"Freedom is not a state; it's an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society." - Congressman John Lewis

Thank you, Congressman John Lewis, for your leadership and a fearless attitude in your lifelong fight against racism. For your lifelong fight for equity and equality for all men, women, and children. For you always "Getting into Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble"... Thank you!

There is a Metro Council Meeting tonight at 6:00 pm… An agenda has been provided, and you can watch the meeting live via channel 3 or stream live on your electronic devices. 

Trash Collection

I have received several communications from you regarding trash collection. Over the past month or so, many residents throughout the entire city, have received poor service regarding our trash collection. If you haven't heard from me directly, I want you to know that I, along with my colleagues on the Metro Council, am working to correct this situation. The company that manages this contract is Red River Service Corporation. The Metro Council has filed a Resolution (RS2020-455) requesting the Director of Public Works and the Department of Law to declare Red River Service Corporation and Red River Waste Solutions, LP to be in breach of contract, to rebid Red River’s contracts for waste collection, and to include stronger enforcement and penalty provisions as part of the Request for Proposals and resulting contract(s). I apologize for any inconvenience in your day-to-day activities. Thank you for reaching out and letting me know your concerns. I will continue to update you all as we move forward.

Metro Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program

The neighborhood traffic calming application period will be open from Monday, July 6, 2020, through Friday, July 24, 2020. In order to effectively deploy resources and provide a fair evaluation process, applications for traffic calming are only reviewed during specific time frames. While still accepting applications this summer, evaluation and selection of neighborhoods may be placed on hold until traffic patterns normalize and we can safely gather for public meetings.

Click here to be directed to the application. 

Tornado Relief 

FEMA's grace period for tornado relief has Closed.  Please look at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and several organizations rooted in North Nashville that are helping with disaster and emergency relief. Here are a few that are working now... Gideon's Army, Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship (IMF), Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership, Inc. (J.U.M.P.), Lee Chapel AME Church, New Covenant Christian Church, Greater Heights Missionary Baptist Church, NAACP Nashville, Northwest Family YMCA, Catholic Charities of Tennessee - McGruder Family Resource Center, Meharry Medical College, Tennessee State University Foundation, Rebuilding Together Nashville, The Equity Alliance, and Urban League of Middle Tennessee. These organizations jumped in on the ground floor and have committed to working until individuals in our communities are back to whole and better. If you or someone you know are in need of relief, of any kind, from the tornado, please reach out to one or several of these organizations to find the help you are looking for.

What to expect tonight:

In early June, we lost a public school champion in Ms. Anna Shepherd. She was the MNPS School Board Chair and served as the School Board Member for District 4 - Donelson, Hermitage, and Old Hickory areas. Tonight we are electing to appoint a new school board member to complete the current term.

RS2020-440 - State of Tennessee General Assembly adopted Public Chapter 760 wherein a direct appropriation grant in the amount of $10,000,000 was made to The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County to provide funds for one-time expenses for information technology hardware upgrades, capital maintenance, utility system upgrades, road projects, public safety, and COVID-19 response, offsetting the loss of local revenues or supplementing local revenue.

RS2020-442 - A resolution amending certain provisions of Substitute Resolution RS2017-910 relating to the construction, improvement, and maintenance of a Major League Soccer stadium and further amending the ground lease between The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, by and through the Board of Fair Commissioners, and Nashville Soccer Holdings Development, LLC for the construction of a mixed-use development at the Fairgrounds Nashville.

RS2020-453 - This resolution is asking the mayor and finance director to consider revising the tax levy due to the revenue report filing. The revenue in the city does not have as great of a loss as we forecasted, and this resolution would ask for the tax levy ordinance to be revisited.

RS2020-456 - A resolution condemning the practice of increasing tenant rents as a result of the recently-enacted property tax increase over and above the apportioned amount of taxes for that particular rental unit.

BL2020-235 - This is an ordinance that will increase permit fees for Special Events. It will also change the amount per permit depending on an attendance scale. For instance, currently, an expected permitted crowd in downtown Nashville of more than 500 attendees cost $100 (NFL Draft). This bill would require an event expecting 500 or more attendees to pay $2,300 for a permit. Again, the cost will be on a scale based on the number of expected attendees.

BL2020-329 - An ordinance amending Chapter 2.44 of the Metropolitan Code to prohibit the use of chemical weapons such as tear gas by law enforcement officers within the area of the Metropolitan Government. I believe this legislation will be withdrawn by the sponsor.

There are also several Bills on Second Reading regarding sanitary sewer mains and alleys.

Dates to remember:

• All in-person meetings (large/small groups or one-on-one) that I have scheduled are postponed in light of the increasing COVID-19 concerns and will not be rescheduled until further notice. 

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