Pushback on tree-trimming and congressional redistricting was on the minds of Metro councilmembers Tuesday night at what was a relatively speedy meeting of the legislative body.
The council passed a resolution urging Nashville Electric Service to suspend tree-trimming efforts following concerns over the utility’s practices and the effect on Davidson County’s tree canopy.
The council also passed a resolution denouncing the Tennessee General Assembly’s recent congressional redistricting, which effectively eliminated the state’s only majority-Black district covering most of Memphis.
After fallen limbs aggravated ice storm outages, NES has widened its buffer into private property — Metro Council is pushing back
RS 2026-1995 pushes for NES to enact a temporary moratorium on its newly started vegetation management practices (implemented as a result of Winter Storm Fern) until a study is completed to determine the “necessity and increased efficacy” of the policy, as well as potential risks.
The nonbinding resolution notes the positive impacts of a robust tree canopy, including air quality improvements, stormwater benefits, cooler temperatures and wildlife habitat expansion, as well as public health and economic advantages.
“I still maintain that trees are infrastructure in positive ways,” Councilmember Tom Cash said Tuesday. “And part of why we need to pause is because we need to look at this holistically and make sure that we're remembering all the ways that trees are helpful environmentally, stormwater-wise.”
NES board chair Anne Davis sent a letter to Metro councilmembers on Monday, which states that the utility has changed its approach to tree-trimming due to concerns from the community. The letter says this includes increased customer outreach through phone calls and postcards, the launch of a tree-trimming hotline and limiting trimming in certain areas that "do not inherently create risk.”
“This is [a resolution] that I think is collaborative,” said Councilmember Emily Benedict. “It is not accusatory. It is taking the approach of 'let's be more strategic in how we're doing this.'”
Amid fierce Capitol protests, Memphis loses majority-Black congressional district and Republicans gain midterms advantage in quick special session
Also via a nonbinding resolution, the council condemned state Republicans’ approval of a new congressional map. The map redraws districts for the second time in roughly four years and comes after a historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling and calls from President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn to make Tennessee’s congressional representation fully Republican.
The map — which is facing numerous lawsuits — splits the majority-Black city of Memphis into three districts and will likely remove Tennessee’s only Democratic stronghold at the congressional level as voters head to the polls for this fall’s midterm elections.
“The new Republican-drawn map dilutes the political power of Black voters in Memphis and continues to fracture the unified voices of Nashvillians,” said Councilmmember Zulfat Suara, noting that Nashville was stripped of a Democratic congressional seat in 2022 when state Republicans — in a similar move — split Davidson County into three districts.
“These maps were not drawn to reflect the people,” Suara added. “They were drawn to control the people. They were drawn because the protections that once prevented racial gerrymandering have been stripped away by the very court entrusted to uphold them. What we are witnessing is not a simply a political maneuver. It is a direct attack on the fundamental promise of American democracy — that every person's vote should carry equal weight.”
Councilmember Jeff Preptit called the redistricting “nothing short of state-sponsored racism.”
In other business:
On first reading, the council advanced the budget ordinance and property tax rate for fiscal year 2027 as lengthy debate over Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s proposed $3.8 billion budget is set to commence next month.
Final approval was given to a zoning bill attempting to streamline the opening of additional — and more affordable — childcare centers in Nashville. The legislation is part of a package of bills by the council and the mayor seeking to expand childcare services in the area.
A nonbinding resolution was approved denouncing what the council calls a “hostile takeover” of the Metro Nashville Airport Authority by the state. This follows the Tennessee General Assembly passing legislation earlier this year that allows the state to take over local airport authorities within Tennessee’s metro airports. It would allow the state to appoint members to a nine-person commission overseeing certain airports in the state, including the Nashville International Airport.
The council reelected Nathaniel Carter, the sole candidate, to serve on the East Bank Development Authority. His term will now expire in 2030.
