There is a Metro Council Meeting tonight at 6:30 pm. An agenda has been provided and you can watch the meeting live via channel 3 or stream live on your electronic devices. Also, please do not respond to this email... You can reach me at [email protected].

By the end of this month, the mayor must present his budget to the council and publically to the city. The city charter requires that the council receive the mayor's budget before the end of April. I presume that we will hear the most pressing parts of the budget on April 27th during this term's first State of Metro Address. 

I am anticipating the themes in this upcoming budget to be very heavy around public transportation, pedestrian and roadway infrastructure investments, and hopefully, we will see a few capital improvements that benefit District 21. I am however unsure if we will see a substantial portion of funding going towards the city's need for affordable housing. For years, we made investments in our affordable housing progress, but these investments have been minute and, truly, haven't put a dent into our affordable housing needs. 

Last term, the council approved two purchases of property, 88 Hermitage Ave and the former Hickory Hollow/Global Mall in Antioch, for a total of nearly $65 Million. Neither one of these properties has a plan in place for how they would be used. As most of us know, the toughest part in creating more housing is securing the land, well, we already have $65 million in land and I hope the mayor creates a plan to build much-needed housing on these sites mentioned above.

**Note, we failed to purchase the Morris building, which houses decades of black history in Nashville's rich heritage in the civil rights movement**

Moreover, we will soon see how the mayor will set the tone for our city's spending this term. This is by far one of the most important budgets this city will see over the next few years. At this time last term, we were in the midst of a global health pandemic, recovering from a devasting tornado, and facing receivership from the State of Tennessee. We are in a much better financial place than once before. We aren't completely out of the woods, but we do have an opportunity before us to help the most vulnerable in this city. Let's see if we can do just that.

What I've Been Up To:

• Crawling faster than the speed of light!! I remember when Baby P would just stay in one place... Well, those days are over and my attention is now glued to his little knees and hands as he crawls to any and every crevice of our home. He is one of the most inquisitive 9-month-olds I've ever seen.
• College Hill Neighborhood Preservation - The College Hill area is a historic gem in our district. With homes built and designed by McKissack and McKissack Architecture and Engineering firm.
  • This is still a top priority for the neighbors in this area. We are close to presenting a few ideas in the coming month or so. Stay tuned...
• Elizabeth Park, Jones=Buena Vista, and Buena Vista Heights Neighborhood traffic calming plan. I'm working with NDOT a small group of neighborhood leaders in these areas to create a plan to help slow the speed of traffic and limit the amount of vehicle-involved accidents in this area. Our goal is to install traffic calming measures to push through-traffic outside of the residential zone to the main throughways. 
• I'm also working with NDOT to rethink the round-a-bout at 28th and Jefferson. A few months ago, we hosted a meeting to receive feedback regarding a proposed round-a-bout at 28th Ave N and Jefferson St. NDOT is working through this feedback and we are preparing to follow up with a meeting to discuss what they feel they heard from the community.
• I'm hearing more from neighbors about loud parties at Short-Term Rental properties. I'm working with Codes to investigate these items. 
  • Please send any addresses you feel are not complying with Nashville's Short-Term Rental guidelines. We will add these properties to the investigation

What's Happening Tonight:  

The first five pages of tonight's agenda are boards and commissions confirmations. These roles are extremely important to the city of Nashville. The people on these boards make daily decisions on how this city runs. During the last council meeting, we added more structure to how these seats are filled. Our goal is to see more and more, everyday Nashvillians on these boards and commissions. 

Here are the items we updated for more structure regarding boards and commissions...

Rule 23: This rule relates to the mayor's appointment of board and commission members. This rule would require that the mayor's appointees join the rules committee two weeks before the council votes for appointment. This will allow for the council to provide proper vetting of these individuals who will lead important boards and commissions that make final decisions for the city.

Rule 50: This rule is similar to Rule 23. If passed it will change how the council adopts boards and commission members. It will require the same two-week period as Rule 23 and the applicant must present during the Rules Committee and will be considered by the entire council body for a vote in two weeks or at the next council meeting.

Here is my general legislation items section...

BL2024-305 -An ordinance authorizing the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, by and through the Department of Parks and Recreation, to deaccession the Pre-Columbian collection from the Parthenon. 

RS2024-363 -A resolution accepting a grant from the Centennial Park Conservancy to the Metropolitan Government, acting by and through the Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation, to provide funding for one part-time position in the Parthenon Museum Store.

BL2024-220 -An ordinance to amend Title 17 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws, the Zoning Ordinance of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, by changing from RS5 to R6-A zoning for property located at 1708 17th Ave. N

BL2024-258 -An ordinance declaring surplus certain real property and authorizing the Metropolitan Government's execution and delivery of a master development agreement and ground lease agreements related thereto, an amended and restated site coordination agreement, a campus operations and use
agreement, a declaration, and other documents and agreements relating to the development of a portion of the east bank stadium campus 

Dates To Remember:

• Check back for meeting dates and event reminders

I invite all District 21 residents to reach out to me directly with any information or concerns in our community. Email is the best form of communication, but invite you to call me as well. My contact information is below.

Contact information: Email - [email protected] / Phone: 615.946.9700

Best regards,

Brandon