A Nashville judge on Tuesday ruled that 4 Good Government’s proposed charter revision cannot go before Davidson County voters on July 27, the second such defeat for the anti-tax group in the past year.
Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins wrote that the group did not follow proper procedure when it suggested two possible election dates for the referendum rather than one. The Davidson County Election Commission decided to set the election on neither of those dates but instead for July 27.
Perkins ordered the election commission to cancel the election entirely. Early voting was set to begin just a little more than two weeks from now.
A coalition of businesses and civic groups was already organizing to urge Nashvillians to vote down the proposed changes, which included limits on the city’s taxing powers.
“We’re building a great city, and we’re grateful for a ruling that prevents a small group from hijacking Nashville’s future with an unconstitutional California-style referendum,” Mayor John Cooper says in a release. “Our next budget makes historic investments in our students, our transportation infrastructure, and affordable housing as we maintain a tax rate 24 percent lower than our average rate over the past quarter century — the third lowest property tax rate in Metro history. We will continue to fix problems and find solutions to build a stronger, more equitable city for everyone.”
