Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Nashville mayoral candidate Freddie O’Connell in studio to comment on the expulsion of Justin Jones, Metro City Council’s vote to put him back in, and what makes him a good choice for Nashville mayor.
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During a Monday joint meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Health and Safety Committee of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, officials from the Metro Public Health Department recommended council members end the current vehicle emissions testing program and replace it with a $4 fee for each vehicle registration. The $4 fee proposal would go toward air pollution mitigation efforts.
The Tennessee Star reported the resolution filed by Metro Council Member Kevin Rhoten (District 14), RS2021-1251, was filed November 9th. According to the legislation details, “this resolution would repeal Resolution No. RS2018-1171, which authorized the continuation of the Metropolitan Government’s vehicle inspection and maintenance program, also called the emissions testing program.”
The resolution to end emissions testing in Nashville will be further discussed, and most likely voted on, at the council’s next meeting in the new year on January 4th, 2022.
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In an effort to collect on tax credits it says it is owed, Bridgestone Americas, one of the world’s largest tire companies whose American headquarters is located in Nashville, is suing the state of Tennessee.
“Bridgestone has filed a complaint in Tennessee Chancery Court regarding corporate tax credits accrued in 2017 and 2018,” Bridgestone Americas Communications Director Sara Cooper confirmed to The Tennessee Star. “The complaint was filed as a procedural protection of the company’s interest while the Tennessee Department of Revenue completes its review of these credits. Bridgestone cannot comment further on on-going legal matters.”
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On Tuesday night, Metro Nashville City Council members’ attempt to impose an indoor mask mandate was indefinitely deferred. Councilmember Joy Styles, chief sponsor of bill BL2021-872, moved to indefinitely defer the legislation that would have imposed a mask mandate in all indoor spaces in Nashville.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Friday that the residents would soon see property tax rates decrease to levels seen years ago. According to several city council members, however, this may not really be the ideal property tax reduction that Cooper portrayed. Cooper broke the news in a one-on-one interview with WSMV News4 Nashville on Friday morning. “We’re going to be the lowest-taxed city, within a penny or two perhaps, ever in the state of Tennessee,” claimed Cooper. Nashville, we are growing as a city and soon, we will grow while having a much lower property tax rate. As a result of the reappraisal cycle, the new rate will be close to the record-low rate from 2 years ago. Thank you Holly Thompson and @WSMV for having me on this morning. https://t.co/f0XisOtPE0 — John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) April 16, 2021 At-large Councilman Bob Mendes took to Twitter to call Cooper’s announcement “misleading.” He claimed that Cooper was wrong to attribute the tax rate reduction to fiscal stewardship. “EVERY reassessment cycle ever has reduced the property tax rate. Under State law, the city’s revenue NEVER increases due to reassessment. Property values go up, tax rate goes down a proportionate amount & city…
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A bill to reduce lifetime health benefits for Metro Nashville City Council members passed on Tuesday. Mayor John Cooper quickly approved it on Wednesday. However, there were significant amendments from the initial proposal to the adopted version.
Notably, the final version of the bill extended the grandfathering deadline – which also required council members to serve eight years or more – from 2023 to 2027. Additionally, Metro government will cover 75 percent of benefits during the first two years of continued participation in their healthcare plan, 50 percent for the next two years, and 25 percent after that. In the initial proposal, Metro government would’ve covered 25 percent.
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Previous Community Oversight Board (COB) member Ovid Timothy Hughes somehow skirted the Tennessee Code’s standards for COB membership. Hughes isn’t a registered voter – he’s a convicted felon. That begs the question: the COB’s purpose is to ensure police accountability on issues such as misconduct, but what happens when the members themselves aren’t being held accountable?
The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office confirmed with The Tennessee Star that Hughes isn’t an eligible voter. They explained that he was purged in 2008 for a felony conviction. This corroborates with details The Star reported on Friday. Hughes was arrested and charged for mail fraud, spending over $78,000 on items such as computer equipment and designer clothing using stolen credit card and private account information from a former employer.
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On the heels of the stunning revelations by Nashville journalist Dennis Ferrier that the Mayor John Cooper’s office suppressed the report of improving coronavirus case numbers, City Council Steve Glover appeared on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight Thursday.
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In a discussion Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy spoke to in-studio guest and Metro Council at-large candidate, Steve Glover about the need for a more conservative fiscal budget in Nashville. He also noted that it is crucial that Nashville maintain a conservative voice at the table.
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California businessman John Loar is leading a charge to build another taxpayer-funded sports stadium in Nashville – this time for Major League Baseball. Loar and other baseball boosters plan to travel to New York City to meet with Major League Baseball, WSMV said. “What intrigued me about Nashville is just the growth, the corporate growth,” said John Loar, who is leading the efforts, earlier this year. “With the existing sports teams and just the music element to it, it has the Las Vegas vibe without the gaming.” The group, called Music City Baseball LLC, wants to build a stadium in a mixed-use project near Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, or the PSC Metals scrapyard. Loar has previously discussed finance options with public officials, according to a story by Ballpark Digest. That publication said his venture is called Music City Equity Group. Montreal, Portland and Las Vegas also are interested in pursuing baseball franchises, Ballpark Digest said. As The Tennessee Star reported last September, the Metro City Council decided to pay $275 million for a new soccer stadium instead of using the Titans’ Nissan Stadium, which itself needs $300 million in upgrades. Who is the man leading the…
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