There is a Metro Council Meeting tonight… An agenda has been provided, and you can watch the meeting live via channel 3 or stream live on your electronic devices.

Paving in the District:

I've received several calls and emails regarding the paving in the District. I've spoken with Public Works, and these projects are slated to be finished within the next month and a half. The paving that you see along Buchanan St, Arthur Ave, and Ed Temple Blvd will have bike lanes added... For you all that use Arthur often, I am sending an additional email detailing the layout of the street in the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience with these projects. Please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Report Street Light Outages:

With Daylight Savings upon us, I wanted to share with you the best connect with NES to replace any street lights that are out in your neighborhood. First, you can call (311) from your home or mobile phone. (311) will connect you with our colleagues at HUB Nashville. Second, you can report a street light out on HUB Nashville's website or Smart Phone App. Lastly, visit the NES website for the fastest response. Be sure to write down the number on the yellow sign posted on the light post prior to reporting any outages.

Metro Water Report:

Last week, on Wednesday, the Budget and Finance Committee held a special meeting with Metro Water and the State of Tennessee's Comptroller in attendance. Scott Potter, Metro Water Directo, shared with the Council the state of Nashville's water services. Currently, Nashville has one of the lowest water rates in comparison to other peer cities. We have not had a water rate increase in 23 years, and the Metro Council will be voting on recommendations from our water department regarding a rate increase. Our Metro Water department is also in dire need of upgrades to maintain our systems, this was mentioned to previous mayoral administrations but never made to the Council body. Therefore, we are now at a critical juncture to increase the water rates to ensure that our water treatment, stormwater management, and infrastructure maintenance stays at a high-quality level.

Metro Nashville Budget:

As I mentioned, the State of Tennessee Comptroller joined the Budget and Finance Committee's special meeting to share with us the state of Metro's budget and finances. The message was clear and extremely eye-opening, Nashville needs to have a structurally balanced budget, which we do not have at the moment. Here are a few reasons we are in this situation. 1.) Metro has been spending more money in recent years. 2.) We have been using our savings to keep up with the increased expenses the city has incurred over time. With these increases and a lack of new revenue, Nashville has had to dive into savings over the past few years. 3.) Metro has borrowed more and more money, and now these bonds, obligations, and loan payments are due. By spending more and already depleting our savings, Metro now has a challenge in finding new revenue to pay down these loans, bonds, and other obligations. 4.) We have sold assets for one time (non-recurring) revenue. Yes, this will help with the interim, but has not been sustainable over time. 5.) We all see the growth and progressiveness of the city (especially downtown), so where is the money? Yes, we are receiving tax dollars from the tourism and boom in the city's core, but we have contracts for the bonds, loans, and other obligations that I mentioned earlier that these tax dollars are set aside for. This plan allows the city not to have any new debt for places such as the Music City Center, the dollars that come into the city, by law, are already set aside to pay for the building. 

The State of Tennesee has also been a part of the oversight of the Metro Budget. We have received fewer funds in the most recent years for our MNPS funding from the state. The loss of these funds have a direct effect on our budget, Metro must make up that difference for the success of our students and schools. Moving forward, we have a few bills that are coming to the Council body to help with these oversights. These bills will require the department heads of all metro divisions to provide a detailed, itemized budget for any capital expenses before they receive approval for funding. 

Click here to watch the special committee meeting to learn more about the water and budget conversations I've mentioned.

What to expect tonight:

• Short Term Rentals (STRs) are still a hot topic in Nashville. We have a few bills on the agenda tonight that will be discussed:
  • BL2019-6: This bill will penalize individuals operating an STR without a permit by making them wait one (1) calendar year if sited.
  •  BL2019-7: Currently, only one owner-occupied STR permit is allowed per lot. This bill will allow two home lots to have two separate permits.
  • BL2019 -78: This bill would require non-owner occupied STRs to have a minimum distance from schools, daycares, parks, and churches.
  • BL2019 - 79: This bill will require the owner of an owner-occupied STR to be onsite at all times and may not leave the property for more than 15 hours in a 24 hour time period.
• The bill described below is in regards to the metro budget and water conversation in the text above.
  • BL2019 -77: Will require full cost itemizations of capital expenditures for all metro departments prior to the approval of requests

Dates to remember:

• Thursday, November 21 - Olympic Park Community Meeting to discuss trash collection - St. Luke CME Church at 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday, November 23 -I will host office hours from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
  •  All timeslots are booked.
• Thursday, November 28 - Thanksgiving, please enjoy your Thanksgiving with family and loved ones. If you are traveling, safe travels, and remember to take time to reflect on all you are thankful for. 
• Monday, December 2 - Sylvan Summitt Community Meeting to discuss a rezoning application at  0 Trevor St. - 7:00 p.m. West Nashville Police precinct 
• Tuesday, December 3 - Council Meeting  
• Thursday, December 5 - I will be hosting a listening session with the neighbors in the West End/Centennial Park area - Centennial Performing Arts Studio - 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
• Saturday, December 7 - I will host office hours from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. - A few timeslots are booked.
  • Email me at [email protected] to reserve a time to visit
• Thursday, December 12 - Community Meeting to discuss a proposed project at 2500 Heiman St. - 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church

Lets Connect:

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