Nashville Judge Strikes Down Referendum to Reduce City’s Tax Hike

 

Chancellor Russell T. Perkins, a Nashville judge, struck down the provisions of a referendum on the city’s taxes that was scheduled for July 27. 

The ruling invalidates the referendum and cancels the special election that was to be held, which would have allowed voters to determine the fate of the dramatic tax hike.

The referendum aimed to rescind Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s controversial 34 to 37 percent tax increase, which Cooper argued was to stabilize the city’s finances. If enacted by voters, the measure would have dramatically altered the budget of the city — immediately slashing $40 million.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper praised the decision by the judge, which allows his recently-passed budget to remain the same. He claimed, “We’re building a great city, and we’re grateful for a ruling that prevents a small group from hijacking Nashville’s future with an unconstitutional California-style referendum.”

Over 27,000 residents had signed the petition — a number objectively far from Cooper’s claim of a “small group.”

However, his efforts to raise taxes have been heavily challenged — specifically by attorney Jim Roberts and his organization, 4 Good Government. Roberts called the decision “shameful.” He also pledged to continue to fight.

“It seems like at every turn of this process, the default is to go with what Metro says and suppress voters’ rights. We are going to keep coming back,” Roberts said. 

Earlier last year, a different judge, Ellen Hobbs Lyle, invalidated the petition based on her concerns over the legality of the move.

After a new petition and more signatures, the Davidson County Election Commission voted to approve the measure after seeking legal counsel from two outside attorneys. “The Election Commission’s duty is to place the proposed amendments on the ballot for approval or disapproval by the voters of Metro,” the counsel recommended.

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Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].