. Bicycle
[45:34] and pedestrian advisory
[45:36] commission reappointment of
[45:40] alvin haney, the central
[45:42] business improvement district
[45:43] board, appointment of
[45:46] christopher carlson, a deferral
[45:49] of the employee benefit board
[45:50] reappointment of g. Thomas
[45:51] curtis.
[45:52] To which meeting, sir,
[45:53] to your next meeting.
[45:54] To the
[45:55] next meeting to seven seven.
[45:59] Thank you. The social, sir. The
[46:00] next two have been withdrawn.
[46:02] Social services commission
[46:03] appointment of will acuff has
[46:05] been withdrawn. The
[46:06] sustainability advisory
[46:07] committee reappointment of
[46:10] jolin mazara has been withdrawn.
[46:13] And then the. We approved the
[46:15] tourism and convention
[46:16] commission appointment of
[46:19] darius mcdonald for a term
[46:21] expiring JUNE 30th, 2029.
[46:21] Okay,
[46:22] so we did not confirm that
[46:24] appointment at this time. That
[46:26] person was interviewed. Okay.
[46:28] And will be re referred back to
[46:30] your committee. So at next
[46:32] meeting, they will be on this
[46:34] next section of our agenda f
[46:35] confirmations. Chair cash
[46:36] recognized again for your
[46:37] committee report on the
[46:39] appointees in the second step
[46:40] of your committee's two meeting
[46:42] process, this time with vote
[46:43] totals and a consolidated
[46:44] motion for the confirmation of
[46:46] those persons, or first for a
[46:47] deferral motion if there are
[46:48] any. Go ahead, sir.
[46:49] Thank you.
[46:51] Contract and compliance board.
[46:52] Reappointment of fabian bettini
[46:55] for a term expiring JULY 27th,
[46:58] 2028. Eight to 0 to 0. The
[46:58] hospital authority
[47:00] reappointment of alfonso harvey
[47:02] for a term expiring JULY 11th,
[47:06] 2031, eight to 0 to 0 and the
[47:08] social services commission
[47:10] appointment of mandy spears for
[47:13] a term expiring APRIL 3rd, 2031.
[47:16] Also, 800 move approval.
[47:16] All
[47:19] right, there is a motion to
[47:20] confirm these three appointees
[47:22] in a consolidated motion.
[47:23] Properly seconded. Does anyone
[47:25] wish to remove an item from
[47:27] this consolidated motion for
[47:28] purposes of an individual
[47:31] abstention or no vote? All
[47:32] right. Seeing none. All in
[47:35] favor of these three appointees
[47:38] for confirmation, please say I.
[47:40] All right. Council has
[47:41] confirmed these three
[47:43] appointees to are confirmed
[47:44] appointees. If you chose to
[47:46] return to the council chamber
[47:47] this evening, which is not
[47:50] required, do please stand as I
[47:53] call your names. Council has
[47:55] confirmed the reappointment of
[47:56] fabian bed nay, the honorable
[47:58] fabian. Bed to contract and
[48:01] compliance board council has
[48:04] confirmed the reappointment of
[48:06] alfonso harvey to the hospital
[48:08] authority. And lastly, council
[48:10] has confirmed the appointment
[48:13] of mandy spears to the social
[48:15] services commission.
[48:16] Congratulations to everyone,
[48:17] whether here in the chamber or
[48:18] watching from home. We
[48:19] appreciate your willingness to
[48:28] serve our city. Thank you. All
[48:29] right. We're going to roll
[48:33] right on into section g of our
[48:35] agenda, which is the public
[48:37] comment portion and period.
[48:40] Rather, members of the public
[48:41] who are tennessee residents
[48:43] wishing to speak during public
[48:45] comment MAY sign up at a table
[48:47] outside the councilchamber
[48:50] from 5 to 6 P.M. On the day of
[48:51] a council meeting. Public
[48:52] comment is limited to 20
[48:53] minutes total at council
[48:55] meetings, and each speaker is
[48:57] allowed up to two minutes to
[48:59] speak. Person speaking on
[49:00] agenda items must be
[49:02] prioritized to comply with
[49:05] state law and pursuant to rule
[49:06] 28, all public comment speakers
[49:09] must present proof of tennessee
[49:13] residency. All right. I will
[49:16] share the first kind of 2 or 3
[49:18] and ask those folks to go ahead
[49:20] and come on forward so we can
[49:22] move timely through our public
[49:25] comment period. The first
[49:28] person for public comment is
[49:29] deontay williams. Deontay
[49:31] williams will be followed by
[49:33] shanika davis and then amy lee
[49:35] brown. Deontay is speaking on
[49:40] agenda item 69. This is our
[49:42] budget and the substitute
[49:45] budget regarding child care in
[49:47] support. Go ahead, MR. Williams.%
[49:48] you're recognized.
[49:48] Good evening,
[49:50] council members. My name is
[49:52] doctor deontay williams. And I
[49:53] stand here on behalf of the
[49:55] equity alliance in support of
[49:57] the extending funding for child
[49:59] care facilities. I support this
[50:00] investment because I know
[50:02] firsthand what is at stake. I
[50:04] was raised by a single mother
[50:06] in the country town of macon,
[50:08] georgia. My mother worked long
[50:10] hours, often more than one job.
[50:11] She kept a roof over our heads,
[50:13] food on th table, and
[50:14] opportunities in front of me.
[50:16] Like so many working class
[50:18] black mothers, she carried the
[50:19] weight of an entire household
[50:22] on her shoulders. Reason I
[50:23] stand before you today as
[50:24] doctor williams is not because
[50:26] the path was easy. It's because
[50:27] my mother had support systems
[50:29] that allowed her to work,
[50:31] provide and create
[50:32] opportunities for me. When
[50:34] families have access to
[50:36] affordable, reliable child care,
[50:37] parents can work. They can
[50:39] pursue education, they can
[50:41] build economic stability, and
[50:44] children can thrive. How can we
[50:45] celebrate nashville's economic
[50:46] growth when many of the workers
[50:48] fueling that growth cannot
[50:50] afford or access the child care
[50:52] they need to stay employed
[50:54] years from now, when working
[50:55] class families and black
[50:57] communities ask, what did this
[50:59] council do to address the child
[51:01] care crisis? Will you be able
[51:03] to say you acted? Or will you
[51:04] say you had to explain as to
[51:09] why we did not. Thank you.
[51:13] Thank you. All right. Next will
[51:16] be sciatica davis. Also
[51:19] speaking on agenda item 69, the
[51:22] budget regarding child care in
[51:24] support after MISS Davis will
[51:26] be amy lee brown and then
[51:27] lindsey craig will be next. Go
[51:30] ahead, MISS Davis.
[51:30] Hello, it's
[51:35] me. Davis. I live in council
[51:37] member horton's district, and
[51:40] the daycare that I own is in
[51:43] council member capps district.
[51:45] Since last OCTOBER, I've
[51:47] watched this council listen to
[51:49] providers, listen to families
[51:51] and each other to take
[51:53] meaningful actions to address
[51:54] nashville's child care crisis.
[51:57] You recognize that child care
[51:58] is not just a family issue.
[52:01] It's an economic issue, a
[52:02] workforce issue, and a
[52:03] community issue. Because of
[52:06] your leadership, we've begun
[52:07] removing barriers that have
[52:08] prevented providers from
[52:10] opening and expanding. Butwe
[52:12] know the work is not finished.
[52:14] Today. We have an opportunity
[52:16] to continue that momentum.
[52:18] Council member tombs substitute
[52:20] budget includes an investment
[52:22] in the child care stability
[52:23] fund through the equity
[52:25] alliance. This investment
[52:27] recognizes that if we want more
[52:29] child care seats, we must help
[52:31] providers move from ideas to
[52:33] open doors and from surviving
[52:36] to thriving. I know I can count
[52:37] on this council because you've
[52:39] already demonstrated that child
[52:41] care matters. You've shown that
[52:43] you're willing to listen,
[52:44] collaborate and invest in
[52:46] solutions. Today, I'm asking
[52:48] you to continue that commitment
[52:50] by supporting council member
[52:51] tombs, substitute budget and
[52:53] the child care investment
[52:55] included within it. Our
[52:56] families are counting on it,
[52:58] our providers are counting on
[53:00] it, and nashville's future
[53:02] depends on it. Thank you.
[53:02] Thank
[53:06] you. All right. Next is amy lee
[53:08] brown. She is also speaking on
[53:11] the budget related to child
[53:14] care and support. After MISS
[53:15] Brown will be lindsey craig and
[53:18] then kelly chang. Go ahead,
[53:19] MISS Brown. Hello.
[53:21] I'm amy
[53:22] brown. I live in council member
[53:25] ewing's district. I'm asking
[53:27] you to support council member
[53:28] tombs, substitute budget and
[53:31] the child care investment
[53:33] included within it. I'm also
[53:35] asking you to commit to
[53:36] partnering with the equity
[53:38] alliance over the next year to
[53:41] develop nashville's long term
[53:43] child care affordability
[53:46] strategy and future investments.
[53:48] I'm a national native, born in
[53:53] 1961, nashville is a great city
[53:55] and will be an even greater
[53:57] city with more affordable,
[53:59] quality child care. Accessible
[54:02] child care allows both parents
[54:05] to work and or pursue advanced
[54:08] college degrees. Higher degrees
[54:11] translate into higher lifetime
[54:13] earnings. Those earnings will
[54:17] be spent in nashville. This
[54:18] will increase the profits of
[54:21] local businesses, lift the
[54:24] local economy, and this will
[54:26] benefit all nashvillians. Thank
[54:28] you.
[54:33] Thank you. All right. Next
[54:35] is lindsey craig speaking on
[54:38] agenda item number nine. This
[54:42] is rs20262033. Regarding the
[54:43] downtown sea bed in opposition.
[54:45] Go ahead. You're recognized.
[54:46] Good evening. My name is
[54:47] lindsey kingston. I'm the
[54:49] co-founder of open table
[54:50] nashville. I've been working on
[54:52] the streets for nearly 20 years.
[54:53] I'm here to tell you about why
[54:54] we're so opposed to the current
[54:55] seabed budget. Despite some
[54:58] good progress, on the evening
[55:01] of NOVEMBER 16th of 2024, an
[55:02] unhoused black 54 year old
[55:03] woman was resting in her
[55:05] wheelchair on broadway when she
[55:07] was approached by off duty chp
[55:09] officers. They were working for
[55:11] a seabed contracted private
[55:13] security firm. The woman was a
[55:14] friend we knew through our
[55:15] winter canvasing efforts who
[55:17] had been in and out of the
[55:19] hospital that night. The chp
[55:20] officers didn't connect her
[55:21] with resources or help her
[55:23] access shelter. They arrested
[55:25] her under the state's felony
[55:26] camping law. She wasn't a
[55:28] threat to anyone, yet she spent
[55:30] several nights in jail for the
[55:32] crime of existing in public
[55:34] space. That week, seabed funded
[55:36] chp officers arrested ten other
[55:37] people experiencing
[55:39] homelessness downtown under the
[55:40] felony camping law. These
[55:42] friends needed are but got
[55:44] cages. Fast forward to MAY of
[55:47] 2025. In collusion with ice,
[55:49] thp officers made almost 600
[55:50] traffic stops in south
[55:52] nashville in one week, which
[55:53] resulted in the profiling,
[55:55] harassment and arrest,
[55:56] attention and sometimes
[55:58] deportation of nearly 200 of
[55:59] our immigrant neighbors.
[56:01] Families were ripped apart and
[56:04] lives were destroyed. Turk
[56:05] recently launched a lawsuit
[56:07] against chp for their alleged
[56:08] constitutional violations and
[56:10] their appalling behavior. The
[56:13] chp officers, the ndp's new
[56:15] private security contractor, is
[56:17] employing to keep our downtown
[56:19] safe are taken from the same
[56:21] pool as the officers that have
[56:22] terrorized some of our most
[56:23] vulnerable community members
[56:26] and friends. You have a voice
[56:28] and power tonight, the sea
[56:30] board seabed board sets their
[56:32] budget, but you are the public
[56:33] service representatives tasked
[56:35] with approving it. If you share
[56:37] our concerns about private
[56:39] security downtown and the thp
[56:42] officers who have, like,
[56:42] constitutionally violated our
[56:44] rights, please abstain or vote
[56:46] no. Thank you so much.
[56:47] Thank
[56:51] you. Next is kelly chang. She
[56:52] will be followed by christine
[56:55] bugs and then frieda player.
[56:57] MISS Ching is speaking on
[57:00] agenda item nine, resolution
[57:02] 2026 2033 regarding thesea bed
[57:05] in opposition. Go ahead.
[57:05] Hi,
[57:07] I'm kelly, I want to talk about
[57:09] the sea bed and nashville
[57:10] downtown as well.
[57:12] The first thing I want to
[57:13] address is the pitting of n, d,
[57:15] p and block by block outreach
[57:16] workers against those of us who
[57:18] also work or volunteer with
[57:19] people experiencing
[57:21] homelessness and who ask for
[57:22] accountability for ndp and
[57:24] block by block. This is a
[57:25] disingenuous game fueled by
[57:27] executives and lobbyists at ndp.
[57:28] Some council members have even
[57:29] responded to our concerns
[57:31] around any use of private
[57:32] policing, with rebuttals about
[57:34] ndp outreach team. To be clear,
[57:36] we have stated time and time
[57:38] again our issue is not with ndp
[57:40] outreach program. Our issue is
[57:41] with ndp and block by block,
[57:43] continuing to utilize private
[57:45] policing to target people
[57:46] experiencing homelessness. The
[57:49] same people that ndp and block
[57:50] by blocks outreach team works
[57:52] so hard to connect with
[57:54] resources. In fact, some of us
[57:56] have been multiple instances
[57:58] uplifted and asked for more
[57:59] outreach funding for downtown
[58:01] through the mou fight and even
[58:03] in this year's budget. So I
[58:05] want to make it clear we are
[58:06] not against ndp outreach team.
[58:08] We know them, we respect the
[58:09] work they do, and we know that
[58:11] they work hard to take care of
[58:12] our neighbors. Experiencing
[58:14] homelessness downtown, we often
[58:15] hear how great of a community
[58:17] partner, ndp and block by block
[58:18] are. Last meeting a council%
[58:19] member who became very
[58:20] emotional over ndp failed
[58:22] budget vote told us to look at
[58:25] the track record when we raised new
[58:26] security arm of block by block
[58:28] city. At this point, it's about
[58:29] ten weeks old. Let's review the
[58:31] most recent track record of ndp
[58:32] and block by block, and what
[58:34] their version of safe and clean
[58:35] looks like. One lobbied for the
[58:37] removal of the ninth avenue
[58:38] cycle track, even threatening
[58:39] to go to the state. Legislators
[58:41] for anti bike legislation
[58:42] lobbied for the removal of
[58:43] benches along korean veterans
[58:44] boulevard due to the use of
[58:46] them by people experiencing
[58:47] homelessness through negligence.
[58:49] Blew up the downtown library
[58:50] garage by storing dangerous
[58:51] fuel in a completely
[58:53] inappropriate manner. Most
[58:54] recently, we've heard ndp has
[58:56] considered suing metro over
[58:58] their failed budget vote last
[58:59] meeting. That is probably going
[59:01] to pass tonight. These tantrums
[59:03] from people in power have to
[59:04] stop, and you all are the only
[59:06] body of oversight we have for
[59:07] them.
[59:09] Thank you. Next is
[59:11] christian bugs. She is speaking
[59:14] on agenda item 52. This is
[59:18] ordinance bill 2026 1436. In
[59:19] support. MISS Bugs will be
[59:21] followed by frida player and
[59:23] then mohammed gay. Go ahead,
[59:24] MISS Bugs.
[59:25] Thank you MADAM Vice
[59:26] mayor. I am christian bugs.
[59:27] Thank you, council members. I
[59:29] have the privilege, the honor
[59:30] of being or calling myself a
[59:32] fifth generation north
[59:34] nashvillian. I am a former
[59:36] educator, former student,%
[59:39] current PRESIDENT Of parent,
[59:42] former school board member. Yay,
[59:43] politics! But I am so excited
[59:45] to stand before you today as
[59:46] PRESIDENT And ceo of the pencil
[59:47] foundation, where we truly
[59:49] believe public education is
[59:51] everyone's business, we do so
[59:52] in three ways. We make sure
[59:55] that we advocate for and pull
[59:57] in volunteers to go into our
[59:58] schools. That totals more than
[1:00:00] 3300 zero hours every year of
[1:00:02] volunteerism. We engage in the
[1:00:03] background checks. We just do
[1:00:04] anything to support and
[1:00:06] resource our schools. Secondly,
[1:00:08] we that more than $3
[1:00:09] million worth of school
[1:00:10] supplies are in the hands of
[1:00:11] students, educators, and
[1:00:13] schools across the city simply
[1:00:15] by in-kind donations and
[1:00:16] purchasing, with the city in
[1:00:18] whole at wholesale prices.
[1:00:20] Again, educators shop free of
[1:00:21] charge every day in our schools,
[1:00:24] I mean in our shop. Lastly, we
[1:00:25] manage the background checks
[1:00:26] and elementary school tutoring
[1:00:28] for mnps. The running theme
[1:00:30] here is that we see a barrier.
[1:00:31] We work with the school
[1:00:32] leadership, the district
[1:00:33] leadership, and then we
[1:00:35] actually work to fill that to
[1:00:37] meet that need. But even more
[1:00:38] importantly, I'm excited
[1:00:40] tonight to partner with metro
[1:00:42] city government and with mnps
[1:00:44] to take over a decommissioned
[1:00:45] elementary school, one that's
[1:00:46] been sitting vacant for four
[1:00:48] years. We are happy to
[1:00:49] fundraise to launch a capital
[1:00:51] campaign to invest dollars into
[1:00:52] this building that I believe
[1:00:53] could eventually become an
[1:00:55] education nonprofit hub again,
[1:00:56] making sure we're identifying
[1:00:58] barriers and then using the
[1:00:59] community because we all love
[1:01:00] nashville and know what it can
[1:01:02] be, we will leverage those
[1:01:04] resources that you all call
[1:01:05] your constituents to really
[1:01:07] pour into schools in a deeper
[1:01:08] and more meaningful way. So I
[1:01:09] thank you for even considering
[1:01:11] us. It is truly our pleasure to
[1:01:12] serve the district and to serve
[1:01:14] the city, and we hope to
[1:01:15] continue to see benefits to our
[1:01:17] students, including my own. So
[1:01:18] thank you for what you do. We
[1:01:20] look forward to working with
[1:01:20] you.
[1:01:24] Thank you. Next is school
[1:01:27] board chair frieda player.
[1:01:30] Regarding agenda item 69, the
[1:01:34] budget ordinance 1377. Go ahead
[1:01:34] ma'am.
[1:01:36] Thank you. I am here for
[1:01:38] the pleasure. My colleagues are
[1:01:39] with me. I'm here from the
[1:01:40] metropolitan nashville school
[1:01:41] board. The school board
[1:01:43] believes in transparency and
[1:01:44] accountability of the
[1:01:46] efficiency of our strategic
[1:01:47] initiatives. That's vital to
[1:01:49] the health of our school
[1:01:50] district. We meet twice
[1:01:52] to perform this fiduciary
[1:01:53] responsibility and review
[1:01:54] various reports and evaluation
[1:01:57] of our district. This is how we
[1:01:59] conduct. This is how we conduct
[1:02:00] performance oversight. As I
[1:02:03] often say, we nerd out on data
[1:02:05] as various on various types of
[1:02:06] topics, from academic
[1:02:07] performance operations of
[1:02:10] our system. Considering the
[1:02:11] school board's fiduciary
[1:02:12] responsibility, the knowledge
[1:02:15] of mmps investments, we request
[1:02:16] a joint committee to oversee
[1:02:19] the proposed performance audit.
[1:02:21] We desire to work with you to
[1:02:22] understand what performance
[1:02:24] indicator that metro council
[1:02:25] council prioritizes. In
[1:02:26] addition, the school board
[1:02:27] wants to work with metro
[1:02:29] council to deliver the most
[1:02:30] productive outcome. Considering%
[1:02:32] the various wants of your
[1:02:34] elected body. The school board
[1:02:35] was not aware of any of the
[1:02:36] metro council's previous
[1:02:38] requests for performance
[1:02:39] information, nor return on
[1:02:41] investment details. Moreover,
[1:02:42] it has not been articulated
[1:02:43] precisely. The performance
[1:02:46] audit will evaluate, given the
[1:02:47] copious amount of data
[1:02:49] collected on our programs and
[1:02:50] initiatives. Hundreds of
[1:02:51] nuanced performance areas that
[1:02:53] m, mps monitors, and the
[1:02:55] nominal education xperience of
[1:02:56] most accountants. We believe an
[1:02:58] ad hoc committee comprising of
[1:02:59] a few metro council members,
[1:03:01] school board members and expert
[1:03:04] staff best supports the use of
[1:03:06] taxpayer dollars. The school
[1:03:07] board is committed to
[1:03:09] council information, updates
[1:03:11] and feedback that is outside
[1:03:14] the crunch of this budget cycle.
[1:03:15] We look forward to working with
[1:03:17] you to identify the performance
[1:03:18] indicators that is most
[1:03:19] important to the metro council
[1:03:22] to ensure the audit produces
[1:03:24] useful, actionable results on
[1:03:26] behalf of students, families,
[1:03:27] taxpayers and the whole
[1:03:29] nashville community. So I asked
[1:03:30] to read the letter that I
[1:03:31] submitted earlier today for
[1:03:33] more details of the of our
[1:03:34] suggestions for the audit and
[1:03:36] for what we have accomplished
[1:03:36] in school board.
[1:03:37] Thank you,
[1:03:42] thank you. Next is mohammed k
[1:03:44] will be followed by john
[1:03:47] cleveland and then antonio
[1:03:49] tomlinson. Mohammed k is
[1:03:51] speaking on agenda item number
[1:03:55] nine, resolution 2026 to 0
[1:03:58] three three. The sea bed in
[1:03:59] support. Go ahead sir.
[1:03:59] Good
[1:04:00] evening, vice mayor henderson
[1:04:02] and members of council haven't
[1:04:03] heardmy name called out in a
[1:04:05] while. My name is mohammed el
[1:04:07] hajj malik, a known as malik.
[1:04:08] And I'm speaking on behalf of
[1:04:09] the nashville area chamber of
[1:04:12] commerce. We view the sea bed
[1:04:13] budget as something that's an
[1:04:14] important extension of
[1:04:16] nashville's business community.
[1:04:17] And with respect to the
[1:04:18] previous comments, I'd like to
[1:04:20] explain why we see the sea bed
[1:04:22] as a collection of property
[1:04:24] owners in the downtown core,
[1:04:26] both residents and business
[1:04:27] owners, coming together to pull
[1:04:29] money out of their pockets,
[1:04:30] their employees and people who
[1:04:32] visit downtown and benefit of
[1:04:34] making downtown clean, safe and
[1:04:35] all the things we heard
[1:04:37] previously. In that spirit, we
[1:04:38] believe that this is a
[1:04:39] partnership that helps metro
[1:04:42] and nashvillians work together
[1:04:43] to invest private dollars to
[1:04:45] make nashville a better place.
[1:04:46] what we'd like to do is just
[1:04:48] encourage members of the
[1:04:48] council to keep the
[1:04:49] collaborative spirit that's
[1:04:51] been going on. And again, we
[1:04:52] urge support of the currency
[1:04:55] bid budget unamended. Thank you.
[1:05:02] Thank you. All right. Next is
[1:05:05] john cleveland, also speaking
[1:05:08] on agenda item number nine
[1:05:09] regarding the downtown, the
[1:05:10] resolution regarding the
[1:05:12] downtown sea bed in support. Go
[1:05:14] ahead, MR. Cleveland.
[1:05:14] Good
[1:05:15] evening, council. My name
[1:05:17] is john cleveland, and I'm here
[1:05:19] to speak on my role as a team
[1:05:20] lead with the parks, with the
[1:05:22] downtown nashville partnership.
[1:05:23] My role as a team lead could
[1:05:25] vary day to day from setting up
[1:05:27] a foam party event for the
[1:05:28] public to enjoy, to setting up
[1:05:30] a pilates class at the
[1:05:32] riverfront park for 50 plus
[1:05:33] people to join all free to the
[1:05:35] public. But it doesn't just
[1:05:36] stop there. It's a little bit
[1:05:38] deeper. As a native nashville
[1:05:39] ian, growing up here in
[1:05:40] nashville, I used to get out
[1:05:42] from it, will catch the mta bus
[1:05:43] downtown and hang out at the
[1:05:45] library downtown. And growing
[1:05:47] up the library, church street
[1:05:48] park was not the safest place
[1:05:50] to be, especially back when
[1:05:52] there was a fountain. And since
[1:05:54] then it's been a full 180.
[1:05:55] Since I've worked with the
[1:05:56] company and I've seen the
[1:05:58] growth, now I can set up
[1:05:59] lunchtime events, have families
[1:06:01] come out, take pictures. I've
[1:06:03] been a part of
[1:06:05] proposals and flash mobs, but
[1:06:06] one of my favorite favorite
[1:06:08] things ever working with the
[1:06:09] partnership was the holiday
[1:06:11] market that we just had this
[1:06:12] past holiday season, where we
[1:06:14] had a 3031 foot tall christmas
[1:06:16] tree out, and I got to engage
[1:06:18] with the public and really show
[1:06:19] the heart of nashville and our
[1:06:21] park ambassadors every day are
[1:06:22] out there greeting with the
[1:06:23] public, helping people navigate
[1:06:25] the city, giving great
[1:06:26] recommendations for live music
[1:06:28] and food. And it's essential to
[1:06:30] make nashville feel warm and
[1:06:32] show the southern hospitality.
[1:06:35] Thank you.
[1:06:41] Thank you. Next is
[1:06:44] antonio tomlinson. Go ahead sir,
[1:06:45] I'm sorry. Also speaking o the
[1:06:47] seabed agenda item nine in
[1:06:48] support. Go ahead sir.
[1:06:49] Good
[1:06:50] evening. My name is antonio
[1:06:52] tomlinson. I'm the operation
[1:06:53] manager for outreach for the
[1:06:56] nashville downtown partnership.
[1:06:58] When people think of downtown
[1:07:00] nashville, they think of the
[1:07:01] restaurants. They think of the
[1:07:03] events. They think of all the
[1:07:05] things that MAY go on in
[1:07:08] downtown nashville. But our
[1:07:09] outreach team sees it from
[1:07:11] another perspective. We see
[1:07:13] people that are in need that
[1:07:14] are suffering from mental
[1:07:17] illness. They're suffering from
[1:07:18] addiction, and sometimes they
[1:07:20] just need someone just to talk
[1:07:23] to. Our team goes out every day,
[1:07:25] walk the streets of downtown
[1:07:26] nashville, just trying to be
[1:07:29] that ear, the person that they
[1:07:30] listen to, the person that we
[1:07:32] try to offer services to, to
[1:07:34] try to give them a hand up
[1:07:36] instead of a hand out so that
[1:07:39] they can build a successful and
[1:07:41] clear mindset of trying to move
[1:07:44] forward. The partnership has
[1:07:46] equipped us, trained us to do
[1:07:49] these such things, and we come
[1:07:52] to work every day with the
[1:07:53] expectations of if we can only
[1:07:56] help one person, we have done
[1:07:57] something for our downtown
[1:07:59] nashville. You have to think
[1:08:01] about behind every outreach
[1:08:03] contact is a person. Behind
[1:08:05] every person is the partnership,
[1:08:07] and behind the partnership is
[1:08:09] the seabed. The seabed is
[1:08:11] giving and doing their
[1:08:12] contribution to make sure that
[1:08:14] we can provide for everyone in
[1:08:18] downtown nashville. I feel the
[1:08:23] utmost. Glad and passionate
[1:08:25] about what we do in downtown
[1:08:27] nashville. And with the help of
[1:08:29] the partnership and the seabed
[1:08:31] budget, we can continue to do
[1:08:33] exactly what we come to work to
[1:08:35] do every single day is try to
[1:08:37] help one person to be better.
[1:08:43] Thank you for your time.
[1:08:45] Okay,
[1:08:48] folks, at this juncture, we
[1:08:51] have almost four residual
[1:08:52] minutes and is required by
[1:08:56] state law. Once we dip into our
[1:08:59] wait list and even prior, we
[1:09:01] have to have a balance of
[1:09:03] support and against. And so at
[1:09:05] this juncture, in the order of
[1:09:07] sign up, there were three
[1:09:09] persons speaking in support of
[1:09:13] the sea bid legislation and two
[1:09:15] against. And so I'm going down
[1:09:16] the wait list to the next
[1:09:18] person seeking to speak in
[1:09:22] opposition to that legislation.
[1:09:24] And that person is trina, who
[1:09:27] will MISS You. Are you present?
[1:09:31] All right. Again, we at present
[1:09:33] have two full residual minutes
[1:09:35] here, and then we'll have a
[1:09:37] subsequent about one minute and
[1:09:38] 55 seconds, effectively two
[1:09:40] minutes for one other person.
[1:09:42] Go ahead. Michelle, you are
[1:09:42] recognized.
[1:09:44] thank you. Crime is
[1:09:46] down. Drones are up. Pedestrian
[1:09:49] deaths are up. And we can't get
[1:09:51] crosswalks down. I was here two
[1:09:52] weeks ago raising concerns
[1:09:54] about the nashville downtown
[1:09:55] partnership's criminal
[1:09:56] negligence, and a council
[1:09:57] member echoed. The ndp doesn't
[1:09:59] seem to consider pedestrian
[1:10:01] safety part of clean and safe.
[1:10:03] Then cma fest arrived our
[1:10:05] single busiest pedestrian
[1:10:07] weekend of the year, along
[1:10:08] broadway from eighth avenue to
[1:10:10] 16th avenue and along eighth
[1:10:12] avenue from broadway to grand
[1:10:15] veterans, freshly repaved, had
[1:10:17] and currently has no painted
[1:10:19] stop lines or crosswalks.
[1:10:22] During cma fest, I went looking
[1:10:23] for answers. A council member
[1:10:25] checked with mndot. The bill
[1:10:27] sponsor elevated it to t dot t
[1:10:29] dot told us the con contracted
[1:10:31] completion date is SEPTEMBER
[1:10:33] 30th, so tourists navigating
[1:10:34] broadway on foot just had to
[1:10:36] figure it out. On JUNE 8th I
[1:10:37] started trying to get answers
[1:10:39] from ndp. Did they coordinate
[1:10:41] with t dot to ensure crosswalks
[1:10:43] were repainted before cma fest?
[1:10:44] They have a documented working
[1:10:46] relationship with t dot through
[1:10:48] the connection downtown
[1:10:50] initiative. I never got a call
[1:10:52] back. I visited their office
[1:10:53] under construction. I was
[1:10:55] directed to their shadowy,
[1:10:56] unmarked office on vine street
[1:10:58] and was told to try the same
[1:10:59] website emails I'd already sent.
[1:11:01] I want to be clear that I
[1:11:02] oppose this budget, but since
[1:11:03] there's no public hearing
[1:11:05] tonight for ten of you to avoid,
[1:11:07] you'll probably pass this
[1:11:09] budget. But before you do, this
[1:11:11] organization now faces official
[1:11:12] accusations of negligence from
[1:11:13] the city's own insurer, and
[1:11:15] they won't answer phone calls
[1:11:17] or respond to emails from
[1:11:18] constituents. It occurs to me
[1:11:20] we can keep pedestrians safer
[1:11:22] today with sidewalk chalk than
[1:11:23] all these agencies and
[1:11:24] corporations have managed with
[1:11:26] millions of dollars. So I'll
[1:11:28] ask again what do they mean
[1:11:29] when they mean safe? When they
[1:11:31] say safe and clean? Because it
[1:11:32] sure ain't people. Just the
[1:11:35] cash machine.
[1:11:37] All right. Now,
[1:11:40] to maintain the state required
[1:11:42] balance among the items on
[1:11:43] agenda, on the agenda. For
[1:11:46] purposes of public comment on
[1:11:48] our wait list, we will go next
[1:11:50] then. And lastly to doctor
[1:11:52] burkina about mckinney, who is
[1:11:54] the vice chair of the school
[1:11:56] board. She is speaking on
[1:12:01] agenda item 69, ordinance 1377.
[1:12:05] The budget. Go ahead ma'am.
[1:12:07] Thank you. Are we live okay.
[1:12:09] Good afternoon everyone. I'm or
[1:12:11] evening. I'm doctor mckinney. I
[1:12:13] serve as the vice chair of the
[1:12:14] school board representing
[1:12:16] district four in the donaldson
[1:12:18] hermitage and old hickory
[1:12:20] communities. I also come today
[1:12:22] as the chair of the budget and
[1:12:25] finance committee. I'm coming
[1:12:27] to to have a conversation with
[1:12:29] metro council to talk about the
[1:12:31] spirit of collaboration
[1:12:33] throughout this budget process.
[1:12:35] I think we have missed an
[1:12:36] opportunity of collaboration
[1:12:38] and conversation. To learn more
[1:12:40] about what metro nashville
[1:12:42] public school does, what our
[1:12:44] board is responsible for as
[1:12:46] elected members of the body,
[1:12:48] and how we can come together as
[1:12:50] a body between metro council
[1:12:51] and metro nashville public
[1:12:53] schools to work together for
[1:12:56] the children of nashville. So
[1:12:59] as we consider this performance
[1:13:01] audit that we're looking to do,
[1:13:04] I join our chair and our school
[1:13:05] board members. If you could all
[1:13:07] stand that, we're here together
[1:13:10] to ask that we do form a
[1:13:12] committee to have a
[1:13:14] conversation, a more detailed
[1:13:16] conversation, to identify the
[1:13:18] scope, the scope, objectives
[1:13:20] and outcomes that we are
[1:13:22] looking for in this audit. We
[1:13:23] did not have these
[1:13:25] conversations beforehand. There
[1:13:27] is still opportunity to do it
[1:13:29] as we continue to move forward,
[1:13:32] and I ask all members to please
[1:13:35] consider that as we have these
[1:13:38] conversations also. Also, the
[1:13:40] other thing that came out of
[1:13:42] these conversations was many of
[1:13:45] you, you received questions
[1:13:47] from constituents about metro
[1:13:48] nashville public schools. In
[1:13:50] the spirit of collaboration, we
[1:13:53] also asked politely and kindly
[1:13:54] and humbly if you could forward
[1:13:58] those to us, cc us in that many
[1:14:01] of you do do that and we ask
[1:14:03] you to continue to do so. That
[1:14:05] way we can better support you
[1:14:07] and help you and work together
[1:14:08] as a city for the children.
[1:14:09] Thank you.
[1:14:11] All right. That
[1:14:13] concludes 20 minutes of total
[1:14:15] speaking time for the public
[1:14:17] comment with the appropriate
[1:14:19] balance as required. And thus
[1:14:21] we will not dip any further to
[1:14:22] into our wait list. And the
[1:14:25] public comment period has
[1:14:30] concluded. All right. As I
[1:14:34] stated off the top, without
[1:14:36] objection, I would propose to
[1:14:39] pull the budget ordinance
[1:14:42] agenda item 69, as well as the
[1:14:46] tax levy agenda item 70 forward
[1:14:48] on our agenda, such that. Next
[1:14:51] we would be taking up agenda
[1:14:56] item 69. All right. Seeing no
[1:15:00] objection, we will now move to
[1:15:05] agenda item 69, ordinance
[1:15:12] bl2026. Dash 1377 sponsor tombs.
[1:15:13] This is a bill to be entitled
[1:15:14] the budget ordinance of the
[1:15:16] metropolitan government of
[1:15:17] nashville and davidson county,
[1:15:21] tennessee for the fiscal year
[1:15:23] 2027. Councilmember tombs.
[1:15:26] MADAM Budget chair. You are
[1:15:26] recognized.
[1:15:27] Thank you, MADAM
[1:15:29] Vice mayor. Committee report,
[1:15:31] budget and finance voted to
[1:15:35] recommend approval of the
[1:15:38] substitute by yours truly. Ten
[1:15:40] in favor. Zero against zero not
[1:15:44] voting. The committee also
[1:15:47] recommended to not approve the
[1:15:48] amendment as well as the late
[1:15:50] file amendment one in favor,
[1:15:53] nine against zero not voting,
[1:15:54] and voted to recommend approval
[1:15:57] of the bill as substituted. Ten
[1:15:59] in favor, zero against zero not
[1:16:01] voting. And with that, I move
[1:16:03] for approval.
[1:16:04] All right. Back
[1:16:05] to you, ma'am.
[1:16:06] I'd like to move
[1:16:08] approval of the tombs
[1:16:09] substitute.
[1:16:10] Okay. Go ahead on
[1:16:12] your substitute.
[1:16:12] Thank you,
[1:16:13] MADAM Vice mayor, I first, I
[1:16:15] want to start by thanking
[1:16:17] finance director janine reed,
[1:16:20] budget director aaron pratt and
[1:16:21] their staff, as well as council
[1:16:23] director brian wilson and
[1:16:26] council staff. Also, thank you
[1:16:28] to my colleagues, to department
[1:16:30] heads and all the community
[1:16:31] leaders that work together to
[1:16:33] create the content of the
[1:16:36] substitute. As chair of the
[1:16:37] budget and finance committee, I
[1:16:39] really worked hard to create a
[1:16:41] transparent and collaborative
[1:16:43] process. Colleagues, if you've
[1:16:44] read through the the substitute,
[1:16:48] which shared early to get
[1:16:49] input from all of you, there
[1:16:51] are over 30 items in the
[1:16:54] proposed substitute, including
[1:16:56] adding an additional $2.1
[1:16:57] million to eviction right to
[1:16:58] counsel, bringing that total
[1:17:00] investment to $4.5 million.
[1:17:02] That allows that program to
[1:17:05] scale up and provide additional
[1:17:07] legal assistance to more
[1:17:08] individuals who find themselves
[1:17:11] in eviction court. $1.25
[1:17:13] million for the hospitality hub
[1:17:15] to continue its services at
[1:17:16] rodeway inn. That brings a
[1:17:18] total investment to $2.5
[1:17:20] million, $1 million additional
[1:17:22] to the barnes housing trust
[1:17:23] fund, bringing that total
[1:17:26] investment to $23 million
[1:17:28] $401,500 to the nashville fire
[1:17:29] department, which allows them
[1:17:30] to have a second, fully funded
[1:17:33] shift for the reach program,
[1:17:35] $250,000 for workforce
[1:17:37] development program with the
[1:17:42] urban league, money for
[1:17:44] $300,000 for the office of
[1:17:47] entertainment, $300,000for a
[1:17:49] new affordable housing tool
[1:17:50] focused around community
[1:17:53] housing, 25,000 for support for
[1:17:54] child care, technical
[1:17:56] assistance, and just a lot of
[1:18:00] stuff. A lot of stuff. The
[1:18:01] items that didn't make it into
[1:18:02] the substitute were because
[1:18:05] other funding sources were
[1:18:06] found, for example, nashville
[1:18:07] general hospital. There was a
[1:18:10] lot of concern. They had a a
[1:18:12] funding deficit. There was a
[1:18:14] lot of concern around employees
[1:18:16] getting promised raises. Thank
[1:18:18] you again to finance director
[1:18:20] reid and budget director aaron
[1:18:22] pratt for helping to find
[1:18:24] additional finance resources
[1:18:25] for nashville general hospital
[1:18:27] so they can be taken care of.
[1:18:28] We have to take care of the
[1:18:30] people's hospital. And so glad
[1:18:32] to say that that was
[1:18:38] accomplished. And one of the
[1:18:40] things that the substitute does
[1:18:42] as well is that it leaves the
[1:18:43] grocery tax reduction as
[1:18:46] proposed to them by the mayor
[1:18:48] intact. It was one of my goals
[1:18:49] to increase it. The numbers
[1:18:51] were not on my side,
[1:18:53] unfortunately, but it does
[1:18:54] leave it intact. And I know
[1:18:55] there is concern from some
[1:18:59] about forgoing $9 million in
[1:19:01] revenue. However, it is not
[1:19:02] uncommon for us to forego
[1:19:03] revenue. We do that all the
[1:19:05] time when we do tax abatements
[1:19:06] for affordable housing projects,
[1:19:08] because we have decided as a
[1:19:09] city that affordable housing is
[1:19:11] worth the investment. And I
[1:19:13] think that providing financial
[1:19:15] relief to every single
[1:19:16] nashvillian is worth the
[1:19:17] investment. And with that, I
[1:19:19] ask for my colleagues support
[1:19:21] for the substitute.
[1:19:22] All right.
[1:19:27] There is a motion to substitute
[1:19:30] with chair tombs substitute. It
[1:19:32] is properly seconded. And you
[1:19:33] have heard a description of
[1:19:37] that substitute by chair tombs,
[1:19:39] reflective of all her good work
[1:19:41] and collaboration with you all.
[1:19:43] So now we are on to discussion
[1:19:46] on the motion to substitute.
[1:19:48] Does anyone seek to be
[1:19:50] recognized specifically on the
[1:19:53] motion to substitute? Seeing
[1:19:55] none. This requires a simple
[1:19:57] majority and we can do it by
[1:19:58] voice. All in favor, please say
[1:20:02] aye. Any voting? No. Any
[1:20:04] abstaining. All right. So the
[1:20:06] substitute is on. And if you
[1:20:07] would please renew your motion,
[1:20:07] MADAM Chair.
[1:20:09] Move for approval
[1:20:09] of substituted.
[1:20:10] Okay. There is
[1:20:13] a motion to approve as
[1:20:15] substituted. And now we are on
[1:20:19] to discussion for that. First
[1:20:21] in the queue for discussion is
[1:20:23] council member evan siegel. You
[1:20:24] are recognized.
[1:20:24] Thankyou,
[1:20:25] MADAM PRESIDENT. I would like
[1:20:27] to move my amendment.
[1:20:29] All right.
[1:20:32] Is there a second for the
[1:20:36] motion to amend? All right. Go
[1:20:38] ahead. You're recognized.
[1:20:38] Thank
[1:20:40] you. I filed this amendment.
[1:20:43] Spent a lot of time watching
[1:20:46] and participating in the budget
[1:20:49] meetings, thinking about the
[1:20:51] best way to help nashvillians
[1:20:54] with the cost of living crisis,
[1:20:56] frankly, that we're facing. If
[1:20:59] you look at the three well, I
[1:21:02] guess we'll say four largest
[1:21:04] sort of expenses for family.
[1:21:06] You have for families, you have
[1:21:07] housing, you have transit, you
[1:21:08] have child care, increasingly
[1:21:11] elder care and health care. All
[1:21:14] of these are things that we
[1:21:17] need to live. And then
[1:21:19] following that, you have food.
[1:21:22] And we obviously, we've seen
[1:21:24] over the past year food
[1:21:26] insecurity does to families,
[1:21:29] but we have also seen over many,
[1:21:30] many years what housing
[1:21:32] insecurity does child care
[1:21:35] insecurity can do. We have very
[1:21:36] little power over health care
[1:21:38] at the local level, though
[1:21:39] certainly wish we could do more
[1:21:42] there as well for people. And
[1:21:44] when I weighed, the
[1:21:46] conversations we've had around,
[1:21:47] is the juice worth the squeeze?
[1:21:50] And I thought, is the $6 a
[1:21:52] month that we're going to give
[1:21:53] to a family of four who's
[1:21:55] spending at the top of the
[1:21:56] estimates of there's a range of
[1:21:58] like 980 to 1200, well, 1175 a
[1:21:59] month, but we'll call it 1200.
[1:22:01] We'll round up. That family is
[1:22:04] going to save $6 a month or.
[1:22:06] And that's all families, not
[1:22:10] just those who need it most, or
[1:22:12] whether we can recommit that
[1:22:13] money to building housing and,
[1:22:15] and putting it in the barns
[1:22:16] fund, which would build housing
[1:22:17] for folks who are really
[1:22:18] struggling, but also by
[1:22:20] building that housing, we're
[1:22:20] taking the pressure off the
[1:22:22] middle income earners who are
[1:22:24] often going into that housing
[1:22:25] stock, that those folks who
[1:22:27] really need it are looking for.
[1:22:29] We're creating moe of that
[1:22:30] housing and actually lowers
[1:22:31] cost overall for everybody in
[1:22:33] the economy pretty
[1:22:34] significantly. And it's not $6
[1:22:35] a month, it's hundreds, if not
[1:22:37] thousands of dollars a month.
[1:22:40] And to me, that is where we
[1:22:41] need to do the squeeze to get
[1:22:43] the juice if we're going to
[1:22:44] help people here. So this
[1:22:46] amendment was filed in order to
[1:22:48] talk about this and to talk
[1:22:49] about whether lowering the
[1:22:51] sales tax half a percent as
[1:22:53] opposed to, say, removing all
[1:22:55] local option sales tax or the
[1:22:56] 1% the chair talked about,
[1:22:57] which would be a larger number
[1:22:59] and a different conversation.
[1:23:00] But whether this half a percent
[1:23:02] is worth it when we raise taxes
[1:23:04] here or when we lower taxes, we
[1:23:05] always have conversations
[1:23:07] because around property taxes
[1:23:10] we have to do a levy. And we we lot about that.
[1:23:11] Everybody gets their bill. But
[1:23:13] that's not the case with sales
[1:23:14] tax would just go through if
[1:23:16] there was no amendment here to
[1:23:17] talk about it, and whether this
[1:23:19] is the right way to help
[1:23:20] families today. I don't think
[1:23:22] that this is the right way to
[1:23:23] help families today. It MAY be
[1:23:24] in bigger quantities later.
[1:23:26] Having said that, I've got 15
[1:23:27] seconds left. I would move to
[1:23:29] amend my motion, to amend, to
[1:23:30] add, to move the late filed
[1:23:32] because an error was caught by
[1:23:33] finance, even though they
[1:23:34] prepared it before. And I would
[1:23:36] ask if their objections to tha.
[1:23:38] You would need to move to
[1:23:38] suspend.
[1:23:39] The rules. Move to
[1:23:42] amend my motion, to suspend the
[1:23:44] rules, to move the substitute,
[1:23:44] you would.
[1:23:46] Just need to move to
[1:23:48] suspend the rules that that.
[1:23:49] Okay.
[1:23:50] I thought I had to amend
[1:23:52] my motion based on.
[1:23:54] You can
[1:23:57] withdraw your motion while you
[1:23:59] still have the floor, as I
[1:24:01] understand it, and then move to
[1:24:02] suspend the while you
[1:24:05] still have the floor. Special
[1:24:07] counsel, is that a proper
[1:24:11] motion at this juncture?
[1:24:15] Motion.
[1:24:18] The motion that I described, I
[1:24:19] think she was refining her
[1:24:22] motion there at the end. Her
[1:24:25] intent was she expressed
[1:24:26] suspension of the rules prior
[1:24:27] to the time expiring. But if
[1:24:30] you could just speak to if
[1:24:31] suspension of the rules at this
[1:24:33] juncture with that other motion
[1:24:36] pending is appropriate.
[1:24:38] Okay.
[1:24:40] First, we thought we'd play
[1:24:42] this out, folks.
[1:24:43] To answer your
[1:24:46] question, vice mayor, a a
[1:24:49] withdrawal and a request to
[1:24:51] suspend the rules to consider a
[1:24:52] late filed amendment which is
[1:24:55] balanced would be valid. And
[1:24:56] councilmember robert siegel, I
[1:24:59] heard from you a motion to
[1:25:03] amend your motion to consider
[1:25:06] to consider a late file,
[1:25:07] essentially, that would that
[1:25:08] would require suspension of the
[1:25:10] rules as well. So the best step
[1:25:11] forward at this point would be
[1:25:13] to move, to suspend. And then
[1:25:14] we can go from there.
[1:25:15] As long
[1:25:16] as that's the prevailing motion.
[1:25:18] I just want to make sure.
[1:25:18] The
[1:25:21] motion will still be on the on
[1:25:24] the motion to amend the just be a
[1:25:25] motion to amend your previous
[1:25:26] motion.
[1:25:28] A motion to amend my
[1:25:30] previous motion to suspend the
[1:25:31] rules, to move the file.
[1:25:33] Whatever you just said, can we
[1:25:36] go with whatever you just said?
[1:25:38] All right, I would.
[1:25:38] Yeah.
[1:25:39] Where
[1:25:42] we are with time still
[1:25:44] available subsequent to MISS
[1:25:47] Evan siegel moving to amend
[1:25:50] with her timely filed amendment
[1:25:52] prior to the expiration of her
[1:25:56] time, she endeavored to express
[1:25:59] a request to suspend the rules
[1:26:03] for purposes of taking up her
[1:26:05] late file amendment. So there
[1:26:08] is a request to suspend the
[1:26:11] rules. Is there any objection
[1:26:15] to the suspension of the rules?
[1:26:17] Okay. The rules are not
[1:26:19] suspended because there are
[1:26:21] multiple objections to that
[1:26:22] suspension.
[1:26:23] So parliamentary
[1:26:26] inquiry then. So the motion to
[1:26:27] suspend fails. But so the
[1:26:29] motion to for the amendment is
[1:26:30] still the prevailing motion.
[1:26:31] That's correct. You have
[1:26:34] replaced your initial motion
[1:26:36] with the motion to suspend or
[1:26:38] with the request to suspend the
[1:26:40] rules. And that request has
[1:26:43] failed. There is no residual
[1:26:49] time. Counsel. Go ahead. And in
[1:26:52] my estimation, before her time
[1:26:56] expired MAY be in precisely.
[1:26:58] She requested to suspend the
[1:27:02] rules. Once we figure that out,
[1:27:04] I put it to the body. There
[1:27:05] were multiple objections. So
[1:27:08] the rules are not suspended and
[1:27:13] her time has expired. All right,
[1:27:14] special counsel, go ahead.
[1:27:16] You're recognized for
[1:27:17] clarification. There's a
[1:27:18] parliamentary inquiry as to the
[1:27:20] status before us at this
[1:27:20] juncture.
[1:27:21] Vice mayor, at this
[1:27:25] point, I would at this point,
[1:27:27] we are still on the original
[1:27:28] motion to amend. All right.
[1:27:30] Request to suspend the rules to
[1:27:32] change that original motion
[1:27:35] that failed for for multiple
[1:27:38] objections. We are we are still
[1:27:40] on the original motion to amend
[1:27:41] the substitute.
[1:27:42] All right. I
[1:27:44] appreciate the clarification. I
[1:27:46] appreciate the parliamentary
[1:27:48] inquiry, the motion that is
[1:27:51] presently before us is a motion
[1:27:56] to amend with the timely filed
[1:27:57] amendment, which was followed
[1:27:59] by a late filed amendment for
[1:28:02] the purposes of addressing a
[1:28:05] technical or mathematical error
[1:28:08] that I do understand to be an
[1:28:11] issue. Okay, so where we are is
[1:28:13] on a motion to amend with the
[1:28:15] timely filed amendment. And so
[1:28:17] we continue on discussion on
[1:28:19] the motion to amend. First in
[1:28:21] the queue is council member
[1:28:25] styles. Yes, ma'am. MADAM Chair,
[1:28:27] you're recognized.
[1:28:28] MADAM Vice
[1:28:30] mayor, given that the timely
[1:28:31] filed amendment is not
[1:28:33] structurally balanced, can we
[1:28:36] vote on that?
[1:28:38] So. I'm going to
[1:28:40] take that a little more. In the
[1:28:42] space of a parliamentary
[1:28:43] inquiry, point of order is kind
[1:28:45] of where we are in the order of
[1:28:50] operations. Special counsel,
[1:28:53] can you speak to that, sir?
[1:28:53] Yes,
[1:28:56] vice mayor, this amendment is
[1:28:58] not structurally balanced. It
[1:29:00] is to answer the question. Yes.
[1:29:02] It is something the council can
[1:29:07] consider. However, if a budget.
[1:29:11] Okay. So respectfully, I think
[1:29:13] what we're trying to understand
[1:29:15] it, it is proper at this time
[1:29:17] to discuss this motion, to
[1:29:19] amend it is it is a proper
[1:29:24] motion. And we will discuss it.
[1:29:27] As I understand you are asking
[1:29:29] particular to our rules of
[1:29:30] procedure, is there anything
[1:29:33] that specifically precludes
[1:29:37] debate on a amendment? And I
[1:29:39] did not get the rest of your
[1:29:42] words of. Were you asking
[1:29:43] particular to the passage of
[1:29:45] this. Because where we are now
[1:29:45] is on debate.
[1:29:46] Okay, I don't
[1:29:47] have a question regarding
[1:29:49] debate. I have a question about
[1:29:50] the actual passing it.
[1:29:51] Okay. So
[1:29:53] in the substance of our
[1:29:55] discussion. Anyone can elevate
[1:29:57] that question or address a
[1:29:58] question to the special counsel.
[1:30:00] Okay, so there is a proper
[1:30:03] motion beforeus, even if that
[1:30:05] motion has some challenges or
[1:30:07] problems inherent in it. We
[1:30:09] will proceed with this. And
[1:30:11] then at the end of that
[1:30:12] discussion, you all can make
[1:30:13] the determination on how you
[1:30:15] choose to vote at that time.
[1:30:17] Okay. Next in the queue is
[1:30:18] council member styles, MISS
[1:30:20] Styles. Do you seek to be
[1:30:22] recognized on the motion to
[1:30:25] amend?
[1:30:26] No. Vice mayor actually
[1:30:28] was getting in the queue to
[1:30:30] speak on this subsequently.
[1:30:32] Okay. Is there anyone that is
[1:30:33] in the queue specifically on
[1:30:37] the motion to amend with the filed amendment? Budget
[1:30:39] chair tombs, you're next in the
[1:30:40] queue. You're recognized.
[1:30:40] Thank
[1:30:42] you, MADAM Vice mayor.
[1:30:43] Colleagues, this is not a
[1:30:45] friendly amendment. We have
[1:30:48] many tools in our toolbox for
[1:30:49] affordable housing. We have the
[1:30:51] barnes fund, with passage of
[1:30:53] this budget, will have a new
[1:30:55] revolving loan fund. We have
[1:30:58] the new investment in community
[1:31:02] housing. We regularly do pilots
[1:31:04] for workforce housing
[1:31:05] developments, and later this
[1:31:07] year we will hopefully have in
[1:31:08] place the use of bonds for
[1:31:11] affordable housing. So there
[1:31:13] are many tools in our toolbox.
[1:31:15] I'm a big proponent of barnes,
[1:31:16] but it is not the the single
[1:31:19] tool that we have. We have many.
[1:31:22] Yes, it's true that it's really
[1:31:23] expensive to to purchase homes,
[1:31:25] to rent homes. The folks who
[1:31:27] are in themiddle are buying
[1:31:29] lesser priced homes. And that's
[1:31:30] really pricing people out. And
[1:31:33] if we build new units,
[1:31:34] eventually that is hopefully
[1:31:36] will bring the prices down
[1:31:37] eventually somewhere in the
[1:31:39] future. We have the opportunity
[1:31:43] today to provide tax relief to
[1:31:47] everyday nashvillians. That's
[1:31:50] important. We already have
[1:31:52] instances, as I've stated,
[1:31:54] where we forego revenue when we
[1:31:56] do our tax abatements. We're
[1:31:57] saying we will take less
[1:31:58] property tax on a property
[1:31:59] because we believe in
[1:32:02] affordable housing. Let's
[1:32:03] believe in people being able to
[1:32:06] afford groceries and forego
[1:32:08] this $9 million, which is not a
[1:32:10] huge investment. And I wish it
[1:32:12] was more. I wish it was more. I
[1:32:14] tried to make it more. $6
[1:32:16] matters. I can tell you, as a
[1:32:19] mom of three, I coupon I. I
[1:32:21] watch grocery prices. That's a
[1:32:23] spaghetti dinner. I could buy
[1:32:24] my box of noodles. I'm a kroger
[1:32:26] girl, so I could buy my kroger
[1:32:28] brand of spaghetti sauce and
[1:32:30] some ground turkey. That is a
[1:32:33] meal. So it's not it's not a
[1:32:36] small thing. And so over time,
[1:32:38] it could be a tank of gas. It
[1:32:39] could be school supplies. It
[1:32:41] could be much needed relief for
[1:32:42] everyday families. And we can
[1:32:45] do it now. So I encourage my
[1:32:46] colleagues to vote against this
[1:32:47] amendment.
[1:32:49] All right. Debate
[1:32:52] continues on the motion to
[1:32:54] amend. Next in the queue is
[1:32:56] council member suara. Yu're
[1:32:57] recognized ma'am.
[1:32:58] Thank you,
[1:32:59] vice mayor.
[1:33:01] I also rise against
[1:33:03] the amendment. For some of the
[1:33:04] reasons that councilmember
[1:33:07] tombs highlighted, I, I, we
[1:33:08] started this meeting with a
[1:33:12] with a prayer and what the the
[1:33:15] guest talk about empathy and
[1:33:16] putting ourselves in the shoes
[1:33:19] of others. Why $5. $6 MAY not
[1:33:22] mean nothing to most of us. It
[1:33:24] does for some people. I want
[1:33:26] people to realize that when
[1:33:27] people file for unemployment in
[1:33:29] the state of tennessee, the
[1:33:30] check that they get weekly is
[1:33:34] around $30 to $300, depending
[1:33:35] on your wage. For somebody that
[1:33:37] is getting unemployment check
[1:33:40] of $30 a week. Imagine what $5
[1:33:44] means to them. Right. So we
[1:33:45] cannot we cannot use our own
[1:33:47] lives, our own experiences to
[1:33:49] determine what works for
[1:33:50] everybody. We have to think
[1:33:52] about all of our constituents.
[1:33:53] And so the people that this
[1:33:55] matters to. And we have
[1:33:56] received emails from folks that
[1:33:58] said it does. The other reason,
[1:33:59] which is also one of the
[1:34:01] reasons why I shared yesterday
[1:34:03] that initially I was against it
[1:34:04] too, because yes, I am
[1:34:06] privileged and that five $6
[1:34:08] doesn't mean much to me. That
[1:34:10] is a fact. But when people
[1:34:12] started contacting me and then
[1:34:13] I have to pivot and think about
[1:34:15] he people that I represent.
[1:34:16] One of the conversations that
[1:34:18] we also had ourteachers, our
[1:34:20] union members, when we're
[1:34:21] talking about compensation this
[1:34:23] year, we have an increase in
[1:34:25] cost of living, but we also
[1:34:27] have an increase in benefits
[1:34:29] that is $5 off of insurance
[1:34:31] premium that somebody will not
[1:34:33] have to pay. And so let's take
[1:34:35] a look at all of it that way. I
[1:34:38] wish it more. I wish we could
[1:34:39] do more. I wish we could
[1:34:41] increase it. I support bonds, I
[1:34:42] think it's a good thing. But
[1:34:44] like chair said, we have other
[1:34:45] tools in the toolbox we're
[1:34:46] using for housing. And let's
[1:34:48] look at things that is not just
[1:34:51] for everyone. It's just for a
[1:34:53] specific group, but it's for
[1:34:55] everyone. Okay. I read a quote
[1:34:57] yesterday about being
[1:34:57] privileged is not looking at
[1:34:59] the other people. I appreciate
[1:35:01] my my colleague for bringing it.
[1:35:03] I think she her heart is in the
[1:35:05] right place. I thought the same
[1:35:06] way initially, but I want us to
[1:35:09] listen to the voices of the
[1:35:11] other side. And that's a lot
[1:35:14] with the social services. Spoke
[1:35:16] here during one of the
[1:35:17] committee meetings and said,
[1:35:18] the people that are struggling
[1:35:21] the most in nashville are our
[1:35:22] teachers, our firefighters,
[1:35:24] people that actually have a job
[1:35:25] that don't need the bonds fund,
[1:35:27] but need every dollar that we
[1:35:29] can give them. And so with that,
[1:35:32] I, I am in opposition of that
[1:35:33] amendment, and I hope that you
[1:35:35] all will vote against it as
[1:35:37] well. Thank you.
[1:35:37] All right.
[1:35:39] Next in the queue on discussion
[1:35:40] on the motion to amend is
[1:35:41] council member sepulveda.
[1:35:42] You're recognized.
[1:35:43] Thank you,
[1:35:46] vice mayor. And I do appreciate
[1:35:49] the where the mayor is coming
[1:35:51] from and where our budget chair
[1:35:54] is coming from. However, I I'm
[1:35:56] not on the same side of this
[1:35:58] issue, having worked on this
[1:36:01] for a very long time. Now, the
[1:36:02] only reason this is an option
[1:36:04] for us is because the state of
[1:36:08] tennessee is passing the buck.
[1:36:10] $6 means everything to me today.
[1:36:12] I've had cereal. I save where I
[1:36:14] can, I've had cereal, and I'm
[1:36:16] munching on crackers. Right.
[1:36:18] It's hard to make a living in
[1:36:22] this city. They have the
[1:36:24] opportunity to pay for this by
[1:36:25] closing the corporate tax
[1:36:27] loophole, and they choose not
[1:36:30] to. They choose not to.
[1:36:31] Quiet,
[1:36:31] please.
[1:36:32] Instead, they have
[1:36:36] given corporations 1.5 billion
[1:36:39] in refunds and incentives.
[1:36:41] Fedex has filed 13 tax returns
[1:36:43] in the state of tennessee. We
[1:36:46] only file one. Only one. That's
[1:36:51] an average of $400 a year in
[1:36:53] groceries for tennessee
[1:36:56] families, $400 in groceries. We
[1:36:58] as nashvillians still pay. At
[1:37:00] the end of the day, when we are
[1:37:03] asking our departments to save,
[1:37:04] we're still paying. At the end
[1:37:06] of the day, I understand what
[1:37:08] we're trying to do. I really do
[1:37:09] understand. But at the end of
[1:37:12] the day, there are davidson
[1:37:16] county residents who cross into
[1:37:17] kentucky to go buy groceries
[1:37:18] because they don't have a
[1:37:20] grocery tax there, and they're
[1:37:22] trying to save money, and I
[1:37:24] can't ask them to do that, I
[1:37:25] really can't. So yes, I would
[1:37:28] have voted for this amendment
[1:37:29] if it would have been balanced.
[1:37:30] Right now, I don't I don't know
[1:37:32] what to do because I wish that
[1:37:35] we wouldn't have voted to like,
[1:37:37] not suspend the rules. I wish
[1:37:39] we would have had this option
[1:37:42] because it is absolutely
[1:37:43] shameful that the state of
[1:37:45] tennessee continues to do this,
[1:37:47] because they want to give free
[1:37:49] rides to corporations. I'm not
[1:37:50] going to do that. I'm not going
[1:37:52] to do the state's bidding. And
[1:37:54] so when they air this, when
[1:37:56] they write about this, I want
[1:37:57] them to get this right. This is
[1:37:59] on the state of tennessee. The
[1:38:01] state of tennessee should end
[1:38:03] the grocery tax. And they keep
[1:38:06] putting a fake bill before the
[1:38:10] the state legislature that has
[1:38:11] no source of funding. When
[1:38:14] there is an option to close the
[1:38:16] corporate tax loophole and give
[1:38:21] an average revenue of $891
[1:38:22] million to the state of
[1:38:24] tennessee, that is helping
[1:38:26] tennesseans and not
[1:38:29] corporations. So, no, I don't
[1:38:31] want an option to end the
[1:38:33] grocery tax for counties,
[1:38:35] cities, municipalities. I want
[1:38:37] the state of tennessee to end
[1:38:39] the grocery tax. And it is
[1:38:41] shameful, shameful that they
[1:38:42] don't.
[1:38:44] All right. Next in the
[1:38:46] queue is council member
[1:38:53] porterfield. You're recognized.
[1:38:55] Oh I'm sorry. Go ahead ma'am.
[1:38:57] Thank you, vice mayor.
[1:38:57] How am I
[1:38:59] supposed to come behind that?
[1:39:01] Jeez, louise, can I can you
[1:39:03] come back to me? No, seriously,
[1:39:07] I, I agree with a lot of the
[1:39:08] sentiment of my colleague,
[1:39:09] council member sepulveda. I
[1:39:10] don't know that we've ever
[1:39:11] actually been on the opposite
[1:39:13] side of an issue. So this is a
[1:39:15] little painful for me right now.
[1:39:16] I'm having an emotional
[1:39:18] reaction, but I'm standing in
[1:39:20] opposition to the amendment and
[1:39:22] in support of cutting the
[1:39:23] grocery tax. Tennessee is one
[1:39:25] of I believe we're one of 11
[1:39:27] states that is actually still
[1:39:29] taxing people for groceries.
[1:39:31] And I agree with everything
[1:39:32] councilmember sepulveda said.
[1:39:33] It is on the state. The state
[1:39:35] should cut the grocery tax,
[1:39:37] just like the state should be
[1:39:39] funding more for our public
[1:39:40] schools. And just like for our
[1:39:42] public schools, we as a city
[1:39:44] are having to pick up the slack
[1:39:45] when the state does not do
[1:39:47] their job. She's absolutely
[1:39:48] right. They are doing the
[1:39:49] bidding of businesses and
[1:39:50] corporations. They are giving
[1:39:52] tax breaks that we, the%
[1:39:53] citizens and the residents
[1:39:54] should be getting. They're not
[1:39:56] doing their job. So we're
[1:39:57] having to pick up the slack and
[1:39:59] it totally sucks. But we cannot
[1:40:01] absolve our responsibility to
[1:40:02] take care of our constituency
[1:40:03] just because the state isn't
[1:40:05] doing what they need to do. So
[1:40:08] for that reason, I am standing
[1:40:11] against the amendment and I am
[1:40:13] standing for. I want to stand
[1:40:15] in support of the current
[1:40:16] budget. I remember I shared a
[1:40:20] little bit yesterday about a
[1:40:21] friend that that I know that is
[1:40:23] a business professional and by
[1:40:25] no fault of their own based on
[1:40:27] some federal cuts. This is a
[1:40:29] person with a professional
[1:40:30] degree in the medical field,
[1:40:32] and they're currently
[1:40:33] unemployed, and I watch them
[1:40:34] week after week try to figure
[1:40:36] out how they're going to feed
[1:40:37] their family. And there are
[1:40:38] literal times when they're like,
[1:40:40] I have $5 and I'm trying to
[1:40:42] figure out how I'm going to eat
[1:40:43] this week and how I'm going to
[1:40:45] feed my kids. So for us, $5 is
[1:40:47] nothing. $6 is nothing. But for
[1:40:48] many people that are struggling
[1:40:50] to make the ends meet, I
[1:40:51] vividly remember when I was 22
[1:40:53] and I had just graduated from
[1:40:54] tissue, and I was working in a
[1:40:56] call center, and my colleague
[1:40:57] and I, for lunch, we would go
[1:40:59] to MRS. Winters all the time
[1:41:01] and get this dollar 99 chicken
[1:41:02] meal, because that was
[1:41:03] literally all we could afford.
[1:41:06] So that $2 literally stretched
[1:41:07] for us. $6 would have been
[1:41:09] three times that we could have
[1:41:10] ate that week. And now it's
[1:41:12] hard to find $1.99 meal, but
[1:41:13] you can still get a wendy's
[1:41:16] four for four. So it MAY not be
[1:41:18] a lot of money for a lot of
[1:41:20] people, but for the people that
[1:41:21] need it, this does make a
[1:41:23] difference. We never get the
[1:41:25] opportunity to put direct
[1:41:26] dollars back into the hands of
[1:41:27] our constituents, and this is
[1:41:29] one of the only opportunities
[1:41:32] that we have to deliver a real
[1:41:34] impact, real dollars that we're
[1:41:35] giving back to the constituents.
[1:41:37] So I respect my colleague's
[1:41:39] position. I adore my colleague,
[1:41:40] council member sepulveda. I
[1:41:42] respect their position, but I
[1:41:43] have to be against the
[1:41:45] amendment this time.
[1:41:46] All right.
[1:41:49] Next in the queue on the motion
[1:41:51] to amend is council member
[1:41:52] benedict. You're recognized.
[1:41:53] Previous question.
[1:41:55] All right.
[1:41:56] MISS Benedict has called the
[1:41:59] previous question. Is there a
[1:42:01] second? Second. Okay. This is a
[1:42:02] non-debatable motion that
[1:42:04] requires two thirds of those
[1:42:07] voting that call. The previous
[1:42:10] question ends debate on the
[1:42:12] motion to amend. Okay. And so
[1:42:15] we will move then to the vote
[1:42:20] on the motion to amend with the
[1:42:22] timely filed amendment of MISS
[1:42:24] Evan siegel. We will try this
[1:42:27] first by voice. As I remind
[1:42:30] folks every time it is number,
[1:42:32] not volume, please. So if you
[1:42:34] are in favor of the previous
[1:42:37] question, you'll say I to end
[1:42:39] the debate. If you want the
[1:42:41] debate to continue, you will
[1:42:44] say no. All in favor of the
[1:42:45] previous question, please say
[1:42:50] aye. Any voting no. All right.
[1:42:53] The ayes have it. And so the
[1:42:54] previous question is called.
[1:42:58] And so we will move to the vote
[1:43:02] on the motion to amend. We can
[1:43:09] take this also by voice. All in
[1:43:12] favor of the motion to amend
[1:43:17] please say aye. All against the
[1:43:21] motion to amend. Please say no.
[1:43:25] Any abstaining the nose have it.
[1:43:28] The amendment fails. All right.
[1:43:34] Now we are back on debate of
[1:43:38] the motion to approve as
[1:43:42] substituted next in the queue
[1:43:44] for that discussion is council
[1:43:45] member styles. You're
[1:43:47] recognized ma'am.
[1:43:47] Thank you
[1:43:49] very much, vice mayor. I just
[1:43:51] want to take this moment. And I
[1:43:53] said this during the budget
[1:43:56] work sessions to share what a
[1:43:58] great job council member tombs
[1:44:01] did on this budget, but also
[1:44:03] the budget process itself,
[1:44:05] holding the department hearings,
[1:44:07] allowing for the budget work
[1:44:08] sessions, allowing council
[1:44:09] members to bring whatever their
[1:44:11] cares or concerns were and
[1:44:14] allowing them to share them and
[1:44:15] let colleagues listen to them
[1:44:18] and give feedback in a very
[1:44:21] fair, a very fair manner. I
[1:44:22] appreciate councilmember tombs
[1:44:24] and her integrity. It was very
[1:44:27] nice to have it. And
[1:44:28] congratulations, chair tombs,
[1:44:29] you've done an amazing job. You
[1:44:31] should be proud.
[1:44:34] All right. We on discussion on the
[1:44:36] motion to approve substituted.
[1:44:38] Next in the queue is council
[1:44:39] member johnston. You're
[1:44:39] recognized ma'am.
[1:44:40] Thank you,
[1:44:43] vice mayor. Every year this, I
[1:44:44] think is my seventh budget to
[1:44:46] work on. And I get frustrated
[1:44:48] every year because our process
[1:44:52] is incredibly. It's just a
[1:44:53] frustrating process and
[1:44:55] especially in a from a coming
[1:44:57] from that is part time,
[1:44:59] that doesn't have access to a
[1:45:02] ton of information. And I think
[1:45:04] we've had a, I've been watching,
[1:45:06] I haven't been able to be here
[1:45:07] because I've been recovering
[1:45:08] from surgery, but I've been
[1:45:11] watching and I we've had a lot
[1:45:12] of conversation around
[1:45:13] affordability. The largest bill
[1:45:16] that davidson county sends
[1:45:17] nashvillians is their property
[1:45:19] tax bill. And we've been
[1:45:21] talking about the grocery tax.
[1:45:23] And I feel like we're we're
[1:45:24] majoring in the minor talking
[1:45:26] about, well, we need to have a
[1:45:27] little bit of relief here and a
[1:45:29] little bit of relief here when
[1:45:31] meaningful relief could come
[1:45:34] from really putting together an
[1:45:37] efficient budget that has as
[1:45:39] little waste as possible. And
[1:45:41] where is that work? I really
[1:45:43] appreciate council member evan
[1:45:45] segal's thought processes
[1:45:46] around what is the best way to
[1:45:48] provide affordability. Is this
[1:45:49] the right thing and really
[1:45:50] digging into it? Because that's
[1:45:54] the work that needs to be done.
[1:45:56] When you take away a small
[1:45:58] source of revenue, that revenue
[1:46:00] has to be found somewhere, and
[1:46:02] next year going to have
[1:46:03] to find it. And the year after
[1:46:05] that, we're going to have to
[1:46:07] find it. And what that does is
[1:46:08] apply pressure to then increase
[1:46:11] the property tax again to make
[1:46:13] up for it instead of pulling
[1:46:15] robbing peter to pay. Paul. We
[1:46:17] have businesses that are
[1:46:18] shuttering. When businesses
[1:46:20] close, people lose their jobs.
[1:46:23] That's not adding anything to
[1:46:25] affordability. When mortgages
[1:46:28] go up, so do rents. Housing is
[1:46:30] the most expensive thing that
[1:46:31] people pay for every single
[1:46:34] month. That is where I think
[1:46:36] the work should be put into is
[1:46:39] figuring out how can we, as a
[1:46:40] government become more
[1:46:42] efficient. I haven't in my
[1:46:45] seven years seen us cut one
[1:46:48] thing we continually add and
[1:46:50] add and add and are we really
[1:46:52] looking at the programing that
[1:46:54] we're investing in to see where
[1:46:57] is that roi? Are we really
[1:46:58] getting from this programing?
[1:47:00] What eshould? Are there
[1:47:02] contracts that we're paying
[1:47:04] every single month, year after
[1:47:05] year, that we're not even
[1:47:07] utilizing that? What product
[1:47:08] are we negotiating the pricing
[1:47:10] of our contracts the way that
[1:47:12] we should do we even know what
[1:47:13] we're paying for? Because a lot
[1:47:14] of this gets gone through
[1:47:16] professional services. So many
[1:47:17] contracts people don't even
[1:47:19] know in this room, don't even
[1:47:21] know that we're paying for.
[1:47:22] That's where the work needs to
[1:47:25] go, where we can meaningfully
[1:47:26] reduce the largest bill that we
[1:47:29] send to our constituents every
[1:47:30] single year, which is their
[1:47:31] property tax bill. So this
[1:47:33] budget is extremely frustrating
[1:47:37] to me, but it's frustrating year. So I can't
[1:47:38] in good conscience vote yes for
[1:47:41] it.
[1:47:42] All right. Next in the
[1:47:44] queue is council member nash.
[1:47:47] Recognize, sir.
[1:47:47] Thank you,
[1:47:51] MADAM PRESIDENT. Very short. I
[1:47:56] know that this small cut in
[1:47:59] grocery tax means a different
[1:48:00] will have different impact on
[1:48:02] different families. And it's
[1:48:06] not real large, but it's the
[1:48:09] first time in my 74 years that
[1:48:12] i remember any tax being cut.
[1:48:14] And I think that's important to
[1:48:17] show the state how it's done.
[1:48:19] And and maybe we can do better
[1:48:22] again next year.
[1:48:23] All right.
[1:48:25] Next in the queue is council
[1:48:30] member benedict. All right.
[1:48:32] Council member benedict has
[1:48:33] called the previous question. I
[1:48:40] have heard a second. We have a
[1:48:42] rule relative tothe amount of
[1:48:44] time of debate on the operating
[1:48:46] budget. We have achieved that
[1:48:48] number. Okay. All right. So
[1:48:51] that is a proper motion at this
[1:48:53] juncture. Again, non-debatable
[1:48:55] requires two thirds of those
[1:48:58] voting. If you vote yes or I in
[1:48:59] favor the previous question,
[1:49:02] you want to end debate and move
[1:49:05] to the vote on the budget. If
[1:49:09] you vote, no discussion will
[1:49:10] continue. All in favor? The
[1:49:13] previous question, please say I.
[1:49:15] Those against the previous
[1:49:16] question, please say no.
[1:49:18] No.
[1:49:22] The ayes have it. All right. We
[1:49:30] will now move to the vote on.
[1:49:33] Approval of the operating
[1:49:38] budget as substituted. This. By
[1:49:41] our rules recall requires a
[1:49:44] roll call vote. And so, MR.
[1:49:47] Clark, if you would please load
[1:50:04] the vote.
[1:50:19] With all votes in.
[1:50:22] MR. Clark, please show the vote.
[1:50:25] All right. The budget has
[1:50:27] passed its third and final
[1:50:29] reading, as substituted, with
[1:50:31] 35 votes in favor, two against
[1:50:37] and zero abstentions. All right,
[1:50:40] next we move on to agenda item
[1:50:44] 70. This is ordinance bl
[1:50:46] 2026-1378. Sponsor tombs. This
[1:50:47] is an ordinance establishing
[1:50:49] the tax levy in the general
[1:50:50] services district for the
[1:50:55] fiscal year 2026 2027, and
[1:50:56] declaring the amount required
[1:50:57] for the annual operating budget
[1:50:59] of the urban services district
[1:51:02] pursuant to section 6.07 of the
[1:51:06] metropolitan charter budget
[1:51:10] chair tombs, you are recognized.
[1:51:11] Thank you MADAM. MADAM Vice
[1:51:15] mayor, committee. Report.
[1:51:16] Budget and finance voted to
[1:51:18] recommend approval. Nine in
[1:51:19] favor, zero against zero. Not
[1:51:20] voting.
[1:51:22] All right. With that
[1:51:24] report in, it's back to you.
[1:51:25] Move for approval.
[1:51:25] All right.
[1:51:29] There's a motion to approve
[1:51:32] 1378 the tax levy. And we are
[1:51:36] on to discussion. First in the
[1:51:38] queue for discussion. MR.
[1:51:39] Eastlake, do you seek to be
[1:51:42] recognized on the tax levy
[1:51:44] gallery? Audience folks,
[1:51:46] quietly please depart the
[1:51:48] chamber very quietly. No
[1:51:50] speaking. Please. Thank you. Go
[1:51:51] ahead, sir.
[1:51:52] Thank you. I will
[1:51:54] not be able to support this
[1:51:56] agenda item as it continues to
[1:51:58] use the same week study done by
[1:52:00] ralph tillis last year as the
[1:52:04] guide for the u. Sdausdgsd tax.
[1:52:06] The way this worked, there was
[1:52:08] no real data used. It was
[1:52:12] assumptions and just really
[1:52:13] assumptions that everybody was
[1:52:15] getting everything equally when
[1:52:17] it came to the u, s, d, g, s, d,
[1:52:20] what it allowed was the usd to
[1:52:23] grow and the gsd to pay for it.
[1:52:25] The people in the all gsd
[1:52:27] districts are paying more. They
[1:52:29] got a double bump on the tax
[1:52:30] increase last year, not just
[1:52:31] the property tax increase, but
[1:52:33] the actual shift from u, s, d
[1:52:36] to gst happened s well. So we
[1:52:39] in the outside areas are not
[1:52:41] getting the same amenities. We
[1:52:43] don't get the same services,
[1:52:45] nor do we use the same services.
[1:52:46] We don't have stop street
[1:52:48] lights, we don't have sidewalks
[1:52:49] and we don't have trash
[1:52:50] collection. I understand the
[1:52:53] trash collection was subtracted
[1:52:54] from the u, s, d, g and it's
[1:52:56] basically what the u, s, d pays
[1:52:58] at this point, but it is not
[1:52:59] separate and equal throughout
[1:53:02] this whole area. And the g, s d
[1:53:03] people are carrying the weight
[1:53:06] of the growth of the usd. I ask
[1:53:08] that in the future. We study
[1:53:11] this to make sure that the data
[1:53:13] is real and that it's an actual
[1:53:15] good plan for the g, s, d
[1:53:16] people. I get it if you're one
[1:53:18] of the council members that has
[1:53:20] usd or is all usd, you're not
[1:53:22] going to do this. There's no
[1:53:23] reason for you to support
[1:53:24] having your people pay more to
[1:53:26] get nothing. But that's what
[1:53:28] happened to us in the g, s d
[1:53:29] last year. We didn't get
[1:53:31] anything else, but we had more
[1:53:34] tax burden shifted to us and we
[1:53:35] should look at this before we
[1:53:36] go forward. It certainly
[1:53:38] doesn't make sense if you read
[1:53:40] the ref telus report. Thank you.
[1:53:43] All right. Discussion continues
[1:53:47] on agenda item 70, ordinance
[1:53:50] 1378, the tax levy. Next in the
[1:53:51] queue is council member koopman.
[1:53:52] You're recognized sir.
[1:53:52] Thank
[1:53:54] you, MADAM PRESIDENT. And I
[1:53:56] want to say first that I deeply
[1:53:57] appreciate COUNCILMAN Tombs and
[1:53:59] the fantastic job that she has
[1:54:01] done to make sure we are all
[1:54:02] welcome and had our opinions
[1:54:04] heard and our voices heard in
[1:54:05] this process. And as
[1:54:06] COUNCILWOMAN Johnston said, the
[1:54:08] budget process to me continues
[1:54:10] to feel backwards andout of
[1:54:12] order because we we do the best
[1:54:14] we can. Ithink we've done a
[1:54:15] really great job this year,
[1:54:16] shifting things around a little
[1:54:18] bit to get the best impact, but
[1:54:19] we don't have the time or
[1:54:21] resources to really dive deep
[1:54:22] into the, you know, the meat
[1:54:25] and potatoes of the budget. I
[1:54:27] get calls, texts, emails every
[1:54:29] day as recently as this morning,
[1:54:30] learning that burger up after
[1:54:33] 16 years is shutting its doors,
[1:54:34] watching nashville staples,
[1:54:35] watching the soul of our city
[1:54:37] close, close, close
[1:54:39] close. Due to taxes due to due
[1:54:40] to property taxes, I get phone
[1:54:42] calls from families that are
[1:54:44] getting kicked out of their
[1:54:45] homes because they just got
[1:54:47] their new tax bill. I support
[1:54:48] the grocery tax reduction or
[1:54:50] support we did there, and I
[1:54:51] looked at could we do more
[1:54:52] before w went to the budget
[1:54:55] process, I looked at an 18 cent
[1:54:56] property tax reduction. It
[1:54:58] would have cost 130 million in
[1:55:00] revenue. That light turning off
[1:55:03] was part of the cuts. It would
[1:55:05] have cost 130 million in
[1:55:07] revenue, which I didn't want to
[1:55:08] find on the backs of our
[1:55:10] workers, which are already
[1:55:12] substantially underpaid or
[1:55:13] cutting, you know, essential
[1:55:14] programs. I would have wanted
[1:55:16] to look through contracts and
[1:55:17] ways to be more efficient, ways
[1:55:19] to deploy resources better, and
[1:55:21] that tax reduction would have
[1:55:24] saved $450 a year for a
[1:55:26] residential home valued at $1
[1:55:29] million. So six times this
[1:55:30] grocery tax reduction. So it
[1:55:32] would there's a way to really
[1:55:34] substantially reduce this
[1:55:36] burden. But the issue is that
[1:55:38] by the time I get to that, by
[1:55:40] the time the budget is out, as
[1:55:41] a district council person,
[1:55:42] there is no no space for that.
[1:55:44] There's no time for that.
[1:55:45] There's no resources to dive
[1:55:46] that deep. Even a budget chair
[1:55:48] who would want to do that is
[1:55:50] not able to with the time and
[1:55:51] resources we have. And I know
[1:55:53] we've we've looked at salary,
[1:55:54] we've looked at salary savings,
[1:55:55] we've looked at contracts. But
[1:55:57] still, I can't just continue to
[1:55:59] stand here and support a tax
[1:56:01] levy that I know is breaking
[1:56:02] the backs of our city, breaking
[1:56:04] the backs of our residents. And
[1:56:06] that runs the risk. Again, we
[1:56:07] talk about revenue reduction.
[1:56:09] We talk about grocery tax,
[1:56:12] sales tax revenue dropping.
[1:56:14] Well, at the rate we're going
[1:56:15] with these businesses closing,
[1:56:16] with residents getting pushed
[1:56:17] out, we're going to see a
[1:56:18] substantial reduction. So
[1:56:20] sometimes there's a there's a
[1:56:22] short term pain, long term gain
[1:56:23] process. So I'm going to vote
[1:56:25] against the the tax levy. I
[1:56:26] understand there's a lot of
[1:56:27] parameters. I understand that
[1:56:28] there's, you know, we do the
[1:56:30] best we can with what we've got.
[1:56:32] But I need to I need to stand
[1:56:33] up for my constituents and
[1:56:34] recognize the challenges that
[1:56:36] that we are facing and
[1:56:37] hopefully going into next year
[1:56:38] and starting to go into another
[1:56:40] reappraisal cycle, we can look
[1:56:41] at how we can ease this burden,
[1:56:43] but still, you know, deliver
[1:56:45] the services we need to deliver.
[1:56:47] All right. Next in the queue is
[1:56:48] council member aaron evans.
[1:56:49] You're recognized, ma'am.
[1:56:50] Thank
[1:56:51] you, vice mayor. So I think
[1:56:54] there's a lot of sentiments
[1:56:55] that some of my peers have
[1:56:57] shared tonight that I would
[1:57:00] like to echo on a very succinct
[1:57:01] way, but I think the the
[1:57:03] underlying cause is we, we
[1:57:05] really do the best with the
[1:57:07] bandwidth that we have a
[1:57:09] council. And the budget chairs
[1:57:12] process was really strong. But
[1:57:14] the reality is we're, we're
[1:57:15] essentially between a rock and
[1:57:18] a hard place when it comes to
[1:57:19] setting the rates and how we
[1:57:21] navigate a rate that is higher
[1:57:23] than optimal. In particular,
[1:57:25] you know, my colleague from old
[1:57:27] hickory, you know, reiterated
[1:57:28] his feelings around the
[1:57:30] original study that got us to
[1:57:32] the the differential between
[1:57:33] the u, s, d and the gst. And I
[1:57:35] want to just reiterate that we
[1:57:37] are three about $0.03
[1:57:39] difference between usd and gst.
[1:57:41] There is a difference in the
[1:57:42] services that you get in the
[1:57:44] gst. Some of it is warranted.
[1:57:46] Some of it do not feel is
[1:57:47] warranted. Essentially, by the
[1:57:49] time we get to the next
[1:57:51] reappraisal period, we will not
[1:57:53] have a gst anymore, for better
[1:57:55] or for worse. And so there
[1:57:57] needs to be a plan. And I
[1:57:59] appreciate my council member,
[1:58:01] colleague from bellevue, who
[1:58:02] was renewing kind of that call
[1:58:04] for what's the plan for the gst
[1:58:06] areas, because when we start
[1:58:07] making these rate adjustments
[1:58:08] in the future and somebody in
[1:58:10] the next council can mark this
[1:58:12] conversation, you know, we're
[1:58:13] going to have a conversation
[1:58:14] about trash collection, street
[1:58:15] lights, sidewalks, all those
[1:58:17] things. And there's going to be
[1:58:18] an expectation that we're
[1:58:20] brought up to the same standard.
[1:58:22] So I'm just flagging it again
[1:58:24] with my vote in opposition for
[1:58:26] the rate. Thank you.
[1:58:27] All right.
[1:58:30] Next in the queue regarding he
[1:58:33] tax levy ordinance is council
[1:58:35] member spain. Go ahead sir.
[1:58:36] Vice chair, you're recognized.
[1:58:38] Thank you, MADAM PRESIDENT. I,
[1:58:40] I share the concerns that that
[1:58:41] my colleagues have expressed
[1:58:43] about the the impacts of the
[1:58:45] changes we made in last year's
[1:58:46] budget cycle, shifting expenses
[1:58:48] between from the usd to the gst.
[1:58:50] I appreciate the council's
[1:58:51] overwhelming support of a
[1:58:53] resolution to continue that
[1:58:54] study and continue that
[1:58:55] conversation. I appreciate the
[1:58:56] mayor, including funding for
[1:58:58] that study in his budget and
[1:58:59] chair tombs for maintaining in
[1:59:01] her substitute. I look forward
[1:59:02] to that, that conversation
[1:59:04] continuing as we go into the
[1:59:06] next budget cycle. I also want
[1:59:07] to add my thanks to chair tombs
[1:59:09] for the incredibly inclusive
[1:59:13] and transparent process that going back to even
[1:59:14] before we got here in this
[1:59:16] chamber, the public budget one
[1:59:18] on one sessions that were held
[1:59:19] around the county back in MAY
[1:59:20] through the departmental budget
[1:59:21] hearings and the working group
[1:59:23] sessions that allowed
[1:59:24] everyone's voices to be heard
[1:59:25] and to advocate for things that
[1:59:27] were important to them. And, as
[1:59:29] you saw by the vote, created a
[1:59:32] very inclusive substitute that
[1:59:33] that truly reflected the
[1:59:35] priorities of this body. So I
[1:59:36] appreciate that and look
[1:59:37] forward to, to voting in favor
[1:59:38] of this.
[1:59:38] Thank you.
[1:59:39] Thank you,
[1:59:41] vice chair. Next is council
[1:59:43] member suara. You're recognized,
[1:59:44] ma'am.
[1:59:45] Thank you, vice chair,
[1:59:47] and I applaud the budget chair,
[1:59:49] too, for a job well done. And
[1:59:50] since we're still speaking on
[1:59:54] the operating budget for me, I
[1:59:55] always get a reaction when I
[1:59:57] felt like there is a
[1:59:59] misinformation or inaccurate
[2:00:01] information that I feel like we
[2:00:04] need to address or speak to. I
[2:00:05] think it is very important to
[2:00:06] know that, yes, I agree with
[2:00:08] all the sentiments. We could do
[2:00:09] better. There's always room for
[2:00:10] for us to do better, and we
[2:00:12] should keep looking at making
[2:00:14] the budget process a whole lot
[2:00:15] better. I have my concerns and
[2:00:16] I have things that I want to
[2:00:18] share, but to say that we never
[2:00:20] look at cuts is not appropriate,
[2:00:21] because I think that starting
[2:00:23] with the mayor's budget, the
[2:00:24] departments were actually asked
[2:00:28] to put a 1.5% cuts in their
[2:00:29] budget this year. And last year
[2:00:31] we did the same thing. There
[2:00:32] were cuts in the budget. We
[2:00:34] look at it. I also remember
[2:00:36] that there was a special work
[2:00:37] group that was set up by the
[2:00:39] budget chair last year. One was
[2:00:40] looking into salary savings and
[2:00:42] to look at how we can actually
[2:00:43] look at that through the budget
[2:00:45] process. Another we're talking
[2:00:47] about, we just don't look at
[2:00:49] spending. I remember we spent
[2:00:51] the committee that worked on
[2:00:52] procurement, spent weeks, maybe
[2:00:54] months looking at that process.
[2:00:56] So as we talk about what is not
[2:00:57] working, what we need to
[2:01:00] improve, I think it's we acknowledge the work
[2:01:01] that we're doing and not make
[2:01:04] it look as if this body is not
[2:01:04] doing anything. Finally, I
[2:01:06] think it's important for
[2:01:08] everybody to also understand
[2:01:10] that the way it works, it's in
[2:01:12] your budget. Think about it.
[2:01:14] It's a 3.8 billion budget. The
[2:01:16] chair is only able to move less
[2:01:18] than 9 million. And so if
[2:01:20] people really want to make an
[2:01:22] impact on the budget and they
[2:01:23] want the conversation to start,
[2:01:24] they start with the mayor
[2:01:27] before it's published on MAY,
[2:01:28] everybody comes to the council
[2:01:30] and everybody wants the council
[2:01:33] to perform magic. And in all my
[2:01:35] years of being on the budget
[2:01:36] for seven years, I think the
[2:01:37] most we've ever done was the
[2:01:39] year that we have the surplus
[2:01:42] that we're able to do maybe 20
[2:01:44] million. It's always been very
[2:01:46] minimal, less than 1%, very,
[2:01:48] very small amount. And so
[2:01:50] people put a lot of weight on
[2:01:51] the council, and the council
[2:01:53] budget does a good job of
[2:01:54] moving around and trying to
[2:01:56] move it. But it is a mayoral
[2:01:57] system. It is a mayoral budget.
[2:01:59] And so everyone should start
[2:02:02] talking to the mayor ahead of
[2:02:04] time so that whatever change
[2:02:05] needs to happen, need to happen.
[2:02:07] At that point, I just wanted to
[2:02:09] put all of those in. The budget
[2:02:10] process. I read the budget
[2:02:11] process, I look into the
[2:02:13] process and it can get better,
[2:02:16] but I also don't want us to
[2:02:17] discount the work that's gone
[2:02:19] into it. Council member tom did
[2:02:20] a wonderful job getting all the
[2:02:21] department heads and the
[2:02:23] previous budget chair, so this
[2:02:25] body is trying to do the best
[2:02:26] it can with what he got and
[2:02:28] with the time that he has. But
[2:02:29] we also have to understand the
[2:02:31] process and how things work.
[2:02:35] And we cannot just make claims
[2:02:36] just to make claims. I
[2:02:40] understand we want to get our
[2:02:41] constituents that we want to,
[2:02:42] you know, it's political and
[2:02:44] it's all of that. I get all of
[2:02:46] that. But we have to be factual
[2:02:47] in it as well. Thank you.
[2:02:48] Thank
[2:02:50] you. Next in the queue again on
[2:02:51] the ordinance establishing the
[2:02:53] tax levy is council member
[2:02:55] porterfield. You're recognized.
[2:02:56] MADAM Pro tem.
[2:02:57] Thank you so
[2:02:59] very much. Vice mayor, I
[2:03:01] appreciate that I am standing
[2:03:05] in support of this, of everyone
[2:03:07] who just voted yes, should be
[2:03:09] voting yes for this because in
[2:03:11] essence, we just passed a
[2:03:12] budget and this is the
[2:03:14] mechanism to pass the budget,
[2:03:15] excuse me, fund the budget that
[2:03:17] we just passed. So if you don't
[2:03:19] pass this, there's no way to
[2:03:21] fund the budget that you
[2:03:23] literally just voted for to
[2:03:24] pass. So you are saying, yes, I
[2:03:26] believe in this budget. This is
[2:03:27] a great budget and I support it,
[2:03:29] but I'm not going to support
[2:03:31] funding it. I also want to back
[2:03:32] up something that council
[2:03:34] member sawyer just said,
[2:03:36] because facts matter and it is
[2:03:38] important to get facts on the
[2:03:40] record. We did a 1.5% reduction
[2:03:42] to departments this year. We
[2:03:45] did a 1.41% reduction in fiscal
[2:03:47] year 25. So for the three years
[2:03:49] that this body has passed a
[2:03:51] budget, two of those years we
[2:03:53] did budget cuts. So it is
[2:03:55] factually incorrect to say that
[2:03:57] we are not cutting budgets and
[2:03:59] that we are not looking at cuts.
[2:04:00] And again, I think it's
[2:04:01] important that we put that on
[2:04:03] the record. So again, if you
[2:04:04] just voted for the budget, you
[2:04:07] really should vote for this
[2:04:08] because this is how we fund the
[2:04:10] budget. And then the last thing
[2:04:11] that I want to say is I
[2:04:12] completely understand, and I
[2:04:13] understood last year the
[2:04:16] tensionthat people felt about
[2:04:18] having to pay more if they were
[2:04:21] in the g, s, d, this is not
[2:04:23] asking the gsd to not pay their
[2:04:25] to pay more. This is asking the
[2:04:26] city to pay their fair share.
[2:04:28] That was the conversation last
[2:04:29] year from the results of the
[2:04:31] study is. We are simply asking
[2:04:32] people to pay their their fair
[2:04:34] share if their services have
[2:04:35] been subsidized. Up to this
[2:04:36] point, we're saying that we're
[2:04:38] asking you to pay your fair
[2:04:39] share. So I'm asking my
[2:04:40] colleagues to please support
[2:04:42] the tax levy for the budget
[2:04:46] that they just voted to pass.
[2:04:48] Thank you, MADAM Pro tem. Next
[2:04:51] in the queue is budget chair
[2:04:53] tombs. You're recognized, MADAM
[2:04:54] Chair.
[2:04:55] Thank you, MADAM Vice
[2:04:57] mayor. Obviously, I stand in
[2:05:00] support of the tax rate to fund
[2:05:03] the budget that we just passed.
[2:05:06] I do want to point out that the
[2:05:08] budget that we just passed does
[2:05:11] include 1.5% cuts across the
[2:05:13] board. I want to lift up the
[2:05:15] work of our finance department
[2:05:18] and our budget office, both of
[2:05:20] whom have been working with
[2:05:22] department heads to help them
[2:05:25] identify how to absorb those
[2:05:27] cuts. Because it's in recent
[2:05:28] years, it's not often that we
[2:05:31] cut departments. That is true.
[2:05:33] However, when you think about
[2:05:35] reducing the tax rate, you're
[2:05:37] reducing revenue. We're
[2:05:39] reducing revenue, you're
[2:05:40] reducing the amount of money
[2:05:42] that we have to fund the
[2:05:44] government. And at a certain
[2:05:45] point, you're looking at
[2:05:47] cutting departments. If
[2:05:49] colleagues are comfortable with
[2:05:50] cutting departments and not
[2:05:53] knowing the consequences, then
[2:05:56] you can propose a reduction to
[2:06:00] the tax rate next fiscal year.
[2:06:01] When we raise property taxes,
[2:06:04] we didn't raise that to pay for
[2:06:05] lavish trips. We raised the%
[2:06:07] property tax rate so that we
[2:06:09] could pay to fund government.
[2:06:10] Because if you look at our
[2:06:12] funding sources, we are very
[2:06:14] limited in the sources
[2:06:15] on the local government level.
[2:06:16] That's why when there was a
[2:06:17] conversation about capping the
[2:06:20] property tax rate at the state
[2:06:21] level, every local government
[2:06:23] across the unified and
[2:06:24] saying, please don't do that,
[2:06:25] because it's going to cut off
[2:06:28] local government at the knees.
[2:06:29] Every other revenue source that
[2:06:31] we have grows barely at 1 or 2%
[2:06:34] a year. 57% of our revenue is
[2:06:36] property taxes. We get a lot of
[2:06:38] requests, a lot of requests
[2:06:40] coming to us. A lot of us deal
[2:06:41] with constituent services where
[2:06:43] people are wanting things, and
[2:06:46] those things cost money. And I
[2:06:50] understand the hardship to
[2:06:52] folks is it's a hardship to me.
[2:06:54] My property tax bill went up as
[2:06:55] well. You have to make
[2:06:58] adjustments. I understand that,
[2:07:00] but we have to be able to fund
[2:07:01] government. We have to be able
[2:07:03] to provide services. And those
[2:07:05] services are not cheap. Just as
[2:07:06] the cost of living increases
[2:07:08] for residents every year, the
[2:07:09] cost of governing increases.
[2:07:13] Every year we have to for
[2:07:15] our schools, 80,000 kids,
[2:07:17] 11,000 employees, the thousands
[2:07:18] of employees that
[2:07:20] metro and provide the services.
[2:07:22] People talk about public safety
[2:07:24] and affordable housing and and
[2:07:26] all the different departments
[2:07:27] that provide service. All of
[2:07:28] that costs money. The bulk of
[2:07:31] our budget is personnel, the
[2:07:33] people providing the services.
[2:07:35] So I am all for efficiency. And
[2:07:36] again, lifting up our budget
[2:07:37] office and our finance
[2:07:39] department. So are they. And
[2:07:40] they are always looking at how
[2:07:43] we spend money, how to save
[2:07:44] money and how to be responsible
[2:07:46] with taxpayer dollars. So I
[2:07:48] encourage any, all my
[2:07:50] colleagues to meet with them
[2:07:52] and start that conversation. If
[2:07:53] you want to look at cuts, you
[2:07:55] got to be prepared what the
[2:07:56] consequence is for that. Thank
[2:07:57] you.
[2:07:59] Thank you, MR. Eastlake,
[2:08:01] you have spoken before on this
[2:08:02] matter. I cannot recall if you
[2:08:04] used the entirety of your time,
[2:08:06] but I would ask you please, to
[2:08:07] be concise, sir.
[2:08:07] Thank you, I
[2:08:09] generally don't. Okay. First
[2:08:12] off, facts do matter. And cuts
[2:08:14] versus savings. Temporary
[2:08:16] savings. I think it was 25 when
[2:08:17] there was temporary savings.
[2:08:19] And then when the new budget
[2:08:22] came up with the tax increase,
[2:08:24] those were given back to those
[2:08:25] apart, those departments. I
[2:08:27] checked that, I asked about it
[2:08:28] and they were said. I was told
[2:08:31] they were given back for budget
[2:08:32] consistency. So that's the
[2:08:34] difference between a cut, a
[2:08:35] real cut that it doesn't come
[2:08:37] back and a temporary savings,
[2:08:39] which is what I found out the
[2:08:41] last time. Secondly, we talk
[2:08:42] about not being able to cut.
[2:08:44] We're fighting over $6. We
[2:08:47] could cut the amount we pay. If
[2:08:49] you look at some of the things,
[2:08:50] the goods and services that
[2:08:52] metro pays for, it is well
[2:08:54] beyond a premium versus what
[2:08:56] the general public pays for. If
[2:08:57] you've been in the apple
[2:08:58] committee with me, you know I'm
[2:09:00] upset about the $100,000
[2:09:02] outdoor bathroom that was
[2:09:05] prefabricated from another
[2:09:09] state shipped here for $100,000. In this room
[2:09:11] that could convince me, a
[2:09:12] general contractor, a regular
[2:09:14] person in our city could not
[2:09:16] build that a whole lot cheaper.
[2:09:19] So we're spending money at a
[2:09:21] monopoly money rate. We could
[2:09:23] cut these departments without
[2:09:24] losing anything. Just pay what
[2:09:27] the regular public pays for the
[2:09:29] same exact good or service. And
[2:09:33] secondly. Or last, we could
[2:09:35] talk about this all day long
[2:09:37] about the rate split. The rate
[2:09:39] split based on roof tiles does
[2:09:41] not justify their changes. They
[2:09:43] talk of broad concepts. They do
[2:09:46] not talk about individual
[2:09:48] statistics or usage based data
[2:09:50] or anything like that. It is
[2:09:51] just a concept. And I believe
[2:09:53] raf tillis is used by this
[2:09:54] government because they tell
[2:09:55] the government what they want
[2:09:57] to hear.
[2:10:00] All right. With no one
[2:10:03] else in the queue, we will move
[2:10:06] to the vote on the third
[2:10:07] reading, third and final
[2:10:10] reading of the tax levy to pro
[2:10:12] tem's point, which funds the
[2:10:15] budget that has already passed.
[2:10:17] I will remind the body from a
[2:10:19] technical perspective that
[2:10:20] pursuant to the metropolitan
[2:10:21] charter, if the tax levy
[2:10:23] ordinance is not adopted on
[2:10:25] third reading, it requires 21
[2:10:27] votes. A new tax levy ordinance,
[2:10:29] if sufficiently funds this 2027
[2:10:32] budget must be filed and heard
[2:10:33] at three separate readings
[2:10:36] prior to JUNE 30th. So I would
[2:10:39] ask that you keep that in mind
[2:10:42] as we move to the vote. Our
[2:10:45] rules do require that this is a
[2:10:47] roll call vote. So, MR. Clerk,
[2:10:49] if you would please load the
[2:11:05] vote.
[2:11:09] Thank you. So you don't
[2:11:26] have to do that for me.
[2:11:31] With
[2:11:32] all votes. And MR. Clerk,
[2:11:36] please show the vote. All right.
[2:11:37] The tax levy ordinance has
[2:11:39] passed its third and final
[2:11:42] reading with 29 votes in favor,
[2:11:45] seven votes against and zero
[2:11:48] abstentions. All right, that
[2:11:51] concludes our two budget items
[2:11:53] that we pulled forward on our
[2:11:56] agenda. And so at this juncture,
[2:11:58] we're going to go back to the
[2:12:01] top of our agenda and move on
[2:12:20] through in agenda order.
[2:12:21] All
[2:12:25] right. Section eight, our
[2:12:28] consolidated consent agenda,
[2:12:30] all resolutions and second and
[2:12:31] third reading ordinances on
[2:12:33] this agenda are included on the
[2:12:34] consent agenda, if recommended
[2:12:37] for approval unanimously by all
[2:12:38] committees to which the item
[2:12:40] was referred, items on the
[2:12:42] consent agenda will be voted on
[2:12:43] at a single time. The item
[2:12:45] number, along with the
[2:12:46] resolution and ordinance number
[2:12:47] of the items on the consent
[2:12:49] agenda will be read by me, and
[2:12:51] members of the council MAY
[2:12:52] remove any item from the
[2:12:54] consent from the consent agenda
[2:12:57] by request before the consent
[2:13:00] agenda vote is taken. All right.
[2:13:04] The first resolution proposed
[2:13:07] for consent is agenda item two,
[2:13:14] resolution 2026-2004. Agenda
[2:13:19] item three. Resolution
[2:13:22] 2026-2005. Agenda item four.
[2:13:28] resolution 2026-2006.
[2:13:29] Resolution or rather, agenda
[2:13:37] number five resolution
[2:13:40] 2026-2008. Agenda item six.
[2:13:45] Resolution 2026-2030. Agenda
[2:13:52] item seven. Resolution
[2:13:54] 2026-2031. Agenda item eight.
[2:14:00] Resolution 2026-2032. Agenda
[2:14:06] item ten. Resolution 2026-2034.
[2:14:12] Agenda item 11. Resolution
[2:14:14] 2026-2035. Agenda item 12.
[2:14:20] Resolution 2026-2036. Agenda
[2:14:26] item 13. Resolution 2026-2037.
[2:14:31] Agenda item 14. Resolution
[2:14:34] 2026-2038. Agenda item 15.
[2:14:39] Resolution 2026-2039. Agenda
[2:14:45] item 16. Resolution 2026-2040.
[2:14:50] Agenda item 17. Resolution
[2:14:53] 2026-2041. Agenda item 18.
[2:14:59] Resolution 2026-2042. Agenda
[2:15:06] item 19. Resolution 2026-2043.
[2:15:12] Agenda item 20. Resolution
[2:15:15] 2026-2044. Agenda item 21.
[2:15:19] Resolution 2026-2045. Agenda
[2:15:25] item 22. Resolution 2026-2046.
[2:15:30] Agenda item 23. Resolution
[2:15:33] 2026-2047. Agenda item 24.
[2:15:38] Resolution 2026-2048. Agenda
[2:15:44] item 25. Resolution 2026-2049.
[2:15:50] Agenda item 26. Resolution
[2:15:53] 2026-2050. Agenda item 27.
[2:15:58] Resolution 2026-2051. Agenda
[2:16:04] item 28. Resolution 2026-2052.
[2:16:09] Agenda item 29. Resolution
[2:16:12] 2026-2053. Agenda item 30.
[2:16:17] Resolution 2026-2054. Agenda
[2:16:23] item 31. Resolution 2026-2055.
[2:16:29] Agenda item 32. Resolution
[2:16:32] 2026-2056. Agenda item 33.
[2:16:37] Resolution 2026-2057. Agenda
[2:16:43] item 34. Resolution 2026-2058.
[2:16:48] Agenda item 35. Resolution
[2:16:50] 2026-2059. Agenda item 36.
[2:16:55] Resolution 2026-2060. Agenda
[2:17:00] item 37. Resolution 2026-2061.
[2:17:06] Agenda item 38. Resolution
[2:17:09] 2026-2062. Agenda item 39.
[2:17:13] Resolution 2026-2063. Agenda
[2:17:20] item 41. Resolution 2026-2065.
[2:17:26] Agenda item 42. Resolution
[2:17:29] 2026-2066. Agenda item 43.
[2:17:34] Resolution 2026-2067. Agenda
[2:17:40] item 44. Resolution 2026-2068.
[2:17:45] Agenda item 45. Resolution
[2:17:49] 2026-2069. Checks for bills on
[2:17:51] second reading proposed for the
[2:17:57] consent agenda. First among
[2:18:01] those is agenda item 64
[2:18:07] resolution or rather ordinance
[2:18:08] bl2026-1393 and second reading
[2:18:10] short. So the second and last
[2:18:12] among those is agenda item 65,
[2:18:20] ordinance bl2026-139. For. For
[2:18:23] items on third reading proposed
[2:18:26] for the consent agenda. First
[2:18:29] among those agenda item 66
[2:18:34] ordinance bl2026-1328. Agenda
[2:18:42] item 67 ordinance bl2026-1356.
[2:18:48] Agenda item 68 ordinance
[2:18:51] bl2026-1358. Agenda item 71
[2:18:58] ordinance bl2026-1379. Agenda
[2:19:06] item 73 ordinance bl2026-1382.
[2:19:09] And that is the last bill
[2:19:11] proposed for the consolidated
[2:19:13] consent agenda. Do any items
[2:19:15] need to be removed from the
[2:19:17] consent agenda? If so, if
[2:19:19] members would please join the
[2:19:24] queue to request that. Council
[2:19:28] member koopman. You are
[2:19:29] recognized, sir.
[2:19:30] Thank you.
[2:19:32] Chair number 40, I believe was
[2:19:33] off consent, but just wanted to
[2:19:35] make sure.
[2:19:36] That's correct.
[2:19:40] Council member 40 is not on
[2:19:43] consent. Next in the queue.
[2:19:46] Council member ellis, you're
[2:19:46] recognized ma'am.
[2:19:46] Thank you,
[2:19:48] MADAM Chair. Two things I
[2:19:50] wanted to confirm. 2031 that's
[2:19:55] on consent.
[2:19:56] Okay. Is this an
[2:19:59] ordinance or resolution? Okay.
[2:20:00] Resolution number seven, or
[2:20:02] rather agenda number seven is
[2:20:03] on consent.
[2:20:05] Okay. And then for
[2:20:09] resolution 2026-2065, I wanted
[2:20:11] to pull that off. Consent.
[2:20:12] Okay.
[2:20:14] Do you have an agenda number,
[2:20:24] ma'am? Okay. Agenda number 41.
[2:20:30] This is resolution 2026-2065,
[2:20:33] and it will be removed from
[2:20:37] consent. Okay. Next in the
[2:20:40] queue is council member gamble.
[2:20:41] You're recognized.
[2:20:41] Thank you,
[2:20:42] vice mayor. I'd like to remove
[2:20:46] number 45 hours 2026 2069.
[2:20:47] Okay.
[2:20:50] Agenda item 45. Resolution 2069
[2:20:53] will be removed from. Consent
[2:20:56] has been removed. Next in the
[2:20:58] queue, council member suara,
[2:21:01] you're recognized, ma'am.
[2:21:01] Thank
[2:21:04] you, vice mayor. Item number 73.
[2:21:06] Bill 2026 132, please.
[2:21:07] All
[2:21:09] right. Council member suara has
[2:21:11] requested the removal of agenda
[2:21:16] item 73, ordinance 1382, and it
[2:21:20] has been removed from consent.
[2:21:22] All right. Any other members
[2:21:24] seekingto remove an item from
[2:21:28] consent? All right. Seeing none,
[2:21:30] MR. Clark, are all committee
[2:21:32] reports in for the items
[2:21:34] remaining on the consent agenda?
[2:21:36] Yes. All committee reports are
[2:21:36] in.
[2:21:39] Okay. Thank you, MR. Clark.
[2:21:41] Members, is there a motion for
[2:21:44] approval of the consent agenda?
[2:21:46] Okay. All in favor, please say
[2:21:49] aye. Council haspassed all
[2:21:54] items on the consent agenda.
[2:21:57] All right. Next, we will move
[2:21:59] back through our agenda again
[2:22:02] in agenda order. First, for
[2:22:05] resolutions that were not on
[2:22:09] consent. And first among those
[2:22:14] is agenda item one. This is
[2:22:22] ordinance. Or rather resolution
[2:22:25] 2026-1961. This is a resolution
[2:22:27] reducing the local sales tax on
[2:22:29] the sale of groceries. Sponsors
[2:22:31] tombs coop and bradford hoffman,
[2:22:32] allen porterfield, ellis and
[2:22:35] spain council member tombs. You
[2:22:38] are recognized.
[2:22:38] Thank you,
[2:22:40] MADAM Vice mayor, committee
[2:22:41] report, budget and finance
[2:22:43] voted to recommend approval.
[2:22:45] Nine in favor, two against zero
[2:22:47] not voting.
[2:22:50] All righty. In
[2:22:52] favor. Two against and zero not
[2:22:54] voting. Okay with that
[2:22:55] committee report.
[2:22:55] Move for
[2:22:56] approval.
[2:22:57] Okay, there's a
[2:22:59] motion to approve and properly
[2:23:03] seconded. We are on to
[2:23:05] discussion on this residue,
[2:23:06] reducing the local sales tax on
[2:23:09] the sale of groceries. Is
[2:23:12] anyone seeking discussion at
[2:23:15] this time okay. Seeing none. Do
[2:23:18] we have a quorum in the room? I
[2:23:20] think we do. Okay. Just want to
[2:23:27] doublecheck on that. Okay.
[2:23:28] Let's see. I guess we will try
[2:23:30] this first by voice. Even
[2:23:31] though we did have some no's in
[2:23:33] committee. We'll try it first
[2:23:36] that way. All in favor of this
[2:23:38] resolution approval, please say
[2:23:43] aye. Any voting no. Okay with
[2:23:44] that? Because it is a
[2:23:45] resolution by rule. We will
[2:23:47] have to do a roll call vote.
[2:23:49] MR. Clark, if you would please
[2:24:06] load the vote.
[2:24:41] MISS Hancock, do
[2:24:51] you seek to vote on this? With
[2:24:52] all votes? And, MR. Clerk,
[2:24:55] please show the vote. All right.
[2:24:59] This resolution has passed with
[2:25:02] 28 votes in favor, three
[2:25:05] against and one abstention. All
[2:25:11] right. Next is agenda item nine.
[2:25:16] This is resolution 2026-2033.
[2:25:18] Sponsor coupon. This is a
[2:25:19] resolution approving the fiscal
[2:25:22] year 2027 central business
[2:25:24] improvement district budget and
[2:25:26] accepting previous central
[2:25:28] business district improvement
[2:25:32] budgets. Council member coupon.
[2:25:34] You are recognized, sir.
[2:25:35] Thank
[2:25:37] you, MADAM PRESIDENT. Committee
[2:25:37] reports please.
[2:25:38] For the report
[2:25:39] of the budget and finance
[2:25:41] committee. Chair, tombs.
[2:25:41] Budget
[2:25:42] and finance voted to recommend
[2:25:44] approval. Eight in favor, two
[2:25:45] against one not voting.
[2:25:46] All
[2:25:47] right, back to you, MR. Koopman,
[2:25:49] for a motion to get this bill.
[2:25:50] Before approval. Move approval
[2:25:51] with brief comment, please.
[2:25:52] Okay, sir. Second. Go ahead,
[2:25:54] sir.
[2:25:55] Thank you. And I know
[2:25:56] we've we've seen this before,
[2:25:58] but did want to highlight some
[2:26:00] some things that, that have
[2:26:02] occurred over the last year
[2:26:03] with the central business
[2:26:05] improvement district. First,
[2:26:07] among those that the seabed and
[2:26:08] seabed board. I've encouraged
[2:26:10] to and been happy to see them
[2:26:12] lead the effort. I've reminded
[2:26:13] colleagues that our
[2:26:14] relationship is not with
[2:26:15] nashville downtown partnership.
[2:26:16] It is with the district
[2:26:17] management corporation, made up
[2:26:18] of board members that are
[2:26:20] downtown residents and
[2:26:21] stakeholders and business
[2:26:23] owners. And so I want to make
[2:26:25] sure that those folks are here
[2:26:26] and engaged and knowing what's
[2:26:27] going on, and they've done a
[2:26:29] great job of that. You the
[2:26:30] letter you got today was signed
[2:26:32] by all of them. And so that's
[2:26:33] been that's been a huge
[2:26:34] improvement. Again, thanks to
[2:26:35] COUNCILMAN Parker for elevating
[2:26:37] the fact that we do need to
[2:26:38] even have this budget process.
[2:26:39] We've got activities and
[2:26:40] interaction report from
[2:26:43] COUNCILMAN Properties amendment.
[2:26:44] And then we've also seen
[2:26:46] progress on what the bid is
[2:26:47] allocating funding for. Right.
[2:26:49] You've seen that that n, d, p
[2:26:51] and the sea bed have committed
[2:26:53] to funding reach mental health
[2:26:54] workers downtown. They are in
[2:26:57] the process of a commitment for
[2:26:58] funding red frogs, which is
[2:27:00] huge. So we're seeing a lot of
[2:27:02] movement, a lot of progress on
[2:27:03] that. The conversations ongoing.
[2:27:05] I've said this a hundred times,
[2:27:07] I think in the last couple of
[2:27:09] weeks that I am the ex officio
[2:27:10] member. I represent this
[2:27:11] council on the ndp board, on
[2:27:13] the seabed board, on the g bid
[2:27:14] boards. If there are concerns,
[2:27:16] questions, issues, come to me,
[2:27:17] share them with me and
[2:27:19] specifically around the the thp
[2:27:21] private security issue. I've
[2:27:23] said this a number of times,
[2:27:25] but day night, 4:00 in the
[2:27:26] morning, it doesn't matter.
[2:27:29] Call me, text me, you know I'm
[2:27:30] available if there is an issue,
[2:27:31] if there is someone being
[2:27:33] harassed or treated poorly,
[2:27:34] call. Call me. Let me know. I
[2:27:36] want to know about it. I'll
[2:27:37] come down. I'll come address it.
[2:27:39] But again, we've got a new
[2:27:40] provider in that space and, you
[2:27:42] know, keeping a close eye on
[2:27:43] what that looks like. But we've
[2:27:45] seen a lot of changes, a lot of
[2:27:47] progress. At the end of the day,
[2:27:49] this is about 22,000 residents,
[2:27:49] countless stakeholders downtown.
[2:27:51] This is the budget they want
[2:27:52] this the budget that they put
[2:27:53] forward. And I hope my
[2:27:55] colleagues will support it.
[2:27:55] So
[2:27:57] we are on to discussion on the
[2:27:59] motion to approve this
[2:28:01] resolution. First in the queue
[2:28:02] is council member parker.
[2:28:02] You're recognized sir.
[2:28:03] Thank
[2:28:04] you, vice mayor. First, I have
[2:28:06] a technical question which I'd
[2:28:07] like to direct to our special
[2:28:09] counsel, if I MAY. Yes. So,
[2:28:13] special counsel, the text
[2:28:15] 2.177.070 reads that the annual
[2:28:16] budget shall be reviewed and
[2:28:18] approved by the metropolitan
[2:28:20] council or, if not approved,
[2:28:21] shall be returned to the board
[2:28:25] of directors for revision and
[2:28:26] resubmission until the
[2:28:27] metropolitan council shall
[2:28:30] approve the annual budget. This
[2:28:31] is precisely the same document
[2:28:33] they submitted before. We did
[2:28:34] reject that document and sent
[2:28:36] it back to the board of
[2:28:37] directors. They have not
[2:28:38] revised it. They have sent back
[2:28:40] the exact same document. So is
[2:28:41] this properly before us?
[2:28:42] According to the metro code.
[2:28:43] Special council, you're
[2:28:45] recognized.
[2:28:46] Council member
[2:28:48] based on my review of the
[2:28:49] legislation considered last
[2:28:50] week in the legislation
[2:28:52] considered this week, there is
[2:28:56] a change between accounts of $1
[2:28:59] and in. And based on that,
[2:29:00] however minor, that is a
[2:29:01] revision.
[2:29:03] That's very cute and
[2:29:04] I think it shows how seriously
[2:29:05] the district manager
[2:29:06] corporation takes this
[2:29:09] responsibility. So I think, you
[2:29:11] know, members of this body,
[2:29:12] we've heard substantive
[2:29:14] concerns about this entity for
[2:29:15] the last 18 months from the
[2:29:17] public, from members of this
[2:29:18] body. We have rejected the
[2:29:20] budget they sent us. We sent it
[2:29:21] back to them. They did this
[2:29:22] cute little movement of a
[2:29:24] dollar, which I did not find.
[2:29:25] So thank you, special counsel,
[2:29:26] for digging through that and
[2:29:28] finding that movement of a
[2:29:29] dollar. We are tasked with
[2:29:31] oversight of this body. No one
[2:29:32] is coming to fix this for us.
[2:29:34] We are the oversight entity of
[2:29:36] this body. We need to be the
[2:29:37] adults in the room. Vote this
[2:29:39] down and have them send us a
[2:29:40] budget we can approve.
[2:29:41] All
[2:29:42] right. Next in the queue is
[2:29:43] council member porterfield.
[2:29:45] You're recognized.
[2:29:45] Thank you,
[2:29:48] vice mayor, I appreciate that.
[2:29:50] I second and echo everything.
[2:29:53] My colleague, council member
[2:29:58] parker just stated, when we act.
[2:30:00] When I asked if this was a
[2:30:01] change in the budget, my
[2:30:02] interpretation of the email
[2:30:04] that we got, we got an email
[2:30:06] that basically that basically
[2:30:07] said, I'm kind of paraphrasing
[2:30:10] here, that there were a lot of
[2:30:11] council members out. So we're
[2:30:13] going to bring back the same
[2:30:15] budget because we'll have more
[2:30:16] people, not that we are looking
[2:30:18] to make the changes or
[2:30:20] addressing the concerns that
[2:30:21] several council members lifted
[2:30:23] up. Council member evan siegel
[2:30:25] brought up some really great
[2:30:26] concerns around safety. I hope
[2:30:27] she gets in the queue to talk
[2:30:29] about them again. She brought
[2:30:30] up some really great concerns.
[2:30:31] We brought up multiple concerns
[2:30:34] about thp and the chp is still
[2:30:35] in the budget even though we
[2:30:37] shared those concerns. And they,
[2:30:38] in essence, brought back the
[2:30:39] same budget because they
[2:30:40] believe that they don't have to
[2:30:42] make any changes because they
[2:30:43] just feel like they have the
[2:30:45] vote. And I think that that is
[2:30:47] very prideful. That is hubris.
[2:30:49] And I think that if you want to
[2:30:51] show that you are a good
[2:30:52] partner and that you truly are
[2:30:54] trying to work with this body
[2:30:56] and you want us to approve this
[2:30:57] budget, then you would have
[2:30:58] considered bringing in a
[2:31:00] revised budget is four
[2:31:01] positions. It is literally four
[2:31:02] positions. So they had the
[2:31:04] opportunity to remove t, h p
[2:31:05] and they did not. Yesterday, a
[2:31:08] comment was made by, I guess
[2:31:10] this is one of their vendors,
[2:31:12] but a comment was made by a
[2:31:15] gentleman who accused the city
[2:31:18] of busing unhoused neighbors
[2:31:19] from downtown. When there are
[2:31:21] big events like the cma and I
[2:31:23] went on the record and I asked
[2:31:24] the administration if that was
[2:31:27] true. And of course, the
[2:31:27] administration confirmed that
[2:31:29] that wasn't true. But I did a
[2:31:31] little digging. And in 2016,
[2:31:33] news channel five actually
[2:31:35] wrote a story about a group
[2:31:37] pays to bus many homeless out
[2:31:39] of town. I'll just read the
[2:31:41] first line, the nashville
[2:31:42] downtown partnership, that is
[2:31:44] the group that was busing
[2:31:46] unhoused neighbors. And granted,
[2:31:48] this was this story was back
[2:31:51] from 2016. So hopefully they
[2:31:53] don't have that practice but I just thought
[2:31:58] that it was very disturbing that one of
[2:31:59] their vendors made against our
[2:32:02] city is what they were, the
[2:32:03] ones that were actually doing.
[2:32:05] and here we are again with the
[2:32:06] budget that hasn't been revised
[2:32:08] that we're asking to to approve
[2:32:10] this budget, we have the
[2:32:11] opportunity to vote this down.
[2:32:13] They d a lot of good stuff. We
[2:32:15] want them to do the good stuff.
[2:32:17] We want them to keep downtown
[2:32:18] clean. That's an amazing use of
[2:32:20] tax dollars when you are
[2:32:21] keeping downtown clean. But
[2:32:22] what we're saying is we don't
[2:32:25] want t, h, p and we want a more
[2:32:26] robust look at public safety.
[2:32:28] Public safety is not just
[2:32:29] policing. So we are I'm
[2:32:31] standing again in opposition to
[2:32:32] this budget, and I'm going to
[2:32:34] keep opposing it every time it
[2:32:35] comes back. If it fails today,
[2:32:37] I'm going to keep opposing it
[2:32:38] every time it comes back until
[2:32:39] they get it right.
[2:32:40] All right.
[2:32:42] Next in the queue is council
[2:32:43] member johnston. You're
[2:32:44] recognized ma'am. Previous
[2:32:49] question. All right. Roll call
[2:32:51] for previus question. Okay.
[2:32:54] All righty. So there is a
[2:32:56] second for the previous
[2:32:58] question. This is non-debatable.
[2:33:00] It requires two thirds of those
[2:33:02] voting. There is a request for
[2:33:04] roll call. It is seconded
[2:33:06] multiple times as appropriate.
[2:33:08] And so rather than starting by
[2:33:09] voice we will go straight to
[2:33:11] roll call machine. MR. Clark,
[2:33:14] please load the vote to call
[2:33:31] the previous question.
[2:33:44] With all
[2:33:46] votes in. MR. Clark, please
[2:33:50] show the vote. The motion to
[2:33:53] call the question fails with 18
[2:33:56] votes in favor and 17 against
[2:33:59] and zero abstentions. So debate,
[2:34:01] will and discussion will
[2:34:04] continue in the order of the
[2:34:08] queue. Next is council member
[2:34:09] benedict. You're recognized.
[2:34:10] Thank you, MADAM Vice mayor. So,
[2:34:11] colleagues, I'm mostly
[2:34:12] concerned about the financial
[2:34:14] burden that the sea bed has put
[2:34:16] on all nashvillians. The
[2:34:18] district management corporation
[2:34:20] has selected nashville downtown
[2:34:22] partnership and they contract
[2:34:24] with block by block. So block
[2:34:27] by block, as we know, had some
[2:34:28] responsibility in the library,
[2:34:29] garage, fire. The fire
[2:34:31] department and f d identified
[2:34:32] their storage room as the
[2:34:35] fire's point of origin. We
[2:34:36] don't know how much. Block by
[2:34:40] block vis-a-vis and d p vis a
[2:34:42] vis the sea bed. We don't know
[2:34:44] how much they're liable for.
[2:34:45] That's currently being
[2:34:47] litigated. However, last year,
[2:34:49] prior to any litigation, we
[2:34:51] were told by metro legal that
[2:34:53] the sea bed did not have enough
[2:34:55] insurance coverage for the
[2:34:57] damage. That means that all of
[2:34:59] our constituents across the
[2:35:01] entire county from bordeaux,
[2:35:03] bellevue, old hickory,
[2:35:05] hermitage, inglewood, madison,
[2:35:07] all of us would pay for it. The
[2:35:10] sea bed doesn't provide a
[2:35:12] backstop. We're the backstop,
[2:35:15] and we didn't sign up for that.
[2:35:17] This budget should include
[2:35:18] parameters requiring the sea
[2:35:21] bed back all expenses incurred
[2:35:23] by their vendors. The sea bed
[2:35:25] board has brought us a budget
[2:35:27] that still puts the financial
[2:35:28] burden on residents of
[2:35:31] davidson county, and there's
[2:35:32] nothing in this budget that
[2:35:35] fixes that. As a couple of my
[2:35:36] colleagues havesaid, it's
[2:35:37] pretty audacious of them to
[2:35:40] bring back the exact same
[2:35:43] budget, less $1 change. It's
[2:35:45] tone deaf to those of us who,
[2:35:46] you know, want to work towards
[2:35:48] an improved sea bed budget. I
[2:35:50] actually had a couple of good
[2:35:53] conversations with the with
[2:35:55] downtown partnership this week.
[2:35:56] I'm interested in collaborating
[2:35:58] to find a solution that works
[2:35:59] for all nashvillians, and it's
[2:36:01] a strong arm move to just bring
[2:36:03] the same budget back and it
[2:36:06] erodes trust with this body. So
[2:36:08] I think that with collaboration,
[2:36:09] we could make this better. And
[2:36:11] before passage, I'd like the
[2:36:13] dmc to come to us and explain
[2:36:15] what they plan to do to remove
[2:36:18] this financial burden on
[2:36:19] nashvillians. And so I'm going
[2:36:21] to move a one meeting deferral,
[2:36:22] so there'll be enough time to
[2:36:24] get the sea bed in front of us,
[2:36:26] or dmc in front of us to review
[2:36:27] this request and provide
[2:36:29] updates to their budget. That
[2:36:32] takes these this burden off of
[2:36:34] davidson county voters and
[2:36:35] taxpayers.
[2:36:36] There is a motion to
[2:36:38] defer one meeting. Is there a
[2:36:39] second?
[2:36:39] Second.
[2:36:41] Okay, so we are
[2:36:43] now on the debate of the motion
[2:36:47] to defer one there's
[2:36:50] quite a few folks in the queue.
[2:36:51] I'm just going to go through
[2:36:53] and see if they seek to be
[2:36:54] recognized specifically on the
[2:36:56] motion to defer. MR. Fulvida on
[2:36:59] the motion to defer. Go ahead,
[2:37:00] ma'am.
[2:37:01] Thank you, vice mayor.
[2:37:03] I'm I'm going to vote in favor
[2:37:09] of the deferral motion. What
[2:37:14] more can be said? There are so
[2:37:17] many questions that need
[2:37:22] answers. There are still.
[2:37:25] Concerns about thp you know,
[2:37:27] that was one of the biggest
[2:37:29] problems that many of us had in
[2:37:31] regards to the last budget
[2:37:32] proposal that was put in front
[2:37:35] of us. And it's, quite frankly,
[2:37:37] very arrogant for it to be
[2:37:39] proposed in this way, minus a
[2:37:40] dollar or plus a dollar,
[2:37:43] whatever it ended up being. And
[2:37:47] so I, I would encourage us to
[2:37:51] exercise our responsibility of
[2:37:54] holding these entities
[2:37:56] responsible, because unless we
[2:37:58] do, it's going to continue to
[2:38:00] happen. And quite frankly, it
[2:38:05] is. I, I take it like a slap in
[2:38:07] the face. And I, I don't
[2:38:10] appreciate that at all. And so
[2:38:13] I'm going to be voting in favor
[2:38:14] of this deferral motion. What I
[2:38:16] do want to see, I want to see
[2:38:18] the board come before us. I
[2:38:19] want to see them answer
[2:38:22] questions. And if this doesn't
[2:38:26] pass, my my next recommendation
[2:38:28] is that we hold accountable all
[2:38:30] of the recommendations that
[2:38:33] they bring before us, before
[2:38:34] the rules committee and before
[2:38:37] this body for approval for
[2:38:39] their board, because I had
[2:38:41] questions today and rules
[2:38:43] committee for their nominee in
[2:38:46] regards to the budget that was
[2:38:48] put forward today, and if they
[2:38:50] agreed with the process that
[2:38:52] was happening today, and since
[2:38:55] I didn't feel like it was an
[2:38:57] adequate response, I did not
[2:38:59] vote in favor of that nominee.
[2:39:02] And so we have to take the
[2:39:03] paths of accountability
[2:39:05] seriously. And so I'm going to
[2:39:06] take this path seriously, and
[2:39:08] I'm going to vote in favor of
[2:39:11] the deferral.
[2:39:12] Thank you. Next
[2:39:13] on the deferral motion, MISS
[2:39:15] Tombs. Go ahead, ma'am.
[2:39:15] Thank
[2:39:18] you, MADAM Vice mayor. So I
[2:39:20] have some concerns about the
[2:39:22] the deferral. So there's
[2:39:24] language in the substitute that
[2:39:26] we just passed that grants the
[2:39:28] finance director the authority
[2:39:30] to withhold the assessment
[2:39:33] funds. If the council does not
[2:39:36] approve the budget. My concern
[2:39:39] is whether or not on JULY 1st,
[2:39:41] if there's no. Because we don't
[2:39:43] meet again until if
[2:39:46] there is no passage of the
[2:39:49] budget today, if they will have
[2:39:50] funding to pay their employees
[2:39:52] and continue to provide
[2:39:54] services downtown. My concern
[2:39:56] with a further with a deferral,
[2:39:57] you're talking about a two week
[2:39:58] time period, but what I'm
[2:40:03] hearing is a concern about how
[2:40:05] security is handled downtown.
[2:40:07] So downtown is not your typical
[2:40:08] neighborhood. There's 17
[2:40:10] million people that go through
[2:40:11] downtown on a yearly basis. So
[2:40:13] you do need additional security.
[2:40:16] And we've heard from mmpd that
[2:40:18] they don't have the capacity to
[2:40:20] provide that additional
[2:40:21] security. But I think that from
[2:40:23] here, from some council members,
[2:40:25] there's a for there to
[2:40:28] be mpd rather than thp, and I
[2:40:29] don't know if that can be
[2:40:31] resolved in a in a two week
[2:40:35] period. So for that, I, I don't
[2:40:37] know if I'm going to abstain or
[2:40:39] vote no on the deferral, but I
[2:40:40] do have a concern regarding the
[2:40:42] financial resources come JULY
[2:40:44] 1st for the sea bed. Is there
[2:40:45] someone that can answer that?
[2:40:47] Would you like me to address
[2:40:48] that question to the department
[2:40:50] of finance or special counsel?
[2:40:51] Finance?
[2:40:53] Okay. Special counsel
[2:40:57] can answer as well, but MISS
[2:40:59] Wiggins. Okay, let me see.
[2:41:01] You're at the planning table,
[2:41:02] MISS Wiggins, and not in your
[2:41:04] usual spot. Go ahead ma'am.
[2:41:05] Mary jo wiggins, finance. Thank
[2:41:07] you, vice mayor. It is my
[2:41:09] understanding that the services
[2:41:11] downtown would cease on JULY
[2:41:12] 1st without the passage of a
[2:41:14] budget by that date.
[2:41:15] Would you
[2:41:16] like me to have additional
[2:41:19] follow up from special counsel?
[2:41:22] Special counsel? Can you engage
[2:41:25] further in response to chair
[2:41:26] tim's question?
[2:41:27] Yes. Vice mayor,
[2:41:29] I can I have the language in
[2:41:30] the substitute in front of me.
[2:41:34] It says that when metro code
[2:41:35] requires a district management
[2:41:37] corporation to submit an annual
[2:41:38] budget to metro council for
[2:41:40] review and approval, no portion
[2:41:41] of the appropriation for a
[2:41:43] special assessment revenues
[2:41:44] shall be made available until
[2:41:48] the budget has been approved.
[2:41:50] All right. Is that sufficient
[2:41:51] to address your question, MISS
[2:41:52] Tombs?
[2:41:54] Yes, yes. So that
[2:41:56] language was put in there so
[2:41:57] that to give the council the
[2:41:59] the leverage to be able to
[2:42:00] approve or disapprove the
[2:42:02] budget. But I think that's
[2:42:03] important information for, for
[2:42:06] colleagues to have the budget
[2:42:07] that we just passed does not
[2:42:08] include any additional funds
[2:42:11] for pd to provide additional
[2:42:12] security downtown. So I just
[2:42:14] want those that information to
[2:42:15] be out there as colleagues are
[2:42:17] making their decision.
[2:42:18] All
[2:42:20] right. Next in the queue on the
[2:42:21] motion to defer is council
[2:42:23] member allen not seeking to be
[2:42:24] recognized on the deferral,
[2:42:27] MISS Evans? Siegel? No. Okay.
[2:42:29] On the deferral motion. Mr.
[2:42:30] koopman, you're recognized.
[2:42:32] Thank you, MADAM PRESIDENT. I
[2:42:33] appreciate all the conversation
[2:42:35] here. A couple of questions.
[2:42:37] First, if I could, to special
[2:42:39] counsel, special counsel, the
[2:42:42] library, garage and ndp.
[2:42:43] Contractually, what is that
[2:42:44] relationship in which parties
[2:42:45] are involved in it?
[2:42:46] Special
[2:42:49] counsel, you're recognized.
[2:42:50] The
[2:42:51] parties in the contract you're
[2:42:52] referencing are the
[2:42:53] metropolitan government and
[2:42:56] nashville downtown partnership.
[2:42:57] And from a liability
[2:42:58] perspective, my understanding
[2:43:01] was that the department of
[2:43:02] transportation also was not
[2:43:03] carrying full insurance on that
[2:43:05] garage. Is that correct.
[2:43:08] Special counsel?
[2:43:09] I'll have to
[2:43:10] defer to legal for an exact
[2:43:11] answer on that.
[2:43:12] Could legal
[2:43:13] answer that.
[2:43:17] MISS Amos for. The
[2:43:18] metro legal department. Go
[2:43:19] ahead. Ma'am.
[2:43:20] COUNCILMAN
[2:43:20] Koopman, can you.
[2:43:21] Repeat.
[2:43:21] Your
[2:43:22] question?
[2:43:23] Yes. So so my
[2:43:24] understanding from a prior
[2:43:25] meeting was that the director
[2:43:26] of the department of
[2:43:28] transportation shared that the
[2:43:29] department of transportation
[2:43:31] was not carrying adequate
[2:43:32] insurance on the library garage,
[2:43:34] and that was one of the fiscal
[2:43:37] concerns, was wanted to confirm
[2:43:40] that.
[2:43:41] I don't think that I'm in
[2:43:43] a position to weigh in on that
[2:43:46] now. I think we are involved in
[2:43:49] some litigation, and I would
[2:43:51] also share. MR. Koopman, you're
[2:43:53] on a deferral motion, sir.
[2:43:53] So
[2:43:55] my point to that is that those
[2:43:58] are questions that were raised,
[2:44:00] and by the individual asking
[2:44:02] for the deferral. And my the
[2:44:04] the relationship between
[2:44:05] nashville downtown partnership
[2:44:07] regarding the library garage, I
[2:44:08] understand hear all those
[2:44:10] concerns, but that is that the
[2:44:11] metro issue. I would encourage
[2:44:12] transportation infrastructure
[2:44:13] chair, who has concerns to call
[2:44:15] a special meeting to address
[2:44:17] those. But we shouldn't be
[2:44:18] penalizing the district
[2:44:20] management corporation or the
[2:44:22] downtown residents because of
[2:44:24] that issue. And as we've heard
[2:44:27] JULY 1st, if this is not passed,
[2:44:29] the sea bed would just cease to
[2:44:30] exist, and JULY 4th would be
[2:44:32] really tricky. And you want to
[2:44:34] talk about a burden on metro
[2:44:36] taxpayers. We're not going to
[2:44:37] let the city go to ruin, right?
[2:44:39] We're not going to let the
[2:44:40] streets go messy and trash
[2:44:41] everywhere. So that burden is
[2:44:43] going to come from the whole
[2:44:45] city. That's where $20 million
[2:44:46] worth of downtown investment
[2:44:48] goes to. I continue to get
[2:44:48] frustrated by these
[2:44:50] conversations because people
[2:44:51] downtown, when cost of living
[2:44:53] is so high, when it is hard to
[2:44:55] make ends meet, when it is hard
[2:44:56] to put food on their table,
[2:44:58] they put extra money in the
[2:44:59] pocket so that we can generate
[2:45:01] revenue so that we can fund the
[2:45:02] budget we just passed. And so
[2:45:04] to to shut this down for a
[2:45:05] deferral because, you know,
[2:45:08] again, COUNCILMAN Porterfield,
[2:45:09] i think said it best that she's
[2:45:11] going to oppose it again and
[2:45:13] again and again until they do
[2:45:15] what we want them to do. And I
[2:45:16] continue to hear one issue and
[2:45:18] one issue alone, and that is
[2:45:19] thp and private security. I'm
[2:45:21] looking at the budget now. If I
[2:45:23] moved $700,000 out of economic
[2:45:24] development into cleaning, if
[2:45:25] we move that, that wouldn't
[2:45:26] change anybody's vote here
[2:45:28] tonight, right? We can move
[2:45:29] hundreds of thousands of
[2:45:30] dollars. That won't change the
[2:45:31] vote. So I urge everyone to
[2:45:33] vote no on the deferral. Let's
[2:45:34] pass this budget. Let's keep
[2:45:35] the work going. There's great
[2:45:36] things happening.
[2:45:37] Your time is
[2:45:39] concluded. Next, moving through
[2:45:41] the queue. Folks have declined
[2:45:43] to speak at this time because
[2:45:44] we're on the deferral motion.
[2:45:46] MR. Benton, do you seek to be
[2:45:47] recognized specifically on the
[2:45:48] deferral, sir? No, MISS
[2:45:50] Porterfield on the deferral
[2:45:52] motion. Go ahead, ma'am. You're
[2:45:54] recognized.
[2:45:55] Thank you, vice
[2:45:56] mayor. I stand in support of
[2:46:00] the deferral. I did just hear
[2:46:03] the. I did just hear that. If
[2:46:05] we don't pass this tonight,
[2:46:08] then they don't get funded. And
[2:46:10] I go back to something that I
[2:46:12] have always heard, which was
[2:46:14] lack of planning on your part
[2:46:15] does not constitute an
[2:46:18] emergency on my part. And we
[2:46:20] were very clear about our
[2:46:22] concerns. They chose to play in
[2:46:23] our face and bring back a
[2:46:24] budget with a $1 difference.
[2:46:27] That was a choice on their part.
[2:46:29] If they wanted to work with us,
[2:46:31] they could have chosen to make
[2:46:34] better decisions or different
[2:46:35] decisions and come back and
[2:46:37] address the concerns. The email
[2:46:39] that we got didn't even address
[2:46:40] the concerns adequately about
[2:46:42] the concerns that were raised,
[2:46:43] and it was more than one issue.
[2:46:45] I just want to highlight that
[2:46:47] because an issue that myself
[2:46:49] and others brought up was issue
[2:46:51] that councilmember evans
[2:46:53] brought up was that the loss of
[2:46:55] lives was not a pedestrian loss
[2:46:56] of lives was not considered
[2:46:57] public safety. That's more than
[2:47:01] one issue. Also, mmpd is not
[2:47:02] pulling out of downtown.
[2:47:04] There's no way that we're not
[2:47:06] going to have coverage downtown
[2:47:08] for the 4th of JULY. So, I mean,
[2:47:10] we just that's not going to
[2:47:12] happen. So I would urge my
[2:47:13] colleagues to support the
[2:47:17] deferral and let ndp come back
[2:47:20] with a revisd budget.
[2:47:20] All
[2:47:22] right. Next on the motion to
[2:47:23] defer. Councilmember parker,
[2:47:24] you're recognized.
[2:47:24] Thank you,
[2:47:26] vice mayor. I'll be brief. You
[2:47:27] know, this talk of of a
[2:47:28] doomsday scenario in JULY 1st,
[2:47:31] if this entity of this size
[2:47:32] doesn't have two weeks worth of
[2:47:34] operating reserves, then the
[2:47:36] board has no place being the
[2:47:38] board, the governing board, the
[2:47:39] director has no place being the
[2:47:40] director, that that would be
[2:47:41] completely absurd. If they
[2:47:43] don't have operational reserves,
[2:47:45] then I think we need to take a
[2:47:46] bigger look at what's going on
[2:47:48] over there. So I think they'll
[2:47:49] be fine on JULY 1st.
[2:47:51] Right. We
[2:47:53] continue discussion on the
[2:47:56] motion to defer for one meeting.
[2:47:58] MISS Benedict, do you seek to
[2:48:00] be recognized? I think you made
[2:48:00] the initial motion, ma'am.
[2:48:01] Right. Okay.
[2:48:03] I said about 38
[2:48:03] seconds left.
[2:48:04] But okay.
[2:48:05] I'm
[2:48:05] rising.
[2:48:06] I appreciate you
[2:48:07] watching how much time you have
[2:48:08] left. Go.
[2:48:09] Previous question.
[2:48:14] Okay. Pardon? Okay. Yeah. Got
[2:48:18] it. There are sufficient
[2:48:20] seconds for the motion to call
[2:48:22] the previous question. It is
[2:48:23] non-debatable. It requires two
[2:48:26] thirds of those voting. If you
[2:48:27] are in favor of the previous
[2:48:29] question, that means we will
[2:48:31] conclude the debate on this
[2:48:33] deferral motion. If you vote no
[2:48:34] on the previous question, that
[2:48:36] means you want to continue the
[2:48:39] discussion on the one meeting
[2:48:41] deferral motion. We will try
[2:48:42] this first by voice. I will
[2:48:44] remind you again it is number,
[2:48:47] not volume. So all in favor of
[2:48:48] the previous question, please
[2:48:53] say I. I all all against the
[2:48:54] previous question, please say
[2:48:58] no. Okay, the ayes have it. And
[2:49:03] so now we will move to the vote
[2:49:06] on the deferral motion in an
[2:49:08] abundance of caution. MR. Clark,
[2:49:11] if you would please load the
[2:49:12] vote. This is a one meeting
[2:49:29] deferral motion.
[2:49:41] With all votes.
[2:49:42] And, MR. Clark, please show the
[2:49:47] vote. The motion to defer has
[2:49:49] one meeting has failed with
[2:49:51] nine votes in favor, 22 against
[2:49:55] and five abstentions. So we are
[2:49:58] at this juncture, back on the
[2:50:00] preceding motion, which was a
[2:50:04] motion to approve. And so the
[2:50:06] discussion now continues. Top
[2:50:09] of the queue for that
[2:50:10] discussion is council member
[2:50:12] alan, you're recognized, ma'am.
[2:50:13] Thank you, MADAM Chair.
[2:50:14] I want
[2:50:15] to again acknowledge the
[2:50:16] important discussion that we've
[2:50:17] had. I appreciate the issues
[2:50:19] that have been raised by some
[2:50:20] of the council members here and
[2:50:22] the improvements that I think
[2:50:23] we have to acknowledge that
[2:50:24] have been made to the process,
[2:50:26] including this actual budget
[2:50:27] approval, as opposed to simply
[2:50:29] a line item, and the fact that
[2:50:30] we get the annual report now so
[2:50:32] that we can actually see what
[2:50:33] the encounters between law
[2:50:34] enforcement or security are,
[2:50:37] and people downtown of all
[2:50:39] types. My understanding is that
[2:50:40] many of the encounters are with
[2:50:41] our visitors who are not
[2:50:44] behaving well. I understand the
[2:50:45] concerns about ensuring that
[2:50:46] our people experiencing
[2:50:47] homelessness are treated with
[2:50:49] dignity and respect. I think
[2:50:50] that is of the utmost
[2:50:51] importance. I appreciate the
[2:50:53] outreach team who says that
[2:50:54] they give their all to do that,
[2:50:56] and I hope that wth the
[2:50:57] scrutiny that's on this, that
[2:50:59] continues to be the tradition
[2:51:00] that they that they move
[2:51:02] forward with. I would just say,
[2:51:04] in a zoning process, when we go
[2:51:06] through and say, we want these
[2:51:08] changes to be made and the and
[2:51:09] the builder or the developer
[2:51:11] makes those changes, then we
[2:51:12] acknowledge that we have made a
[2:51:14] difference, and we often pass
[2:51:15] it because we've had a good,
[2:51:16] robust discussion back and
[2:51:19] forth. I think that it is not
[2:51:21] in that same spirit to say, we
[2:51:23] see these five issues and one
[2:51:24] of them is still remaining, and
[2:51:26] so we're still going to dig our
[2:51:28] heels in. I know that those are
[2:51:29] important issues. I think that
[2:51:30] the attention has been paid to
[2:51:32] this hopefully has not fallen
[2:51:34] on deaf ears. I don't think it
[2:51:35] has. I would encourage the
[2:51:37] seabed board directors to
[2:51:38] continue to take our concerns
[2:51:40] about the thp very seriously
[2:51:42] and to work to solve that issue
[2:51:44] as soon as we can, but I am
[2:51:45] going to acknowledge the
[2:51:47] concern, the the progress
[2:51:48] hat's been made, and I would
[2:51:50] ask my colleagues to support
[2:51:52] this and to continue to push
[2:51:53] for the things that we still
[2:51:54] think and think are important.
[2:51:55] Thank you.
[2:51:57] Right. Discussion
[2:51:58] continues on the motion to
[2:52:00] approve council member benton,
[2:52:01] you're next in the queue.
[2:52:03] You're recognized, sir.
[2:52:04] Thank
[2:52:07] you, vice mayor. I understand of people in
[2:52:09] here tonight or colleagues that
[2:52:11] just don't like the downtown
[2:52:14] partnership. I want to remind
[2:52:16] my colleagues that sea beds are
[2:52:18] not a standard municipal
[2:52:19] department. These districts
[2:52:21] exist under strict state
[2:52:23] frameworks designed to protect
[2:52:25] commerce and protect the
[2:52:26] commercial property owners who
[2:52:28] voluntarily tax themselves to
[2:52:30] fund the street level safety,
[2:52:32] cleaning and hospitality.
[2:52:34] Obviously, this body speaks
[2:52:37] like many speak like it prefers
[2:52:38] to provide all the dollars to
[2:52:40] keep the downtown nashville to
[2:52:42] their standards, which is fine
[2:52:44] if you have the funds to
[2:52:45] protect our visitors or the
[2:52:48] goose that lays the golden eggs
[2:52:50] for the city and the state of
[2:52:52] tennessee exist, this will cost
[2:52:55] us quite a bit more one way or
[2:52:57] the other. I'm just bringing up
[2:52:59] what we actually face. Let's
[2:53:02] pick our battles carefully.
[2:53:03] Realistically, we could lose
[2:53:09] all control over this entity.
[2:53:12] All right. Next in the queue,
[2:53:14] councilmember sapulpa, you're
[2:53:16] recognized, ma'am.
[2:53:17] Yes. And if
[2:53:18] we lose control, I would think
[2:53:21] that we would sue the state and
[2:53:24] the downtown partnership, which
[2:53:26] we have been winning these
[2:53:27] cases lately. Thank you.
[2:53:30] Director dietz, who has done a
[2:53:32] great job in regards to that. I
[2:53:36] would say I'm not going to vote
[2:53:39] in favor of this. This doesn't
[2:53:44] make any sense to me. It has
[2:53:49] been, what now? Seven years,
[2:53:54] seven years with this body.
[2:54:02] Next meeting, I will be. 33.
[2:54:05] And it will be my birthday next
[2:54:07] meeting. And it has been seven
[2:54:09] years. And in these past seven
[2:54:12] years I have spoke to you all.
[2:54:13] Not all of y'all, but a good
[2:54:16] number of y'all. And three
[2:54:18] years to some of y'all, about
[2:54:21] the importance of the immigrant
[2:54:23] community and the importance of
[2:54:24] workers and making sure that
[2:54:25] they are safe and taken care of.
[2:54:28] And I feel like it falls on
[2:54:37] deaf ears. Thp is a group that
[2:54:41] partners with ice. We have many
[2:54:44] service industry workers
[2:54:48] downtown in our hotels and our
[2:54:50] restaurants, in our bars. And
[2:54:52] when ice had the raids here in
[2:54:54] nashville, a lot of those bars
[2:54:57] closed. A lot of those bars
[2:54:58] closed because their workers
[2:55:01] were not there. What message
[2:55:03] does it when thp is on the
[2:55:05] streets? I have ridden the bus
[2:55:08] home from the council office
[2:55:10] back to south nashville, and
[2:55:12] the bus is packed, packed with
[2:55:17] workers with logos from the the
[2:55:20] the hotel they work for on
[2:55:22] their shirts and their sweaters.
[2:55:23] They're all going home. They're
[2:55:25] all immigrants. They are filled
[2:55:29] with people that look like me.
[2:55:34] It is important. It is. It is for, for for people.
[2:55:35] It is much more than that. It
[2:55:38] is a message. It is a message.
[2:55:41] So I would have voted in favor
[2:55:43] of this budget if that would
[2:55:45] have been taken out. I am not
[2:55:48] an unreasonable person. I am
[2:55:50] asking for there to be
[2:55:51] collaboration, a partnership.
[2:55:54] This is not a partnership. And
[2:55:56] if the downtown partnership
[2:55:58] cannot work with us, then they
[2:56:00] shouldn't be in charge of the
[2:56:04] downtown. It is our
[2:56:05] responsibility as a city to
[2:56:07] take care of our city, just
[2:56:09] like we do in other parts of
[2:56:11] town and the county. And we
[2:56:13] could absolutely continue to do
[2:56:17] that. We don't need this.
[2:56:17] Thank
[2:56:20] you. Next in the queue is
[2:56:22] council member hancock. You
[2:56:25] recognized ma'am.
[2:56:26] Previous
[2:56:29] question.
[2:56:32] Okay. If you want to
[2:56:36] end debate and move to the vote
[2:56:38] on the motion to approve here,
[2:56:43] you will vote I. If you want to
[2:56:44] continue debate, you will
[2:56:46] vote no. It requires two thirds
[2:56:48] of those voting. We will first
[2:56:50] try by voice. All in favor of
[2:56:52] the previous question, please
[2:56:54] say aye. All against the
[2:56:56] previous question. Please say
[2:56:59] no. The ayes have it very
[2:57:01] clearly. And with that we will
[2:57:06] move to the vote. This is a
[2:57:08] resolution several members have
[2:57:09] said from the floor that they
[2:57:13] are a no. Any one no vote
[2:57:16] requires a resolution to have a
[2:57:18] roll call vote and be on the
[2:57:22] boards. This requires 21 votes
[2:57:24] for passage. MR. Clerk, please
[2:57:40] load the vote.
[2:58:03] With all votes
[2:58:05] in. MR. Clerk, please show the
[2:58:09] vote. This resolution has
[2:58:12] passed with 23 votes in favor,
[2:58:15] ten against and three
[2:58:18] abstentions. All right. Next on
[2:58:30] the agenda. Is agenda number 40.
[2:58:34] Resolution 2026-2064. Sponsors
[2:58:37] coop and truffle, alan stiles,
[2:58:39] ewing and evans. This is a
[2:58:40] resolution urging the nashville
[2:58:41] department of transportation
[2:58:46] and multimodal transportation
[2:58:47] and the mayor's office to renew
[2:58:49] and accelerate its commitment
[2:58:51] to vision zero initiatives to
[2:58:53] eliminate pedestrian fatalities
[2:58:55] in response to a sharp increase
[2:58:57] in pedestrian and cyclist
[2:58:58] deaths in nashville and
[2:59:01] davidson county in 2026.
[2:59:02] Councilmember, you're
[2:59:02] recognized, sir.
[2:59:03] Thank you,
[2:59:04] MADAM PRESIDENT. Committee
[2:59:04] reports.
[2:59:05] For the report of the
[2:59:06] transportation and
[2:59:09] infrastructure committee chair
[2:59:13] evan siegel.
[2:59:14] We had one that
[2:59:15] was different. So just.
[2:59:15] No
[2:59:17] worries. This is on MISTER
[2:59:19] Coupons 2064. Regarding vision
[2:59:20] zero initiatives.
[2:59:22] Okay. It was
[2:59:24] a recommended two meeting
[2:59:25] deferral. This was our one that
[2:59:27] was different with ten in favor
[2:59:29] of that recommendation. Zero
[2:59:30] opposed zero. No voting.
[2:59:30] Okay.
[2:59:32] Got it. Back to you, MR. Cooper.
[2:59:34] Move to many deferral with a
[2:59:34] brief comment.
[2:59:35] All right. Is
[2:59:37] there a second? All right. Go
[2:59:37] ahead, sir.
[2:59:38] Thank you, MADAM
[2:59:40] PRESIDENT. And as we have
[2:59:41] talked about earlier, we have
[2:59:43] folks dying on our streets. And
[2:59:44] there since this resolution has
[2:59:45] come about, there have been
[2:59:46] even continued deaths. And I've
[2:59:48] continued to have to update
[2:59:49] this. And it's unacceptable
[2:59:51] that people should be dying on
[2:59:52] our streets, whether it is
[2:59:53] downtown or in east nashville
[2:59:54] or wherever throughout our city.
[2:59:57] And so this is asking not to
[2:59:58] recommit to vision zero and the
[3:00:00] mayor's office to come to come
[3:00:02] up with a new plan, a five year
[3:00:04] plan which is expiring, and to
[3:00:05] present to the transportation
[3:00:07] and infrastructure committee. I
[3:00:08] had some very good
[3:00:09] conversations with. And they
[3:00:11] are currently in an rfp for
[3:00:14] vision zero program and are process of hiring their new
[3:00:15] director. So I'm going to defer
[3:00:17] this for two meetings. But but
[3:00:19] we need to do work, not two
[3:00:20] meetings, not two weeks, not
[3:00:21] two days, but now. And we'll
[3:00:23] continue to push on that work
[3:00:24] there. It should be zero deaths
[3:00:26] on our street. Nobody should be
[3:00:27] getting hurt here. And it's
[3:00:28] important that we commit to
[3:00:29] that.
[3:00:31] All right. There's a
[3:00:34] motion to defer to meetings. It
[3:00:36] was properly seconded. Is there
[3:00:38] any further discussion or any
[3:00:41] discussion? Seeing none. All in
[3:00:43] favor, please say aye. Any
[3:00:46] voting no. Any abstentions. All
[3:00:48] right. This has resolution has
[3:00:51] been deferred to meetings. Next
[3:00:58] is agenda item 41. Resolution
[3:01:00] 2026-2065. Sponsors. Ellis,
[3:01:01] gadd, benton allen. Cash.
[3:01:03] Coupon prep, tea. Huffman, greg.
[3:01:05] nash. Rutherford. Evans. Siegel.
[3:01:07] Spain. Bradford. Wiener. Gamble.
[3:01:09] Capp, benedict. Tombs. Evans
[3:01:11] and suara. This is a resolution
[3:01:13] honoring wallace w wally deeds
[3:01:14] for his distinguished service
[3:01:16] as director of law for the
[3:01:17] metropolitan government of
[3:01:18] nashville and davidson county
[3:01:19] council member. Ellis. You're
[3:01:20] recognized, ma'am.
[3:01:21] Thank you,
[3:01:24] MADAM PRESIDENT. Colleagues,
[3:01:26] some people spend a career
[3:01:29] chasing titles. Wally deeds has
[3:01:31] spent his earning trust after
[3:01:33] nearly 40 years at bass, berry
[3:01:35] and sims. He didn't need this
[3:01:37] job. He took it because he
[3:01:39] loves this city. And you could
[3:01:42] feel that in everything he has
[3:01:44] done. When the state came after
[3:01:46] the city's right to control, to
[3:01:49] govern itself, to control our
[3:01:52] sports authority, our own
[3:01:54] airport authority, the very
[3:01:57] size of this body, wally deeds
[3:02:00] stood in the gap he defended,
[3:02:02] currently defending our home
[3:02:05] rule, he defended equal
[3:02:06] protection for the people of
[3:02:07] davidson county, and he did
[3:02:10] that with a steadiness that
[3:02:12] made him indispensable across
[3:02:14] every department of this
[3:02:16] government. And in drafting
[3:02:18] this resolution, I came across
[3:02:21] an old tennessean article about
[3:02:23] his father, who covered the
[3:02:25] birth of the metro charter as a
[3:02:27] reporter for the tennessean
[3:02:29] back in the early 60s. So for
[3:02:31] me, when wally grew up around
[3:02:34] this government, he grew up
[3:02:37] around this government then and
[3:02:39] now. He has given the last half
[3:02:42] of his career to protecting it.
[3:02:44] There's a kind of love in that,
[3:02:46] the long, unglamorous climb.
[3:02:48] And when he had a stroke last
[3:02:50] march, he didn't step away. He
[3:02:52] kept showing up for us. And he
[3:02:55] will gracefully do so until he
[3:02:57] decides to drive off to that
[3:02:59] beautiful scenic area in
[3:03:01] tennessee, where al capone used
[3:03:04] to take his respite. Colleagues,%
[3:03:06] this is what public service
[3:03:08] looks like. Thank you wally,
[3:03:10] thank you for joining us
[3:03:12] tonight. Our city is better due
[3:03:14] to your service. Thank you for
[3:03:16] your wisdom, your decency, and
[3:03:18] for guarding our city like it's
[3:03:23] your own. Because it is.
[3:03:24] Well
[3:03:25] said. Thank you. There are
[3:03:28] other members in the queue.
[3:03:30] First among those is MADAM Pro
[3:03:31] tem porterfield. You're
[3:03:32] recognized.
[3:03:33] Thank you, vice
[3:03:35] mayor. I echo everything that
[3:03:37] council lady ellis said so
[3:03:39] eloquently. Council lady did an
[3:03:42] amazing job. Just kudos to
[3:03:44] everything that she just said.
[3:03:47] And over the years, being a
[3:03:48] council member, there have been
[3:03:50] many times that I have had to
[3:03:51] call director dietz, and he has
[3:03:53] always just been so available
[3:03:55] and accessible, and he really
[3:03:57] has a heart for protecting our
[3:03:59] city. I really appreciate his
[3:04:01] willingness to stand up to the
[3:04:03] state and to stand up for
[3:04:04] nashville and to protect
[3:04:06] nashvillians. And one thing
[3:04:08] that I want to add is that it
[3:04:10] is one thing to be an amazing
[3:04:11] human being that does great
[3:04:13] things for the city. And it's
[3:04:15] another thing to also be a
[3:04:16] great parent. And not only does
[3:04:18] director dietz do amazing
[3:04:19] things, but he has two children
[3:04:21] that do amazing things. And if
[3:04:22] you look at carrie and scott
[3:04:24] and the things that they do and
[3:04:26] the things that they do for the
[3:04:27] community, I think that's a
[3:04:28] testament of director dietz and
[3:04:29] his morals and his principles,
[3:04:31] that not only is he doing great
[3:04:33] work, but he is making sure
[3:04:34] that the people that come
[3:04:35] behind him do that great work
[3:04:37] as well. So I just want to
[3:04:38] congratulate director dietz on
[3:04:40] his retirement and thank him
[3:04:41] for his service.
[3:04:42] Thank you. Pro
[3:04:44] tem. Next is council member
[3:04:46] suara. You're recognized.
[3:04:46] Thank
[3:04:48] you, vice mayor. I want to
[3:04:50] stand and give MR. Dietz's
[3:04:53] flowers as well. And there was
[3:04:55] a time that there is a meeting
[3:04:58] not in chambers, outside,
[3:05:00] somewhere, where what he did
[3:05:03] was speaking about this chamber
[3:05:05] and this council and the states
[3:05:08] are planned for the reduction,
[3:05:09] and you just have to be in the
[3:05:12] room to see the passion and the
[3:05:14] knowledge, the history. He was
[3:05:15] there telling all of us about
[3:05:17] the votes and when it happened.
[3:05:20] And it was just so beautiful to
[3:05:22] watch. And you realize that
[3:05:24] this was not just a job for him.
[3:05:25] This was something like
[3:05:26] COUNCILMAN Bailey said he grew
[3:05:29] up watching, learning, but he's
[3:05:30] come to respect. And for me,
[3:05:33] the diversity of this city. He
[3:05:36] spoke eloquently about why it
[3:05:37] was 40 members. He spoke
[3:05:39] eloquently about the plight of
[3:05:41] the minority community, spoke
[3:05:43] eloquently about why he became
[3:05:45] 40. So we can have that
[3:05:46] representation. And I was
[3:05:47] sitting there just staring at
[3:05:49] him like, this was not just and
[3:05:51] this was not just a lawyer
[3:05:54] speak. This was a human speak.
[3:05:55] Knowing what nashville needs
[3:05:57] feeling for those of us that
[3:06:00] are crying about representation,
[3:06:01] that did not want that to go
[3:06:03] away. And I felt that I heard
[3:06:05] that in that room that day. And
[3:06:08] my respect for you from that
[3:06:09] moment, I've always respected
[3:06:13] you. But when somebody can
[3:06:16] relate to what you're saying,
[3:06:17] put theirselves in your shoes
[3:06:19] to that level, that they can
[3:06:21] actually articulate what you're
[3:06:22] feeling way beyond what you
[3:06:24] said. That was what I felt in
[3:06:26] that room that day. And I felt
[3:06:28] like this man is actually going
[3:06:30] to do a very good job
[3:06:31] representing us because he gets
[3:06:33] what we're trying to say. Thank
[3:06:35] you for defending the city so
[3:06:36] beautifully. Thank you for
[3:06:38] being a wonderful human being.
[3:06:39] Thank you for being a brilliant
[3:06:44] lawyer, I mean. So it takes the
[3:06:45] knowledge, the spirit, but also
[3:06:48] the passion and the love. And
[3:06:49] please do know that you have
[3:06:51] the utmost respect of many of
[3:06:53] us and the love. And on a
[3:06:55] personal note, it's been a
[3:06:56] pleasure working with you as
[3:06:57] well. Yeah, we don't always do
[3:06:59] everything. We didn't sue them
[3:07:00] for the cob and we will always
[3:07:02] talk about that. But the things
[3:07:04] that we did sue them for, and I
[3:07:05] know that's a separate
[3:07:06] conversation, but what I saw,
[3:07:08] what I learned was that you do
[3:07:10] have a passion for the people,
[3:07:11] and you understand the plights
[3:07:12] of the minority in this city,
[3:07:14] and you took it upon yourself
[3:07:15] to be something you want to
[3:07:16] champion. And for that, I'm
[3:07:18] very grateful. Thank you.
[3:07:19] Thank
[3:07:21] you, MISS Suara, councilmember,
[3:07:22] you're recognized.
[3:07:23] Thank you,
[3:07:25] madam vice mayor. First and
[3:07:26] foremost, I want to associate
[3:07:28] myself with the comments of my
[3:07:30] colleagues who have spoken
[3:07:32] before me, especially council
[3:07:34] member ellis, who very
[3:07:36] eloquently and and I honestly
[3:07:37] could not have said it better,
[3:07:41] better myself over the past
[3:07:43] three years or so, I've had the
[3:07:45] distinct honor of being able to
[3:07:46] represent director dietz here
[3:07:48] on the council floor while he
[3:07:50] represents all of us. And it's
[3:07:53] it's it truly has been my
[3:07:55] distinct honor and privilege,
[3:07:57] especially being in a position
[3:07:59] where director dietz and I have
[3:08:00] had difficult conversations
[3:08:02] about legal theories and. And
[3:08:03] we've been at odds at times,
[3:08:07] but I appreciate not only his
[3:08:08] passion for the law, but his
[3:08:10] passion for nashville, his
[3:08:12] passion to be an objective but
[3:08:13] zealous advocate for what the
[3:08:17] city actually needs. And so
[3:08:19] truly, director dietz, you
[3:08:20] deserve all the flowers that
[3:08:21] that you are receiving both
[3:08:24] tonight and in perpetuity,
[3:08:25] because you truly have left
[3:08:28] behind a legacy that you, your
[3:08:29] children and, and your parents
[3:08:31] would would be proud of. So
[3:08:33] well done. And thank you for
[3:08:34] all that you've done. Thank you,
[3:08:35] MADAM Vice mayor.
[3:08:36] Thank you,
[3:08:38] MR. T. Councilmember tombs,
[3:08:40] you're recognized ma'am.
[3:08:40] Thank
[3:08:43] you, MADAM Vice mayor. I want
[3:08:45] to stand in support of this
[3:08:47] resolution. And from one
[3:08:50] brilliant attorney to another.
[3:08:55] Can I congratulate director
[3:09:00] dietz on a job well done. Thank
[3:09:02] you for standing up for
[3:09:05] nashville. Thank you for being
[3:09:09] available to discuss legal
[3:09:12] issues and legal matters. I
[3:09:14] appreciate your wisdom. I
[3:09:16] appreciate your service, and
[3:09:17] I'm so glad you're getting your
[3:09:19] your flowers so that you can
[3:09:22] hear them and smell them. And
[3:09:24] just want to say that I truly
[3:09:25] appreciate you. Thank you for
[3:09:27] what you do.
[3:09:28] Thank you, MISS
[3:09:30] James. Next. Councilmember
[3:09:31] evans, you're recognized ma'am.
[3:09:33] Thank you, MADAM PRESIDENT. I
[3:09:34] think it says a lot that most
[3:09:36] of the lawyers on this body
[3:09:37] have either stood up or are
[3:09:39] still in the queue to speak
[3:09:41] tonight. There's a a phrase
[3:09:43] that you're told early in your
[3:09:45] career, oh, that person's a
[3:09:47] lawyer's lawyer. And there's
[3:09:48] nothing better as a lawyer to
[3:09:51] be called a lawyer's lawyer,
[3:09:52] because that's the lawyer, the
[3:09:55] lawyer's trust. It's funny,
[3:09:57] when I got on this body,
[3:09:58] another lawyer who had said in
[3:09:59] this row said, the hardest
[3:10:01] thing about being on the
[3:10:02] council is you can't be your
[3:10:04] own lawyer. You have to be a
[3:10:05] policy maker, and you have to
[3:10:07] rely on the lawyers to be your
[3:10:09] lawyer. And I'm really bad at
[3:10:12] that. Like I am not improved. I
[3:10:13] heard the advice and I
[3:10:15] internalized it and I have not
[3:10:17] executed. But I do know that
[3:10:19] when there is a really hairy
[3:10:21] thing that I'm very upset about,
[3:10:24] if I talk to wally about it,
[3:10:26] I'm talking to the lawyer's
[3:10:27] lawyer, and I feel better about
[3:10:29] it. And I know that it's
[3:10:31] handled, and I know that the
[3:10:32] advice that I'm getting is the
[3:10:34] right advice. And so I want to
[3:10:35] thank you for dealing with all
[3:10:37] of us who are trying to be our
[3:10:39] own lawyers and being our
[3:10:44] lawyers lawyer, because it
[3:10:45] makes the city better. All the
[3:10:46] advice that you're giving and
[3:10:48] everything that you have poured
[3:10:49] into it.
[3:10:50] Thank you. MISS Evan
[3:10:52] siegel, councilmember kapp,
[3:10:54] you're recognized sir.
[3:10:54] Thank
[3:10:56] you, council member ellis, for
[3:10:57] bringing this beautiful
[3:10:58] resolution. And thank you,
[3:10:59] director dietz, for all your
[3:11:00] service to the people of this
[3:11:03] city. It speaks more loudly
[3:11:05] than any of us can in this room.
[3:11:06] When someone with the
[3:11:08] credentials and experience and
[3:11:09] learning ability of someone
[3:11:11] like director decides to serve
[3:11:14] the people of the city, that is
[3:11:16] not the choice that many people
[3:11:18] in his position would make. And
[3:11:21] that resounds loudly for me,
[3:11:23] and I hope it does for all of
[3:11:27] us to choose service. Courage
[3:11:30] is, I fear, in somewhat short
[3:11:31] supply these days in the united
[3:11:33] states generally. But director
[3:11:36] dietz has it, and his office
[3:11:38] has it. There's more than. Than
[3:11:39] only his own work. But he's
[3:11:41] also led an amazing team of
[3:11:43] litigators and client advisers
[3:11:46] to coordinate across a gigantic
[3:11:48] range of issues with a lot of
[3:11:50] success. But critically,
[3:11:53] courage, the cause of self.
[3:11:54] Government is under attack in
[3:11:56] nashville. It's under attack
[3:11:57] across the united states.
[3:12:00] Director dietz is writing and
[3:12:02] has written a chapter of
[3:12:04] success in the struggle for
[3:12:05] self-government. That is the
[3:12:08] struggle of our time. Thank you
[3:12:10] for that. Thank you for serving
[3:12:12] the people of nashville, and we
[3:12:14] wish you all the best.
[3:12:14] well
[3:12:17] said. MR. Thank you, council
[3:12:18] member hill. You're recognized
[3:12:19] ma'am.
[3:12:20] Thank you, MADAM Vice
[3:12:22] mayor. I want to just speak to
[3:12:23] you directly and be selfish and
[3:12:25] say that there are an awful lot
[3:12:27] of attorneys that all can talk
[3:12:29] shop with you. I want to talk
[3:12:31] to you directly and say what an
[3:12:33] amazing human you are, and how
[3:12:34] respectful you are to every
[3:12:36] single person in this body, and
[3:12:38] especially myself. Every single
[3:12:39] time I've come to me, you spoke
[3:12:42] to me as if I was just another
[3:12:43] human. And that doesn't always
[3:12:45] happen. And I know that that
[3:12:47] goes to your heart and what you
[3:12:50] are as a human, and you're also
[3:12:52] a great attorney, but as a
[3:12:53] human, you're a good person.
[3:12:54] And it's an honor to know you
[3:12:56] and you deserve every bit of
[3:12:58] these good words.
[3:12:59] All right,
[3:13:02] well said colleagues, all okay?
[3:13:03] No one else in the queue. We're
[3:13:05] going to move to the vote. All
[3:13:08] in favor, please say aye. Any
[3:13:10] voting no. Any abstaining? All
[3:13:13] right. We have passed this
[3:13:14] resolution and we appreciate
[3:13:26] jyou so much, director dietz. We
[3:13:29] thank you for your service. All
[3:13:34] right. Next is agenda item 45,
[3:13:37] resolution 2026-2069. Sponsors.
[3:13:39] Gamble, harrell prep, tee.
[3:13:41] Porterfield. Vo. Suara. Ellis.
[3:13:42] Stiles. Lee. Taylor, tombs,
[3:13:44] welch, koopman, benedict, ewing,
[3:13:46] and evans. This is a resolution
[3:13:49] recognizing JUNE 19th, 2026 as
[3:13:52] juneteenth in nashville and county council member
[3:13:53] gamble. You're recognized,
[3:13:53] ma'am.
[3:13:55] Thank you, vice mayor. I
[3:13:57] just really wanted to publicly
[3:13:58] thank the nashville public
[3:13:59] library. You all have on your
[3:14:02] desk a pen, a juneteenth
[3:14:04] freedom day pen, the nashville
[3:14:06] public library. I want to thank
[3:14:07] them for partnering with the
[3:14:09] metro council black caucus in
[3:14:11] recognizing and honoring
[3:14:14] juneteenth this year for 2026
[3:14:15] juneteenth activities. I want
[3:14:17] to remind everyone that
[3:14:18] juneteenth activities are
[3:14:21] happening across the city
[3:14:22] actually have started
[3:14:24] happening. Juneteenth is
[3:14:26] actually this friday, JUNE 19th,
[3:14:29] but it is celebrated on the day,
[3:14:31] the week, the entire month of
[3:14:32] JUNE. Some of the activities
[3:14:34] that I hope you all might be
[3:14:36] able to attend and participate
[3:14:38] in, they are activities of
[3:14:40] culture, art, music, food and
[3:14:42] business, including black owned.
[3:14:43] Buchanan actually happened this
[3:14:46] past weekend the music city
[3:14:48] juneteenth, freedom day five k
[3:14:50] the nashville african american
[3:14:52] wind symphony juneteenth
[3:14:53] concert. It was wonderful this
[3:14:55] past sunday at the horn, and
[3:14:57] they will also be performing
[3:15:00] this friday at the juneteenth
[3:15:02] 615 at centennial park and
[3:15:04] moore. So just wanted to
[3:15:05] highlight the wonderful
[3:15:06] activities and the celebrations
[3:15:07] that are going on across the
[3:15:09] city for juneteenth and ask for
[3:15:12] approval. I don't need a
[3:15:13] committee report, do I?
[3:15:14] Yes,
[3:15:15] ma'am, I apologize, that's on%
[3:15:18] me. I should have reminded you,
[3:15:19] chair cash, sir, for the report
[3:15:21] of the rules, confirmations and
[3:15:23] public elections committee.
[3:15:29] Please, sir.
[3:15:30] Favor zero against
[3:15:30] zero not voting.
[3:15:32] Okay. MR. Cash,
[3:15:33] i apologize. I did not have
[3:15:35] your button pushed, but I heard
[3:15:38] your report. Thank you, sir,
[3:15:39] and MISS Gamble.
[3:15:40] Move for
[3:15:40] approval.
[3:15:42] Okay. All right. Any
[3:15:45] discussion on this resolution?
[3:15:46] Seeing none. All in favor,
[3:15:48] please say aye. Any voting no
[3:15:51] or abstaining? Okay. Council
[3:15:53] has passed adopted this
[3:15:56] resolution. Next is agenda
[3:15:57] section that concludes our
[3:16:00] resolutions agenda section j
[3:16:02] bills on introduction and first
[3:16:03] reading. By rule, all items on
[3:16:05] first reading shall be voted on
[3:16:07] at the same time, unless
[3:16:09] requested otherwise, by a
[3:16:11] primary sponsor or by two other
[3:16:13] members. Do any items need to
[3:16:15] be removed from the collected
[3:16:19] collective vote? Okay, council
[3:16:20] member johnston, you're
[3:16:21] recognized. Ma'am.
[3:16:22] Item 54,
[3:16:22] please.
[3:16:30] Okay. Item 54 is
[3:16:35] ordinance 1438. It will be
[3:16:39] removed from the first reading
[3:16:43] consolidated motion. Okay.
[3:16:45] Anyone else seeking to be
[3:16:50] recognized? Okay. Is there a
[3:16:51] motion for approval? Seeing
[3:16:53] none, is there a motion for
[3:16:54] approval of all items remaining
[3:16:58] on first consideration? Okay.
[3:17:00] Properly seconded. And thus,
[3:17:05] without objection, you have items on first
[3:17:07] reading. Okay, so we'll go back
[3:17:09] to the one item that was
[3:17:12] removed from the consolidated
[3:17:15] vote and that is agenda item 54,
[3:17:19] ordinance bl2026-1438. Sponsors
[3:17:21] johnston, huffman, evans and
[3:17:23] spain. This is an ordinance
[3:17:24] declaring a temporary
[3:17:26] moratorium upon the acceptance,
[3:17:28] processing, approval and
[3:17:29] issuance of zoning,
[3:17:31] grading permits for data center
[3:17:33] developments on property within
[3:17:34] nashville and davidson county.
[3:17:36] Councilmember johnson, you're
[3:17:37] recognized.
[3:17:38] Thank you. So this
[3:17:40] bill was filed so that it would
[3:17:42] be timely filed to meet that
[3:17:44] deadline, just in case on the
[3:17:46] last meeting, the rules, the
[3:17:48] suspension of the rules did not
[3:17:51] prevail. So this was my fail
[3:17:53] safe. So the bill that we
[3:17:54] passed on first reading during
[3:17:56] the special meeting last week
[3:17:58] will be on second reading, next
[3:18:00] meeting and public hearing.
[3:18:01] It's going to be at the public.
[3:18:03] I mean, it's going to be at the
[3:18:05] planning commission next
[3:18:06] thursday for public hearing
[3:18:08] there. So with that, I'm
[3:18:09] withdrawing this particular one
[3:18:10] because this was my back.
[3:18:11] All
[3:18:16] right. It has been withdrawn.
[3:18:19] All right. That concludes bills
[3:18:21] on introduction and first
[3:18:23] reading. And now we will move
[3:18:26] right into section k bills on
[3:18:29] second reading. Of note.
[3:18:31] Actually no because those are
[3:18:35] all on consent as. Okay. So now
[3:18:37] we're moving to third reading
[3:18:45] of agenda section l. And we
[3:18:48] have several items here that
[3:18:49] were not on consent. First
[3:18:52] among those is agenda item 72,
[3:18:56] ordinance bl2026-1381 sponsor
[3:18:57] coupon. This is an ordinance
[3:18:59] approving the fiscal year 2027
[3:19:01] gulch central business
[3:19:02] improvement district council
[3:19:04] member coupon. You are
[3:19:05] recognized, sir.
[3:19:05] Thank you,
[3:19:06] madampresident. Committee
[3:19:07] reports. No.
[3:19:07] You already had
[3:19:10] those. Okay. There's a motion
[3:19:12] to approve and it's properly
[3:19:13] seconded. Is there any
[3:19:14] discussion on this ordinance on
[3:19:17] its third and final reading?
[3:19:18] Seeing none. All in favor,
[3:19:20] please say aye. Any voting no
[3:19:27] or abstaining. Okay. Okay. With
[3:19:29] the no vote for this ordinance
[3:19:31] onits third and final reading,
[3:19:34] that will require a roll call
[3:19:35] by rule. And so, MR. Clerk, if
[3:19:38] you would please, sir, load the
[3:19:47] vote. This requires 21 votes
[3:20:03] for passage.
[3:20:19] With all votes in.
[3:20:22] MR. Clerk, please show the vote.
[3:20:24] This ordinance has passed its
[3:20:26] third and final reading with 32
[3:20:29] votes in favor, one against and
[3:20:32] one abstention. Next is agenda
[3:20:37] item 73. Ordinance bl 2026-1382.
[3:20:38] Sponsor. Suara. Horton, gad,
[3:20:39] allen. Porterfield, alice.
[3:20:42] Cooper, ewing evans, tombs, bo
[3:20:43] taylor, stiles, welsh and
[3:20:44] benedict. This is an ordinance
[3:20:46] to amend title two of the metro
[3:20:48] code of laws to create a new
[3:20:49] chapter establishing an
[3:20:51] eviction right to counsel
[3:20:52] program to be administered by
[3:20:54] the housing division of the
[3:20:56] department of planning. Sponsor
[3:20:59] suara. You are recognized.
[3:21:01] Thank you, MADAM Vice mayor.
[3:21:02] Committee report saying.
[3:21:02] Yes
[3:21:03] ma'am.
[3:21:03] They are.
[3:21:04] All right.
[3:21:05] I'll move for approval with a
[3:21:07] very short comment.
[3:21:08] Go ahead
[3:21:09] ma'am.
[3:21:11] Thank you. Colleagues,
[3:21:13] you know, we sit in this
[3:21:14] chamber, we talk about a lot of
[3:21:16] things, and I do respect that.
[3:21:18] While we MAY disagree,
[3:21:19] sometimes we're all trying to
[3:21:21] do the best that we can. But
[3:21:23] it's also very great when we
[3:21:25] actually do something that we
[3:21:28] all come together t make
[3:21:29] happen. And this eviction right
[3:21:31] to counsel is one of those. It
[3:21:33] has been a true collaboration,
[3:21:34] not just with the people in
[3:21:36] this chambers, but with
[3:21:40] the community. This program,
[3:21:42] thanks to all of you that we
[3:21:43] started about five years ago,
[3:21:44] got it into a pilot, and now
[3:21:46] it's going to be codified. The
[3:21:47] good thing about codifying is
[3:21:49] that at least you won't hear me
[3:21:51] standing up and talking about
[3:21:52] every budget season. So that's
[3:21:54] a plus in that sense. But I
[3:21:56] wanted to thank the mayor for
[3:21:57] funding it. I would like to
[3:21:59] thank the budget chair for
[3:22:01] adding more to it. We're now at
[3:22:02] 4.5 million of the 9 million
[3:22:05] that is needed. I want to thank
[3:22:07] MR. Rosenberg and MR. Sexton
[3:22:10] for their help with this. The
[3:22:12] housing department, MISS
[3:22:13] Herbert and his department.
[3:22:15] Kelsey, I want to thank the rtc
[3:22:16] group that is actually working
[3:22:17] on this, that we're able to
[3:22:18] provide the results that allow
[3:22:21] us to support it. Legal aid,
[3:22:23] hispanic bar, rooftop,
[3:22:25] nashville conflict resolution,
[3:22:27] the american muslim advisory
[3:22:28] council, and all of the
[3:22:31] organizations that actually
[3:22:33] lobbied and talk about it and
[3:22:35] ask us to vote for it. Stand up.
[3:22:36] Nashville noah, the people's
[3:22:39] budget coalition, equity
[3:22:41] alliance, open table, there are
[3:22:42] just so many organizations.
[3:22:44] This is our collaboration works.
[3:22:45] This is all of us working
[3:22:47] together for the betterment of
[3:22:49] our citizens. And I'm so
[3:22:50] grateful that we finally got it
[3:22:53] here. Nashville now joins only
[3:22:55] four states in about 18 cities
[3:22:57] in the country that have an
[3:22:58] eviction right to counsel
[3:22:59] program. And as we talk about
[3:23:02] affordability and helping, this tool in the tool box
[3:23:04] that we now, thanks to all of
[3:23:06] you, we're now able to carry to
[3:23:07] the finish line. And hopefully,
[3:23:09] we'll continue to help a lot of
[3:23:10] people in nashville. And with
[3:23:14] that, MADAM Vice mayor, I renew
[3:23:16] my motion for approval.
[3:23:19] Alrighty. Is there any further
[3:23:20] discussion on this ordinance on
[3:23:22] its third and final reading?
[3:23:23] Seeing none. All in favor,
[3:23:25] please say aye. Any voting no
[3:23:28] or abstaining. All right. This
[3:23:30] ordinance has passed. That
[3:23:32] concludes this evening's agenda.
[3:23:33] I want to thank and
[3:23:34] congratulate budget chair
[3:23:38] toombs again on her budget by
[3:23:40] charter. The urban council,
[3:23:42] which is comprised of the three
[3:23:43] at large members residing in
[3:23:45] the urban and urban services
[3:23:47] district, must meet down front
[3:23:48] here, please, with the clerk
[3:23:51] after the meeting. Our next
[3:23:52] council meeting will be on
[3:23:54] tuesday, JULY 7th. The council
[3:23:56] office will be closed this
[3:23:57] friday in observance of
[3:23:59] juneteenth. Is there a motion
[3:24:03] to adjourn? Oh, I'm sorry, MISS
[3:24:05] Lee. Go ahead. Ma'am, I'm sorry.
[3:24:07] I would like to ask the council
[3:24:10] to join me in wishing MISS
[3:24:12] Jennifer gamble a happy
[3:24:13] birthday today.
[3:24:14] Yes, ma'am. We
[3:24:16] did that off the top during our
[3:24:18] roll call, and we'll do it
[3:24:19] again. Thank you for spending
[3:24:21] your birthday with us. All
[3:24:24] right, we are adjourned.
[3:24:25] Second.
[3:24:27] i know her hand like that. She
[3:24:27] looks.
[3:24:36] Like it.
[3:24:37] This has been a
[3:24:38] service of the metro nashville
[3:24:40] network. If you would like to
[3:24:42] see this presentation again, or
[3:24:44] for more information on this
[3:24:47] and other programs, visit
[3:25:03] nashville.Gov.