Tag: Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act

Attorney on Proposed Charter Amendment 1: Forever Eliminates Citizens’ Ability to Amend the Metro Charter for Any Reason

Laura Baigert

The attorney behind 4GoodGovernment and its Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act, Jim Roberts, told The Tennessee Star that the proposed Amendment 1 to the Charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County forever eliminates citizens’ ability to amend the charter for any reason.

Roberts is well-versed on the topic of Metro charter amendments, having successfully navigated the petition process for the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act (NTPA) twice, but a lawsuit by Metro government kept it from being put on the ballot.

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Legislation That Would Make It More Difficult for Metro Nashville Citizens to Amend Charter Fails

Aaron Gulbransen
Jeff Yarbro

Legislation that would make it more difficult for Metro Nashville citizens to amend their city charter failed in a key Senate committee and is effectively dead for the year.

SB2544, which failed to pass out of the Tennessee Senate State and Local Government Committee, proposed to eliminate exemptions to the requirements for recall, referendum, or initiative in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2 that allow Metro Nashville’s charter to govern the signature requirement process.

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Democrat-Sponsored Legislation Would Make It More Difficult for Metro Nashville Citizens to Amend Charter

Aaron Gulbransen

Democrat-sponsored legislation that would make it markedly more difficult for Metro Nashville citizens to amend the Metro charter is set to be considered by a key state Senate committee.

The measure increases petitions signature requirements to trigger Metropolitan charter amendment ballot referendums in Davidson County. The Metro Charter currently allows citizens to propose charter amendments by ballot initiative for public referendum. The required number of petitions signatures has historically been 10 percent of the voters for the previous general election.

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Davidson County Election Chair Splits from Private Job After Support for Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act

Cooper Moran

Jim DeLanis, the chairman of the Davidson County Election Commission and a former attorney at Baker Donelson law firm, is no longer with the firm after voting to support the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act.

In a commission meeting, DeLanis voted to appeal a ruling from a Nashville judge that canceled a special referendum that was to be held with the goal of reducing the city’s substantial tax hike.

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Americans for Prosperity Talks Future Strategy After Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Cancelled

Chris Butler

The cancellation of the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act referendum has prompted officials with Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee (AFP-TN) to renew their efforts to pass a state law to control a city or county’s reckless spending habits. AFP-TN Grassroots Engagement Director Grant Henry explained the proposed law this week on YouTube.

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Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee Reacts to Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Ruling

Chris Butler

Reacting to the cancellation of the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act referendum, Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee (AFP-TN) State Director Tori Venable suggested one way members of the Tennessee General Assembly could react. “This ruling once again silences Nashville voters and taxpayers who continue to be saddled with harmful tax increases. Nashvillians are tired of Mayor Cooper and Metro’s spending addiction that put the city in jeopardy of a state takeover,” Venable said in an emailed press release.

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Nashville Mayor Says Taxpayer Referendum Isn’t ‘Constitutional,’ Supporters Are ‘Uninformed’

Corinne Murdock

Nashville Mayor John Cooper says voter control over property tax rollbacks and increases is unconstitutional – and that voters are uninformed for supporting it. The mayor made this assertion during a Wednesday press conference explaining Metro’s new budget. 

The mayor responded to reporter questions about what potential consequences would occur if the taxpayer referendum – the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act led by 4 Good Government – were to pass, and what the city would do about the potential financial blow. Cooper said that government officials have the ultimate control and final say on that matter. He noted that the 34 to 37 percent property tax increase last year “never really was that high.” Cooper said that community upset over the increase was no longer relevant because “that is so last year – that is so 2020.”

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Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Launches Videos Explaining Proposed Amendments to Roll Back, Prevent Property Tax Hikes, and More

Corinne Murdock
Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act

Earlier this week, 4 Good Government published a video series explaining the purposes and benefits of their voter referendum, the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act. The 7 short videos addressed each of the 6 amendments in the referendum. 

Jim Roberts, the attorney and founder behind 4 Good Government, explained that he founded the organization to improve Metro Nashville government.

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Nashville Mayor John Cooper Wants More Revenue Sources to Fund Affordable Housing

Chris Butler

Nashville Mayor John Cooper released a report Wednesday that not only calls for more affordable housing within the city but also calls for new sources of revenue to fund it. The report specifically calls on Metro Nashville officials to pursue additional revenue streams. Metro planners also suggest generating more affordable housing by using land already publicly-owned and underutilized. The report said city officials could expand Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) to support Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). This method, the report went on to say, would fund long-term housing by partnering with nonprofit and private developers. Metro planners also suggested creating “mixed use, mixed income communities.”

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Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Supporters Prepare Media Counterpunch

Chris Butler

The people who oppose the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act this week began a paid media campaign to tarnish the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act as the brainchild of “radical extremists.” But Nashville attorney Jim Roberts, one of the architects of the referendum, told The Tennessee Star this week that he and his supporters are currently crafting their own media counteroffensive.

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Metro Nashville Public Schools Board Chair Joins Campaign to Stop Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act

Corinne Murdock

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education Chair Christiane Buggs announced her alliance with Save Nashville Now, a grassroots campaign to defeat the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act. It is unclear whether this alliance poses a breach of MNPS ethics policy. According to the Metro Nashville Board of Education’s Boardmanship Code of Ethics, board members shouldn’t represent special interests or partisan politics.

“[Board members] will represent at all times the entire school community and refuse to represent special interests or partisan politics,” states the policy.

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Left-Wing Business and Religious Interests Form Group to Fight July 27 Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Referendum

Chris Butler

A group of people involved with various civic and faith organizations oppose Nashville’s Taxpayer Protection Act and have formed their own group to fight the people who introduced the referendum — people whom they call “radical extremists.” Members of this group, Save Nashville Now, have a website where they urge Davidson County residents to vote no on July 27.

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Voters Will Decide Fate of Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act

Chris Butler

Members of the Davidson County Election Commission voted 3-2 Monday to allow voters the right to vote yes or no to the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act. “The panel’s approval, along party lines, came after commissioners obtained a legal opinion from Vanderbilt University Professor Jim Blumstein, who was recently retained as the commission’s legal counsel. The opinion states it is the commission’s ‘duty’ to place the initiative on the ballot in 75 to 90 days,” according to The Tennessean.

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Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act: Attorney Jim Roberts Updates on Verified Petition Signatures and Election Commission Stall Tactics

Julie Carr

Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act’s Attorney Jim Roberts to the newsmakers line to discuss the Election Commission’s official verification satisfactory petition signatures to get the referendum on the ballot and the calculated deception of Mayor Cooper.

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Nashville Business Coalition Attorney Jamie Hollin on the Davidson County Election Commission: Your Process is Flawed

Julie Carr
Jamie Hollin

  Nashville Business Coalition Attorney Jamie Hollin addressed the Davidson County Election Commission on Saturday. Here is a transcript of his comments: Hollin: Excuse me, Mr. Chairman, I represent an organization and I would like an opportunity for no more than three minutes and if that will help persuade you as the winning lawyer of lawless and FOP. I have to tell you that the preceding general election for this purpose is the August 2020 general election. Commissioner: Okay. What organization is that? Hollin: I represent the Nashville Business Coalition. Commissioner: Okay, alright. Commissioners, what is your pleasure? Herzfeld: I would like to hear from Mr. Hollins. Commissioner: Ok. Is that…Okay. Alright. Hollin: We have new members Mr. Chairman and I want to let them know and I’ll let professor Lumpstein know, too. Good afternoon Mr. Chairman and commissioners. For some less, this feels like deja-vu all over again. Rest in peace, Yogi Berra. I’m Jamie Hollins on behalf of the Nashville Business Coalition and as we mentioned, I litigated those cases you’ve been reading about and lectured to beginning to end and they all started right here. And as the Chairman said there is no question it’s going to…

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Americans for Prosperity’s Grassroots Engagement Director Grant Henry Explains the ‘Tennessee Truth in Taxation’ Bill

Julie Carr

Monday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Grant Henry the Grassroots Engagement Director for Americans for Prosperity to the newsmakers line to talk about the Truth in Taxation bill that would provide transparency to taxpayers and prevent reckless spending at the local government level.

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Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Attorney Jim Roberts on Metro Legals Attempt at Adverse Outside Council and Ominous Group Harassment of Petition Signers

Julie Carr

Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act’s attorney Jim Roberts to the newsmakers line to update listeners on the dirty tricks and schemes crafted by Metro legal to stop the referendum from appearing on the ballot and exposes a fake group harassing petitioners.

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Nashville Mayor Cooper Promises to Drop 34 Percent Tax Increase ‘Soon’ – Council Members Say He’s Misleading Residents

Corinne Murdock

  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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Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Chances Might Improve with New Makeup of Davidson County Election Commission

Chris Butler

One of the people behind the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act said he’s optimistic that the proposed referendum has a fighting chance, given the new makeup of the Davidson County Election Commission. Attorney Jim Roberts described Thursday night’s Election Commission meeting as “fabulous for our side.” This, after he said Metro Nashville officials were trying to undermine the proposed referendum which, if voters approve it, would roll back Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s 34 to 37 percent tax increase.

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Monday’s Tennessee State Election Commission Meeting Takes on Heightened Importance

Laura Baigert

The Tennessee State Election Commission’s biennial, normally unnoticed routine of appointing county election commission members takes on heightened importance in light of recent events and unusual situations in at least three Tennessee counties.
In accordance with Tennessee state law, T.C.A. 2-12-101 and 2-12-106, the State Election Commission (SEC) appoints five election commissioners for each of the state’s 95 counties for terms of two years.

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Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act: Attorney Jim Roberts Talks Metro Legal’s Creation of Suppression and Fear as Referendum Seeks Ballot

Julie Carr

Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Attorney Jim Roberts to the newsmakers line to give updates on where he stands in the fight against Metro Legal to get the proper number or petitions solidified to move forward with his referendum.

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Davidson County Election Commission Could Decide Fate of Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Next Week

Chris Butler

Davidson County Elections Administrator Jeff Roberts updated new developments with the proposed referendum for the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act and when and if election commissioners will permit voters a chance to have their say. “We are in the process of verifying the 14,000 signatures turned in last week. The Charter states the number of signatures needed is based on the preceding general election,” Roberts told The Tennessee Star in an email Wednesday.

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Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Supporters Need Help to Fend off Challenges from Metro Government, Establishment Media

Chris Butler

The people behind the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act say they need supporters to contribute money to help educate Davidson County residents about the proposed referendum. Nashville attorney Jim Roberts said they also need the money to fight the likely counteroffensive from Metro Nashville government officials, many of whom may try to discourage people from supporting the referendum. And many of Nashville’s establishment media outlets could wage their own information campaign against the referendum, Roberts said.

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More Than 14,000 People Sign New Petition for Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Referendum

Chris Butler

The people behind the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act said Friday that they have obtained 14,000 signatures for a referendum on the matter and have filed those signatures with the Metro Nashville Clerk’s Office. As The Tennessee Star reported last month, organizers are pushing again for Davidson County voters to have the chance to vote for the proposed Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act. If voters approve it, the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act would roll back Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s 34 to 37 percent tax increase.

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