Late night on April 4, the Metro Council adjourned without a final vote on a legislative package paving the way for a new $2.1 billion Titans stadium on the city’s East Bank. On Tuesday, legislators will consider the package again on second reading along with 27 new amendments related to council oversight, funding carve-outs, casinos and minority business participation.
Lawmakers punted the bill on second reading two weeks at the behest of the Titans and mayor’s office. The delay provided plenty of time for opponents to organize a response to a curveball from District 21 Councilmember Brandon Taylor, who barely passed an amendment that promised a portion of every ticket sold for a non-NFL event back to Metro’s general fund. The legislation captures a $3-per-ticket "rent payment" introduced in the new lease for non-NFL events on top of an existing 3 percent per-ticket tax that’s been collected for more than a decade, and will escalate from 3 percent to 10 percent year over year.
“I spoke out on this because I care about my district,” Taylor tells the Scene. Taylor represents a large chunk of North Nashville, including Tennessee State University. “This was the only thread I could pull to get money coming back to the community. This was the only way – a fixed income revenue stream the Titans already planned for. I just changed a dollar sign to a percentage.”
The extra cost caused industry groups and the Titans to bristle — the team will operate the stadium and hoped to use money collected on site to furnish a variety of funds dedicated to debt service, stadium maintenance, repairs and capital expenses.
The explosion of amendments, as well as majority support for Taylor’s amendment, reflects legislators’ impressions that the Titans deal leaves Nashville with too little control. For the past 16 months, negotiations have taken place in private between Mayor John Cooper and team executives. The council conducted a parallel process via the East Bank Stadium Committee, an attempt to educate itself and the public on the ins and outs of the city’s position ahead of legislation that started to come over from the mayor’s office late in the fall. The process has left Cooper arguing the merits of a final product, finding enough votes for approval rather than piecing together citywide buy-in. Now, representatives have a chance to voice their feedback. The council’s laundry list of amendments could lead to further delays or, at the very least, a late Tuesday night.
One of this week’s amendments comes from District 4 Councilmember Jennifer Gamble, who worked with the Titans and the mayor to replace Taylor’s proposal with language directing 3 percent per-ticket rent to the Nashville Needs Impact Fund. Fellow Councilmembers Sharon Hurt, Zulfat Suara, Burkley Allen, Brett Withers, Joy Styles, Tonya Hancock, Zach Young, Bob Nash, Nancy VanReece, John Rutherford and Robert Swope have signed on as co-sponsors. The broad political alliance is a positive sign ahead of Tuesday night's meeting.
“We need this to go to a designated fund to address affordable housing, infrastructure, transit and also equity in sports,” Gamble tells the Scene. “With the general fund, future members and mayors could direct it to capital projects, but I want to make sure we have a designated fund in case that work doesn’t happen.”
The two-week delay also allowed councilmembers Bob Mendes, Freddie O’Connell, Sharon Hurt, Russ Pulley and Courtney Johnston to tack on 26 proposed amendments in addition to Gamble’s redirect. Pulley’s amendment — backed by Johnston, Zach Young, Bob Nash and Tonya Hancock — strikes the Taylor amendment altogether. O’Connell proposes any rent payment over $3 per ticket go to the general fund and calls for an additional payment from the team to the Nashville Needs fund that would start at $1 million and increase by 3 percent a year. Many of Mendes’ tweaks add council oversight to the lease terms. Hurt’s amendment requires the Titans to work with the Metro Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance on DEI and minority participation goals. Johnston’s amendment would require council approval if the Titans want to add on-site gambling.
None of these would have been discussed if the agreement had passed two weeks ago, as legislation can’t be amended on third reading.
