There is a Metro Council Meeting tonight at 6:00 pm. We are back in the Council Chambers - Please join us if you'd like...  We will host public hearings on the respective ordinances, review the agenda for more information. 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].

Hope your 4th of July Celebration was Great!

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July celebration. You may have heard about an incident in the Bridge Building near the fireworks blast zone with metro officers...

Prior to the start of the fireworks, NFD Fire Marshal personnel spotted a person on the roof of the Bridge Building.  An MNPD helicopter flew to the area and confirmed that there was an individual on the roof.  The fire marshal advised that the show would not begin until the person was off the roof and the building cleared of anyone else.  SWAT officers were dispatched to the building and found all the doors locked.  They knocked and attempted to look into the building on every level that they could access from the stairwell on the building’s exterior.  No one came to any of the doors and they could not see anyone by looking through the windows at that point; however, NFD personnel relayed that Bridge Building security cameras showed people inside.  An employee of the Bridge Building was requested to come to the scene and provide access to the interior.  As they waited for the employee, officers could see persons through a window on the fourth floor.  They were directed to open the door.  Instead, they ran further into the building. 

Once the employee arrived and the officers gained access into the building, four persons, a Bridge Building employee and three of her friends, were located inside.  They were escorted out.  Eight SWAT officers then divided into two teams to clear the building to ensure that no one else was inside.  They started with the fifth and sixth floors to include the rooftop.  While the officers were still in the building and the helicopter remained close by, a security guard apparently relayed to an NFD employee that he was the last one in the building.  Without going through command and without checking with MNPD to ensure officers were out of the building, the message was relayed to start the fireworks show.  Command was not advised the show had commenced.

Due to the close proximity of the professional firework mortal shells and the fallout from detonated fireworks, the eight SWAT members sheltered inside the Bridge Building until the conclusion of the fireworks show.

 Upon being surprised by the show starting, the helicopter crew took immediate action to quickly move away.

No charges were placed against the four persons cleared from the building last night, although their actions continue to be under review as part of an open investigation.

The NFD is leading the review of the miscommunication that caused this situation.

Tax Referendum - Judge ruled against

For those of you that have been following this, you may have already heard. For others, here's a quick rundown of the highlights this referendum would have allowed...

1. Rollback the FY20-21 Budget that included a tax increase across the city. The budget passed last year would be removed, in turn ruling the current budget unbalanced.
2. Recall elected officials - This referendum would allow elected officials to be recalled by only 10% of voters in any given district. It takes 50 + 1% to elect officials, but this would only require 10% to recall or unseat the elected officials. Also, the recalled official would not be able to run again for a city office. I was on the list of recalls. This would be costly, it costs the city millions of dollars to host elections, and this would come from the tax payer dollars to host said elections.
3. Remove council insurance benefits.
4. Council would not be able to amend the Metro Code and Charter without an election. This would be costly, again, due to hosting a special election.

Overall, our tax dollars would have been spent on hosting several special elections to fulfill the actions describe in the proposed tax referendum.

WeGo Transit Center in North Nashville

Over the past year and a half, I have worked with the Mayor's office and WeGo (MTA) regarding a Transit Center at the intersection of 26th Ave N and Clarksville Hwy. We've submitted applications to the federal government for funding and we approved capital spending dollars from Metro last budget season. Below is a link to a survey - We are requesting your feedback, as a neighbor, to help us understand your thoughts and provide an opportunity for engagement throughout this process. 

Click here to take the WeGo North Nashville Transit Center Engagement Survey!

What I've Been Up To:

• I will be hosting community meetings again starting in August. I limited my community meetings at the beginning of the COVID Pandemic and I am now slowly adding them back into our District regimen. 
• WeGo is working to add a transit center at 26th Ave N. and Clarksville Hwy. These conversations have not reached the neighbors of that area, and I want to make sure that the voices of our communities are heard. I will be scheduling a community listening session with WeGo and the developer to connect with you and hear your thoughts regarding this proposed development.
• Alley Cleanup - The majority of the correspondence I receive from neighbors is regarding the illegal dumping in our District. This is an area that I work on daily as your council member. I had two meetings last week discussing options to mitigate the amount of trash and garbage throughout our alleys. In the coming weeks, I will visit with the Public Works Director, Mayor Cooper, and the Metro Water Director to present options that are needed to keep our neighborhoods healthy and clean.
  • I'm working to schedule this meeting soon. I've spoken with the Mayor's Office and others stakeholders. I'll keep you updated.
•  Scheduled a meeting with Public Works (NDOT) to survey the district to add traffic signs to help manage speeding.
• License Plate Readers (LPRs) Survey: I sent you a quick, 4-question survey regarding your thoughts on LPRs last week. Thank you for responding, if you haven't had the chance to complete the survey please do so now. 
  • Click here to take the survey.

What's Happening Tonight

We have a few Airport Authority appointments. There's also one Fair Board appointment that will have deep discussion and may require a roll call vote.

BL2020-716 - This has been an ongoing ordinance, the property owner has failed on numerous occasions to provide notices to neighbors to for the public hearing. This bill is on second reading and will allow Lexus of Nashville to change the zoning to allow for a parking lot. I'm sponsoring this bill.

RS2021-1020 - A resolution accepting a grant of $11,6000 with no match required from Metro Historical Commission Foundation to assess the historical concrete structures in Centennial Park.

RS2021-1021 - This resolution accepts a direct appropriation grant in the amount of $5,000,000 from the State of Tennessee. The State’s FY 22 budget included funding for direct appropriations to cities and counties based upon population up to a maximum of $5,000,000. The program is titled the Local Infrastructure Grant Program, but the language in the state budget appropriation act does not place any restrictions on the use of the funds so long as the funds are used for nonrecurring expenses. Metro will not be required to file a plan regarding the use of the grant funds.

RS2021-1035 - A Resolution to encourage alternatives to evictions as federal funding is made available for rent relief for tenants whose incomes have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

RS2021-1036 - A Resolution honoring the life of Jimmy Allen Ruth, bus driver for The Freedom Riders.

Dates to remember:

• I will be spending a lot of time with family this month... My availability will be limited. Thank you for understanding. The last year or so has been demanding and draining on public officials, and I've found some time to share July 2021 with family.
• Tentative: Community meeting to discuss a proposed rezone to amend the Sky Nashville SP
  • Monday, August 2 - 6:00 pm
  • West Nashville Police Precinct 
• Community meeting to discuss a proposed rezone to change the property located at 2100 Buchanan St. from CS to MUL-A
  • Thursday, August 5 - 6:00 pm
  • 2100 Buchanan St. 
• WeGo North Nashville Transit - I am working with Representative Love, CM Toombs, WeGo, and the developer to host a meeting to discuss the proposed development at Clarksville Hwy and 26th Ave N. - Once scheduled, I will let you know immediately date and time and location.
• In August - I had to push it back a month -  I will be unveiling a new program to promote healthy activity and movement - "Meet Me Outside" I will be coming to your neighborhood for a stroll with you soon. Stay Tuned!

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