A final budget proposal for how the new Tennessee Titans football stadium will be funded has been submitted to the Nashville Metro Council by Nashville Mayor John Cooper and the football team.
The legislation will be subject to three readings, beginning at the council’s next meeting on March 7th. April 4th is the earliest possible date for the agreement to be finalized.
Read More
Live from Music Row, Wednesday 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 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) in studio to discuss the relation between state and local governments. Johnson called to decrease the number of Metro Nashville city council members.
Read More
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Clint Brewer in the studio to handicap the new deal for a new Titans’ Stadium involving Mayor John Cooper’s office, and Nashville Metro City Council.
Read More
The Nashville Metro Council voted on Tuesday night to approve Mayor John Cooper’s $50 million four-part “Housing First” plan to address homelessness.
Following the Metro Council’s approval, Mayor Cooper issued the following statement, “I am grateful to Council for overwhelmingly approving my $50 million plan to get our most vulnerable off the streets and into the stable housing. Homelessness is a decades-old challenge for Nashville, and I believe the size, scope, and sophistication of this plan meets the magnitude of the problem.”
Read More
Nashville Metro Council passed a measure on second reading that prohibits the use of license plate scanner (LPR) technology to aid in the enforcement of “laws outlawing abortion or outlawing interstate travel to obtain an abortion as an allowed use of LPRs” and is poised to approve the ordinance at the September 6 meeting.
BL2022-1385, a bill that was on second reading and is now proceeding to the third is an “ordinance amending Section 13.08.080 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws pertaining to the use of license plate scanner technology to exclude assisting with enforcing laws outlawing abortion or outlawing interstate travel to obtain an abortion as an allowed use of LPRs.”
Read More
Nashville Metro Council is proceeding with legislation that prohibits the use of License Plate Scanner (LPR) technology to aid in the enforcement of “laws outlawing abortion or outlawing interstate travel to obtain an abortion as an allowed use of LPRs.”
On Tuesday, August 16, Metro Council will consider BL2022-1385, a bill on second reading that is an “ordinance amending Section 13.08.080 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws pertaining to the use of License Plate Scanner (“LPR”) technology to exclude assisting with enforcing laws outlawing abortion or outlawing interstate travel to obtain an abortion as an allowed use of LPRs.”
Read More
In an open letter written and delivered to the entire Nashville Metro Council on July 5, former AllianceBernstein COO Jim Gingrich expressed his concern about negotiations over a new Titans stadium and called for more transparency for the process.
“The time has come for the Council to assert its leadership, bring transparency to the negotiation, and prioritize taxpayers and Titans fans,” Gingrich said.
Read More
Nashville Metro Council will begin the legislative process on approving a contract with the Republican National Committee, considering a bill on first reading sponsored by Councilman Robert Swope on July 5.
Bills or ordinances must pass three readings in order to take effect. Bills will typically pass on first reading and without much discussion, although this one may generate more than usual, given the partisan nature of the event.
Read More
Woke resolutions recognizing “Nashville Pride Month” and calling for increased gun control laws highlight the Nashville Metro Council agenda for its June 7 meeting.
RS2022-1581 is a resolution “recognizing Wednesday, June 1 to Thursday, June 30, 2022 as the ‘Nashville Pride Month’, celebrating the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer communities and their enormous contributions to the quality of life in Nashville and Davidson County, and further recognizing the 34th anniversary of the first Nashville Pride event.”
Read More
Nashville Metro Council passed a resolution censuring Councilmember Jonathan Hall at its Tuesday, April 5 meeting. The resolution was approved 33-0 with two abstentions.
Council also considered over $70 million in grants and bond issues, as well as contract approvals and zoning issues.
Read More
Nashville Metro Council released the agenda for their Tuesday, April 5 meeting. It is highlighted by over $70 Million in grants and bond issues, and includes a ban on License Plate Reader use for cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The agenda also includes a resolution censuring Councilmember Jonathan Hall.
Read More
Nashville Metro Council met on Tuesday and took several actions. Metro Council passed their own redistricting plans for council and school board, in addition to passing a resolution urging the General Assembly to reject the proposed congressional redistricting plans that are heading to the House and Senate floors and continuing the legislative process on license plate readers.
BL2021-1052, an ordinance on third reading, is “An ordinance approving and adopting a plan for redistricting the Councilmanic Districts of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County and revising the school districts pursuant to Article 18, Section 18.06 of the Metropolitan Charter.” The list of the new boundaries and the maps were posted on the bill’s website.
Read More
Nashville Metro Council voted last night to give Metro Nashville Police Department $3.15 million dollars to fund the purchase of new tasers. That was far short of the $5.8 million that MPND had requested.
As previously reported, The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) had requested a budget for new tasers, stating that the tasers in current use are obsolete and are not reliable.
Read More
Nashville Metro Council member Steve Glover is pushing for more budget transparency from Mayor John Cooper. Glover made this announcement during a press conference on Wednesday. In short, the resolution would ask the mayor to share with the council an estimate on revenues. Glover shared that his initial predictions of a $70-100 million surplus proved less than the actual current surplus of $102-150 million.
As a result, Glover estimated that the mayor could reduce the tax increase anywhere from 31 to 50 percent. He explained that he’d relied on numbers from the state to draw these conclusions – the same information that the mayor knew while deciding on the hefty property tax increase.
Read More
The president of a Nashville-based center-right think tank said members of the Nashville Metro Council refuse to make the kinds of sacrifices that they ask their own constituents to make.
Beacon Center President Justin Owen said as much in a column on the organization’s website.
Read More
Metro Councilwoman Sharon Hurt attended a special joint meeting of the Public Safety and Health committee recently where she seemed to make to case that a violation of the city’s mask mandate should carry with a heavy penalty up to and including murder or attempted murder.
Here is the transcript of her remarks…
Read More
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Michelle Foreman who gave updates on the NoTax4Nash petitions adding that there was a plan B in place should it fail.
Read More
During another lengthy meeting that began Tuesday night and went into Wednesday morning, by a 32 to 8 vote the Nashville Metro Council passed a budget that includes a record 34 percent property tax increase, increased funding for police, cost-of-living raises to city employees, increases funding to the school district as well as funding for a school district minimum wage of $15 per hour.
The Council-approved property tax increase is even higher than the 32 percent increase that Mayor John Cooper called for in his budget proposal.
Read More
Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast live from Music Row on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined in studio by the all-star panelist Crom Carmichael.
Read More
Live from music row Monday 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 and in-studio guest Metro Councilman Steve Glover discussed the Nashville city budget and how Mayor Cooper’s taken a good first step to get $12 million back from the Music City Convention Center.
Read More
On Monday’s 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 – hosts Leahy and Glover discussed what it’s like to be a metro council member as it pertains to answering your constituents. Glover also went on to describe the swearing-in process for himself and the offices where metro council members could work if they wanted to.
Read More
Former Metro Nashville mayoral candidate Dr. Carol W. Swain is calling on her supporters to turn out to the polls once again — to support at-large Metro Council candidate Steve Glover. Early voting runs to September 6. Election Day is September 12. In an email newsletter to her supporters,…
Read More
Nashville Metro At-large Councilman Bob Mendes is taking additional steps to try to rein in the city’s Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency. Last week Mendes had four Tax Increment Financing-related bills up for discussion, according to the Nashville Business Journal. The newest proposed bill would require Metro hire an independent…
Read More
A Nashville Metro Council member is tasked with challenging the mayor and holding him or her accountable, when needed, but current council members evidently don’t hold that kind of sway. At least not now. That’s because current Mayor David Briley makes threats, said Metro Council Member Steve Glover. “In this…
Read More
If members of the Nashville Metro Council wanted to save taxpayers some money they would have arranged for the city’s Major League Soccer team to play in Nissan Stadium, according to a new column. This, instead, of building a pricey new stadium. Nissan Stadium, of course, is where the Tennessee…
Read More
Nashville Mayor David Briley and many members of the Metro Council, as a collective, act as though the 2011 referendum on the Nashville Fairgrounds never happened, said Metro Council member Steve Glover. As reported, if all the shiny details get finalized, a Major League Soccer stadium will likely go up…
Read More
Nashville’s Metro Council meetings will see a major change beginning Tuesday July 16 thanks to a significant rule shift impacting public comments at the meeting. According to reports, “An open comment portion will be added near the beginning of the meeting to allow people to talk about issues even if…
Read More
Early voting on Nashville’s light rail transit plan ended Thursday, April 26, but one group advocating for alternative transit planning is making a final push for Election Day. There is one more opportunity to vote on the transit plan as Election Day is Tuesday, May 1. In a newsletter Thursday,…
Read More
Twenty-one members of the Nashville Metro Council signed a letter to Metro Legal Director Jon Cooper on Tuesday asking him to request of the Tennessee Supreme Court that it “reach down” and hear the plaintiff’s appeal of a Chancery Court Judge’s decision to hold the special mayoral election on August…
Read More
Nashville Metro Council voted Tuesday to create a committee to investigate Mayor Megan Barry’s affair with her bodyguard Sgt. Rob Forrest, WSMV reported. Councilwoman Tanaka Vercher proposed the resolution. The council has not taken such action since 1974 during a land rezoning bribery scandal involving former council members Morris Haddox…
Read More
Nashville Metro Council voted Tuesday to place both the $5.35 billion and $9 billion transit plan price tags on the May 1 referendum. An amendment showing the price range was approved on a 34-2-2 vote. The vote was part of the third and final reading of the referendum language. Debate…
Read More
In popular media, Superman fights for “truth, justice and the American way.” The superhero who is “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive” is vulnerable to a substance known as Kryptonite. Those who back Nashville’s $9 billion transit system are facing their own version of Kryptonite: Trust.…
Read More
State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) tore into the Metro Nashville Council’s proposed sanctuary city ordinances on the Dan Mandis Show on 99.7 FM WWTN Tuesday. As The Tennessee Star reported on Tuesday, the Metro Nashville Council is currently considering two ordinances that would, in effect, turn Nashville into a…
Read More