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...
- Manchester City won their 4th Premier League Title in a Row! This is a major record.
- Nashville SC parted ways with Coach Gary Smith last week.
- Birmingham-Southern College will close its doors on May 31, however, their baseball team is slated to play after the school closes!
- Seems like the cicadas will be here until August - Sorry!
Budget Season
We are in the heart of the city's budget. I always like to point out CM Zulfat Suara's Budget Conversations and her Blog. I think she does a great job breaking down this information from a wide lens while bringing in the most recent historical aspects of how we got to this upcoming budget.
This budget isn't flashy... There are no tax increases proposed, it seems that the proposal is to remain flat (very modest budget increases), the Finance Director has deemed the city's fund balance is healthy, and the increased revenue is projected to grow less than 2%. Some highlights from the mayor's proposal are the 3.5% COLA increase for teachers and metro employees. There is also a 3% merit increase proposed for eligible employees, and there is a proposed $20 per hour minimum as the lowest salary for all Metro employees. The mayor has also proposed to complete projects that were funded in prior years that have not been completed with general fund dollars.
Here is a glance at some of the budget proposals I've noticed...
- Fire Prevention and Control's year-over-year budget decreased (They had a $1M one-time appropriation - wanted to note this)
- Public Health and Hospitals increased by roughly $2M
- Recreational and Culture has reduced by $1M
- Public Libraries will see a nearly $600k increase
- Law Enforcement and the County Sherriff will see an increase of nearly $14M
- Infrastructure and Transportation will see an increase of over $3M
- Education will grow from $1.20M to $1.24M
Looking at the numbers reminds me of what I mentioned earlier, that the budget will remain flat. Looking at historical values year-over-year, none of these budget line items are seeing a drastic increase or decrease in their funding.
Budget Resources:
- Citizens' Guide to the Metro Budget
- FY25 Budget Book
- Mayor and Finance FY25 Budget Presentation
- FY25 Budget Quick Glance Infographic
- 05/16/24 Metro Council Operating Budget Hearings: Planning Commission
- 05/15/24 Metro Council Operating Budget Hearings: Fire/EMS
- 05/16/24 Metro Council Operating Budget Hearings Board of Education
- 05/14/24 Metro Council Operating Budget Hearings: Office of Homeless Services
- 05/14/24 Metro Council Operating Budget Hearings: Hospital Authority
- 05/16/24 Metro Council Operating Budget Hearings: Human Relations Commission
- 05/14/24 Metro Council Operating Budget Hearings: Social Services
What I've Been Up To:
- Baby P is walking!! Well, kinda walking... Picture a dizzy T-Rex stumbling down Broadway... More like that type of walking.
- I'm all in on the budget... The budget book is only 600 pages this year, which will save some time reviewing.
- Racist flyers in North Nashville - I am working with Metro Police to find the origin of the hateful and racist flyers that neighbors found littered throughout their streets. If you know anything or have camera footage along 10th Ave N, 11th Ave N, and Arthur Ave, please reach out to me directly.
- I have been checking in on a few constituents who have been sick and shut-in. I've taken some time to visit with a few widowers, neighbors in the hospital, and who are now home from the hospital. Please check on your neighbor, they may need some help.
- Buchanan Street safety... Following a shooting on Buchanan St on May 5, I received an overwhelming amount of correspondence from constituents. I have been in very close contact with Cmdr. McClain regarding several of the items brought forth in those messages. He is working to mitigate the problem areas and create an enforcement team to support the area. I joined a meeting with the business owners and they have seemed to put the earnest on themselves as well. They are taking this seriously and are holding each other accountable to make sure their customers do not disrupt our community like this again.
- LED Lighting in District 21... You may have noticed new and brighter lighting throughout the District. Along with NES, we are replacing some of our older lighting and updating the street and alley lighting.
- Neighborhood preservation - Working with a few neighborhoods to preserve their areas. We are looking at several ways, either with legislation to add preservation overlays, scale back the land use policy, etc.
- Beautification - I'm working with Codes and NDOT on beautification matters. NDOT is doing better at clearing the alleys, cutting back overgrown vegetation, and picking up bulk item waste. There are several absentee-owned properties that we are reviewing. I believe that the Codes department will take action on a few of these properties soon.
What's Happening Tonight:
RS2024-351: A resolution requesting certain departments of the Metropolitan Government to provide a comprehensive analysis of recommended changes to increase the safety, security, housing resources for the unhoused, and cleanliness of the properties surrounding the Cumberland River within the downtown interstate loop.
BL2024-336: An ordinance approving a services agreement between the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, acting by and through the Metropolitan Mayor’s Office, and the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (“EPRI”) for an Accelerating Resilience of the Community through Holistic Engagement and use of Renewables (“ARCHER”) project to minimize the potential burden on local residents due to insufficient energy resilience related to extreme weather events.
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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