The chair of Nashville’s East Bank Stadium committee detailed in a post how the Mayor’s Office, lobbyists and communications staff have pushed false narratives about a $2.1 billion new Tennessee Titans stadium over the past year and why he will be voting against the project when it’s expected to reach the Metro Nashville council in March.
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Metro Nashville Council on Tuesday increased the city’s hotel occupancy tax. The increased funds from the tax hike are required by state law to be used solely for the construction and future capital improvements and the associated debt service of a new enclosed stadium with seating for at least 50,000.
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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.
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Metro Nashville denied an open records request for its internal communications related to Nashville’s East Bank, citing a “deliberative process privilege” exemption to the state’s open records law.
Justin Hayes, a Nashville resident who requested those records, only received notice of the exemption after following up on the records request several times. Initially, Hayes was just provided email threads from communications staff commenting on story links.
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In a new poll, 61% of likely voters in Tennessee oppose the state giving $500 million toward a new Tennessee Titans stadium.
The poll, conducted by Targoz Market Research for the nonprofit policy group the Beacon Center of Tennessee, showed that 69% of those polled in East Tennessee disapproved of the move while 57% in Middle Tennessee disapproved and 55% in West Tennessee disapproved.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper presented his case for public funding toward a new Tennessee Titans stadium in an op-ed posted Thursday by The Tennessean.
While those arguments were presented, Cooper did not include any numbers on how much the city plans to contribute to what is estimated to be at least a $2 billion stadium with a $700 million city investment and $700 million from team ownership, which could include a $200 million NFL loan.
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The Finance Committee of the Tennessee State Senate voted on Wednesday to remove public funding for the proposed $2 billion domed stadium for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans from the 2022-2023 budget for the state of Tennessee.
State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) proposed two amendments to the budget that (1) removed authorization for the state of Tennessee to issue a $500 million bond to be used for the construction of the proposed stadium and (2) removed $55 million in taxpayer funding to service the interest payments annually of that bond debt.
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Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist and The Epoch Times’ Editor-at-Large Roger Simon in the studio to weigh in on the billion-dollar Titan Stadium renovation to enclose the stadium and appropriate a percentage of profits to an already failing public school system.
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The anticipated sales tax revenues associated with proposed upgrades to Titans Stadium could be a good idea, says JC Bowman, executive director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, but whether such a plan is “sustainable” in the long term remains a question.
In an interview with The Tennessee Star, Bowman assessed recent statements by Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton about the state investing in upgrades to Titans Stadium with the expectation that sales tax generated from major events could be invested in K-12 education, particularly in the state’s rural areas.
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Field of Schemes co-author Neil DeMause to the newsmaker line to outline the problems with public subsidized sports stadiums.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton to the newsmaker line to discuss the Titan Stadium upgrades, residency bill, and school funding status.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Caller Carl to the newsmaker line to give his opinion on the Titan Stadium upgrades and cost to the city.
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On Nashville’s Morning News, host Mandis spoke with Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton regarding the proposed $500 million bond for a retractable roof on Titans Stadium and its benefits for Nashville and the state.
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Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Representative (R-TN-20) Bob Ramsey to the newsmaker line to discuss HB946 and comment on the proposed budget for Titans Stadium.
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