@startleseasily is a fervent observer of the Metro government's comings and goings. In this column, "On First Reading," she'll recap the bimonthly Metro Council meetings and provide her analysis. You can find her in the pew in the corner by the mic, ready to give public comment on whichever items stir her passions. Follow her on Twitter here.
On the longest day of the year, the Council approved the budget, created a stand-alone Office of Homeless Services, and punished the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Whose Agenda Is It Anyway?
The Metro Council officially approved the budget on Tuesday night, advancing what Mayor John Cooper described as “My Agenda for Neighborhoods and Families.” Cooper was there, live and in stereo, to address the Council regarding “a budget that reflects values and priorities and supports a vision.” First question: What vision? I’ve been looking for one, and I can’t seem to find it. Second question: When do I get to gavel in a Council meeting? Because that is an important part of My Agenda, which reflects My Values and My Priorities and supports My Vision of one day ascending to the vice mayoral throne, thank you very much.
Budget and Finance Committee Chair Burkley Allen proposed a substitute budget that made about $15 million in budget modifications and added $8.6 million in increased spending to the mayor’s proposed budget. The lion’s share of those changes went toward filling the unforeseen $22.6 million gap in the Metro Nashville Public Schools budget. The bulk of the remainder was used to fund a raise for MNPS support staff, increase the cost-of-living adjustment for Metro employees, and pay for additional positions in various departments. The substitute also included $200,000 for the Sports Authority to fund an independent study of Metro’s liabilities with regards to Nissan Stadium. You know, just doing the literal bare-minimum due diligence that the mayor’s office doesn't seem interested in doing.
Several councilmembers offered amendments to Allen’s budget, most of which failed or were withdrawn. Despite warnings from finance director Kelly Flannery and CM At-Large Bob Mendes — the Council’s Resident Cassandra — CMs voted to deplete the already underfunded fund balance (Metro’s savings account) to give MNPS support staff a one-time bonus. And with some last-minute financial finagling, they managed to increase the subsidy to Nashville General Hospital, a top priority of the Minority Caucus. Most departments escaped unscathed, with the Council preferring to dip into reserves and various liability funds than to make hard decisions about resource allocation among departments.
All told, the net new spending in the Council’s approved budget was around $15 million, and the Council tinkered with less than 1 percent of the mayor’s proposed $2.97 billion budget. So maybe it is indeed fair to call it Cooper’s Agenda.
Order in the Courtroom
Vice Mayor Jim Shulman has a, shall we say, troubled past with managing the gallery. Recall the infamous 2020 public hearing on the budget, when Shulman scolded the residents who showed up at the courthouse to offer their opinions. With Shulman, you never really know what the rules of engagement will be. And Tuesday night was no different. He didn’t gavel down residents when they applauded CMs, as they did on multiple occasions throughout the night, but he drew the line at laughter, while telling the gallery that he’d let them applaud even though “we’re not supposed to.” First of all, does he know he’s in charge? Who’s making the rules about what we are and aren’t supposed to do in the Council chamber, if not ... the presiding officer of the Council? Second, I guess our options are to celebrate the actions of our elected officials or sit in silent introspection?
Who’s the Sucker Now?
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce has been fucking around for quite some time, and on Tuesday night, they finally found out. After seven years of trying and failing to get the Council to reduce or eliminate Metro’s contribution to the Chamber, CM Dave Rosenberg succeeded in reducing the Chamber’s funding by $98,700, down from the $175,000 originally budgeted. Now that money will go to the recently established Housing Division in the Planning Department. It was an unorthodox move for Rosenberg to call his colleagues “a bunch of suckers” as he implored them to vote in favor of his amendment, but hell, whatever works, man.
As I basked in the drama, I couldn’t help but feel like the criticisms from various CMs could just as easily be used to characterize the Council’s own relationship to the mayor’s office. Take this gem from CM Zach Young as an example: “What is this organization going to have to do before we realize we look like a bunch of fools every time we give them a penny?” I’ve wondered that myself on more than one occasion, as the Council accedes to the administration’s game playing, late filing and general disrespect. Sometimes, I think they forget they’re an independent body that doesn’t exist solely to further the Mayor’s Agenda. Alas, I’m sure the similarities will be lost on the Council as they gear up to fund a fancy new Titans stadium and maybe buy some more real estate, because why not?
Not to be overlooked, the Council also (finally) approved the creation of a new standalone Office of Homeless Services. Will the mayor take credit for this, as he does with most things the Council does? Only time will tell. I’ll catch you suckers on the flip side.
