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].
Things you may not care about, but it's pretty interesting news...
- Birmingham Southern is still in the Division III College World Series and the University officially closed its doors last Friday.
Closed by Court Order
1613 Buchanan St has been a source of criticism, complaints, and anxiety for quite some time. For years, neighbors have loathed this property. It has been a hub of nuisances including prostitution, drugs, loitering, violent crimes, and other illegal activities. Community members have long worked to change the behavior associated with this property or remove the nuisance for good.
Well, you may have heard, that Star Market has been closed by court order. MNPD conducted several months of investigations into this market and found overwhelming evidence of nefarious acts. The owners have been cited for money laundering, criminal fencing, and other illegal activities.
Over the past five years, since I've been the District Councilman, I have heard from both old and new residents alike regarding their disdain for this store. Today, I received a call from a 72-year-old neighbor who has lived in the same house all their life. They were over the moon; it was one of the happiest days for them in this neighborhood.
Thank you to Cmdr. Anthony McClain for his diligent work in listening to the public and responding by removing this nuisance of a property. I also want to thank former Cmdr. Terrance Graves for his years of service to this area and for his efforts in working toward change for this property.
This was indeed a good day for North Nashville residents!
Fiber Disruptions Legislation - RS2024-519
I'm happy to sponsor this resolution that will address the ongoing disruptions caused by fiber installations in Nashville. The resolution requests the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) to enforce stricter regulations, ensuring timely permanent repairs and better coordination with the NDOT Paving Program. It also calls for a re-evaluation of NDOT’s standards to ensure compliance with local and national regulations. This will help mitigate the extended disruptions to vehicular and pedestrian access that our city has been facing.
Budget Season
Over the past few weeks, we've been discussing the budget. We've hosted the final budget hearings and held the council budget workshops. Tonight, we will host our second public hearing on the budget. This hearing gives the council a chance to hear directly from the public regarding the mayor's proposed budget. In the first public hearing, we were able to hear what you would like to see in the mayor's proposed budget. One thing that I've heard consistently is housing, and we've been able to work on that. I was happy to see that the mayor proposed a substantial amount of money for the Barnes Housing Fund. This is outstanding, I serve on the Barnes Housing Trust Commission, and we have seen an overwhelming amount of applications and are gearing up for another round of funding. The dollars allocated will help us fund several additional affordable housing projects next year.
As I mentioned in my last note, this budget is extremely tight. Budget Chair Porterfield has been working diligently to find funding for the council's wishlist. This wishlist is comprised of funding areas members felt were important to their constituents. However, it's been tough finding any wiggle room with a budget that is somewhat insolvent.
After tonight's meeting, we will have a special called meeting next week to discuss the budget and then a final reading of the budget will be heard on June 18. By law, the council must approve a balanced budget by July 1 or the mayor's budget will proceed as the adopted budget for the year.
Budget Resources:
I wanted to keep these in front of you as we continue the budget process.
- Citizens' Guide to the Metro Budget
- FY25 Budget Book
- Mayor and Finance FY25 Budget Presentation
- FY25 Budget Quick Glance Infographic
- This Link will take you to all of the Budget Hearings and Council Budget Workshops
What I've Been Up To:
- I told you Baby P is walking... Well, he hasn't stopped yet. He's also now talking - I guess you can say talking, more of a squeal or a scream when I'm not moving fast enough with his oranges and bananas. He hasn't quite learned what patience means.
- Fisk University - I've heard from a large number of constituents asking for me to support Fisk University with a resolution that will allocate ARPA dollars towards Fisk's campus.
- Alleys - I've been hearing an uptick in requests for alley clean-ups and dumping issues. I've contacted NDOT and during my personal alley inspections, I have seen several crews clearing overgrown vegetation and debris from alleys.
- Traffic Calming Updates:
- Speed Humps have been installed on 28th Ave N between Buchanan St. and Ed Temple
- A four-way stop has been installed at the 9th Ave N and Clay St. intersection
- This month I will be meeting with a neighborhood committee and NDOT to discuss traffic calming in the Elizabeth Park community.
- Finalizing dates for a community meeting with the neighbors in the Hadley Park/College Hill neighborhoods to discuss preservation overlays.
- June 14th I will be with NDOT doing a walk along Jefferson St at 10am
What's Happening Tonight:
BL2024-373 and BL2024-389 - These are the bill numbers for the budget and capital improvements budget - respectively
RS2024-491- A resolution amending RS2022-1905 and RS2024-203 by changing the proposed uses of certain American Rescue Plan Funds appropriated to Fisk University.
RS2024-519 -A resolution requesting the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure to change minimum requirements for fiber and communications installations.
BL2024-353 - An ordinance authorizing Tennessee State University to construct and install an aerial and above ground encroachment at 3100 John A. Merritt Boulevard
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
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