@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 Tuesday night, the Metro Council held a pre-budget public comment period, passed a $478.5 million capital spending plan, and ... leased some surface parking spaces?
Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
A $478.5 million capital spending plan passed without much discussion on Tuesday night. In years past, councilmembers have offered numerous amendments in an attempt to get priority capital projects funded in their districts. This time around, only one amendment was placed on the bill — from Councilmember Sean Parker, who currently represents the district home to the East Bank. It clarifies the projects eligible for funding under a general $5 million “East Bank Infrastructure Program Management/Coordination/Studies” line item, ensuring that the administration can’t use that money for anything explicitly stadium-related.
CM Freddie O’Connell noted that while he wasn’t totally thrilled with the lack of transit funding in recent CSPs, he didn’t want to take money away from other worthy projects. “It’s been made clear to us that this is not an opportunity for ‘both, and,’” O’Connell stated from the floor, adding that Finance Director Kelly Flannery would not have signed off on any attempts to increase the size of the pot.
Organizing (Art)works
The council held its second annual pre-budget public comment period on Tuesday night, an opportunity to hear from residents early in the budget process. Metro employees asked for a 5 percent cost-of-living adjustment for frontline staff — whose wages lag far behind those of management, according to SEIU organizer Maura-Lee Albert. And members of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope called for more funding for affordable housing and adoption of a truly non-police response model.
But the message that carried the news cycle came from a group of artists and heads of prominent arts organizations who want Nashville to dramatically increase its funding for the Metro Arts Commission — from the $4.8 million in the current budget up to $30 million. I spoke with Christine Hall, a local artist who gave passionate testimony on Tuesday. She participated in a grants-editing process with Metro Arts in the fall and was impressed with the focus on equity. “The arts are essential to the quality of life, character and culture of our city,” Christine says, “and I want to see funding that matches the beautiful output of the artists.”
Up, Up and Away
You never know what you’ll find on a Metro Council agenda. Case in point: an ordinance to let Airbus Helicopters borrow one of our shiny new cop copters for a five-day expo in Atlanta next month. CM At-Large Zulfat Suara questioned the wisdom of loaning out a helicopter that — at the time of its purchase — was presented as a dire need. The aging helicopters we had, we were told, were simply unfit to ensure the safety of Nashville residents. And so, as they always do, the council gave the police what they wanted, and Mayor John Cooper’s communications director TJ Ducklo got to tweet about it.
Cooper’s council liaison Mike Jameson assured Suara that the chopper would only be a short 40-minute flight away from Nashville if we needed it. I thought every minute counted in an emergency, but I guess the first 40 are free.
Meanwhile, on land, the council approved an agreement to lease 97 parking spaces from Bobby Joslin’s sign company. Joslin sits on the Airport Authority and is regarded by many as an influential figure in the world of Nashville politics. While the lease didn’t generate any discussion on the floor, CMs At-Large Burkley Allen and Bob Mendes had questions in the budget and finance committee. Metro has leased these spaces for several years at a rate of $4,000 a month. Now, suddenly, the monthly rate has jumped to $7,000 — a whopping 75 percent increase that, as Allen noted, far outstrips the price of inflation.
Metro lawyer Macy Amos shed some light on the situation. Apparently, Metro “failed to timely renew the lease” with Joslin. “In order to allow us to remain on the property,” Amos said, “these were the terms that the property owner would agree to.” We need the parking spaces; he owns the parking spaces. Parking spaces which were — as Mendes pointed out — appraised at only $6,000 per month.
Word is Joslin is among a contingent of Nashville power brokers who’ve been lobbying the legislature to pass a series of bills that would undermine Nashville’s right to self-government. And while state legislators are busy arguing that the council’s size makes it impotent, the council is down here casually passing thousands of pieces of legislation every term.
CM Sandra Sepulveda continues to absolutely crush the council TikTok game. I believe that if you live in her district, you should vote to reelect her in August. Her colleagues clearly need more time to practice her name, and I think we owe her that much for all the content with which she has blessed our timelines.
