OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Metropolitan Council Meeting - July 16, 2024: Transit Referendum, Housing Bills, and Commission Elections

Metropolitan Council — Tuesday, July 16, 2024
BodyNashville, Tennessee
SessionMetropolitan Council
DateTuesday, July 16, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
1:01

And we'll go ahead and start the announcement period.

1:04

We do not have any presentation tonight.

1:08

But before we start council member announcement, I want to make a statement.

1:14

I think it's very important to uh citizens to be able to hear this.

1:20

This morning, some anti-Semitic leaflets were passed out in Sylvan Pack.

1:26

A couple of weeks ago, there were leaflets in North Nashville.

1:32

We've seen people parading our streets with anti-Semitic chance.

1:38

We also had someone destroy crosswalk that was painted by our LGBTQIA community.

1:46

I want to say to all these visitors from out of town, you're not welcome here.

1:53

The people in Nashville are very welcoming.

1:56

It is a city where a Muslim council person is friend with a Jewish council person and an LGBTQ council person.

2:03

It is a city that welcomes immigrants, and it is a city that preached love for all of us.

2:10

So you have the right to match, but there's no room for H.

2:14

One of my favorite quote is by John Lewis.

2:17

John Lewis said, I believe in freedom of speech, but I also believe that we have an obligation to condemn speech that is racist, bigoted, homophobic, anti Semitic, Islamophobic, or hateful.

2:36

And so I want to say to all our residents, please do not engage this group.

2:42

Part of the lessons of Lawson and Lewis is non-violence.

2:47

And so they want attention, you don't have to give it to them.

2:56

And that when you come for one of us, you're coming for all of us, and we continue to stand together as nice villains.

3:02

Thank you.

4:09

Thank you.

4:24

Just an update on what's going on in the community as well as a chance to meet your councilperson and ask questions.

4:30

On July 27th, we have a backpack giveaway for school children that are going back for this year.

4:36

It will be at Temple Baptist on Old Hickory Boulevard from 10 a.m.

4:41

to noon.

4:41

All the information about this can be found on my social media page.

4:58

And so we're here, and we will continue to be here.

5:00

And as we said in February, when hate rears its head, we will fight back stronger and harder and united together.

5:07

As you know, Jewish council members and Muslim council members and Christian council members and LGBTQ and black and white and everyone has stood together in this body over and over again.

5:15

And if some losers want to come in from out of town and try to do something, they can do that, but we will fight back harder and louder and stronger.

5:23

And so I just want to say that to the members of the public.

5:25

We are working hard to fight back and push back, and people have a right to speak, but we have a right to condemn it back.

5:30

So we will continue to do that.

5:32

Thank you, Council Member.

5:37

And now on to the more uh more mundane, mundane business here.

5:41

Um July 17th, 6 30 to 8 p.m.

5:44

I want to lift up um Councilman Swara and others are having a rally at Diane Nash Plaza for lighting lighting our world memorial vigil honoring James Lawson and John Lewis.

5:53

Thank you for for coordinating that.

5:55

Um July 18th, 7 p.m.

5:57

to eight to nine p.m.

5:58

Pink Flamingo Happy Hour, hosted by Courtney West Schroeder um in Salem Town.

6:03

Uh July 18th, also 6 30 to 7 30 p.m.

6:06

the Gulch Neighborhood Association will meet at Marble Fox.

6:08

July 20th, 9 30 to noon.

6:10

Uh neighbor to neighbor is going to have a traffic and transit uh event, so please check that out.

6:15

We're excited about transit tonight.

6:17

Um, and then again, July 25th, uh, 7 to 9 is another Pink Flamingo happy hour.

6:22

July 27th, 9 to 10 is the German town neighborhood cleanup, and July 27th is the Salem Town Neighborhood Association cleanup with German town um from 6 to 8 p.m.

6:32

So thank you so much.

6:34

Thank you, Council Member.

6:35

Council Member Gamble, you're recognized.

6:39

Thank you, Madam Pro TM, and thank you for your words at the start of this meeting.

6:44

That is very, very poignant, and I appreciate that.

6:47

I want to say that the there will be a district three quarterly meeting.

6:55

District three quarterly meeting on July 23rd at 6 p.m.

6:59

at the Parkwood Community Center.

7:01

We'll be hearing about several proposed projects for District 3.

7:05

So I invite community members to come out and provide input on that.

7:09

That is July 23rd, 6 p.m.

7:11

at the Parkwood Community Center.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████████34%
Community Engagement████████8%
Zoning and Land Use███████7%
Public Arts██████6%
Governance Structure██████6%
Homelessness██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Public Transportation█████5%
Affordable Housing█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Metropolitan Council Meeting - July 16, 2024

The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County held its regular meeting on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at 6:30 PM in the Historic Metro Courthouse. The meeting lasted approximately 4 hours and included public comment, elections to boards and commissions, consideration of a transit improvement program, zoning and housing legislation, and multiple resolutions. Key outcomes included placing a transit funding referendum on the November 2024 ballot, passing an adaptive residential development bill on third reading, and advancing a homeless services inventory requirement.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of July 2, 2024.
  • Approved the consent agenda (34-0-0), which included numerous resolutions and ordinances that had unanimous committee support, such as:
    • RS2024-568: $1,971,656.19 grant to The Salvation Army for homeless services.
    • RS2024-591: $760,554 from Barnes Fund to The Housing Fund for affordable housing.
    • RS2024-593: First amendment to affordable housing grant contracts with Affordable Housing Resources, Inc. and Project Return, Inc.
    • RS2024-595: Cooperative purchasing agreement for fleet management.
    • BL2024-391: Ordinance to regulate food, beverage, and merchandise vending trucks in the public right-of-way.
    • BL2024-442: Amendment to Comcast telecommunications contract.
    • BL2024-443 and BL2024-444: Greenway conservation easements.
    • Multiple zoning changes on second and third reading.
    • BL2024-427: Transit improvement program (Choose How You Move) – placed on consent but later removed? Actually it was on second reading consent, then removed? Wait, check transcript: Councilmember Parker moved consent agenda and it was approved. BL2024-427 was listed on consent on second reading? In minutes, BL2024-427 was on consent? Actually in agenda item 82 is BL2024-427 on second reading. In minutes, under Consent Agenda, it lists BL2024-427 as part of consent? The minutes say "An ordinance adopting a transit improvement program... BL2024-427" but then it says "The bill was approved by the Budget and Finance Committee, Planning and Zoning Committee, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee." It was included in the consent vote? However, during the meeting, the transit item was not removed from consent; it was passed as part of consent. Let's verify transcript: The consent agenda was read and voted on. BL2024-427 was included. No one removed it. So it passed on second reading as part of consent. Therefore it is on the consent calendar.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Rabbi Dan Horwitz (Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville) – Spoke in support of BL2024-427 (transit) but primarily urged enforcement of existing ordinances against masked groups, citing recent anti-Semitic incidents. He stated that laws are not being enforced and called for the city to enforce them.
  • Nicole Williams – Spoke in support of BL2024-187 (adaptive residential development) and opposed an amendment by Councilmember Gamble that would restrict housing without commercial space. She argued that encouraging residential along corridors creates vibrant mixed-use areas.
  • Mac Miller – Supported BL2024-187 and BL2024-427, emphasizing the need for transit improvements and sidewalks.
  • Madeline Roberson – Supported BL2024-427, noting that over 2,000 residents want dedicated transit funding. She highlighted that Nashville is one of few large cities without such investment.
  • Ashley Northington (Moving Forward of Middle Tennessee) – Supported BL2024-427, calling it a foundational step for equitable opportunity.
  • Nia Welch – Supported BL2024-427, requesting bus route changes to improve access to Glencliff High School.
  • Aaron Manning – Supported BL2024-427, concerned about the McGavock bus stop being moved.
  • Manin Hall – Supported BL2024-427 and BL2024-187, citing personal desire for car-free living and praising the adaptive residential bill for expanding housing options.
  • Pat Halper – Supported BL2024-427, sharing a story of a friend who lost his job due to lack of transit. Emphasized 24/7 service benefits.
  • Aaron O'Dowd – Supported BL2024-427, described as a musician and marketing worker who cannot afford a car and relies on Ubers. He advocated for better transit for artists.
  • Emory Hartz – Supported BL2024-427, noted that riding the bus extended the life of her vehicle.
  • Gabriel Soto – Supported BL2024-427, works at a health center and described patients missing appointments due to lack of transportation. (Total public comment time was 20 minutes, with multiple speakers using 2 minutes each.)

Elections and Appointments

  • Nashville Music, Film, and Entertainment Commission (three vacancies):
    • First round: Gina Miller (33 votes), Stephanie Silverman (25 votes) elected. Second round: Mo Sabri (26 votes) elected. Others: Anastasia Brown (9), Ross Holmes (9), Lynette Kraft (1) – not elected.
  • Arts Commission (Mayra A. Yu) – Re-referred to next meeting.
  • Auditorium Commission (Jerry Pentecost) – Withdrawn.
  • Benefit Board (Christy Pruitt-Hayes) – Deferred one meeting.
  • Farmers Market Board (Patricia Tarquino) – Deferred one meeting.
  • Procurement Standards Board (Kim Sansom) – Re-referred to next meeting.
  • Short-Term Rental Appeals Board (Julie Caputo) – Deferred one meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Rule 13 Amendment (H1) – Proposed amendment to Rules of Procedure deferred one meeting at sponsor’s request (Councilmember Benedict).
  • Late Resolution (K1) – Resolution condemning attempted assassination of former President Trump and political violence failed to be introduced due to objection to suspension of rules.
  • RS2024-592 – Grant of up to $7,000,000 from Barnes Fund to William Franklin Buchanan Community Development Corporation for affordable housing using ARPA funds. Approved 31-0-0.
  • RS2024-594 – Second amendment to grant contract with Urban Housing Solutions for affordable housing. Approved as amended (32-0-0). Amendment was housekeeping.
  • RS2024-596 – Settlement of Maggie Lawrence’s claim against Metro for $545,806.66. Approved 31-0-0 after discussion on litigation history.
  • RS2024-604 – Resolution honoring former Councilmember Edith Taylor Langster. Approved 32-0-0.
  • RS2024-605 – Resolution recognizing University of Tennessee baseball team’s 2024 National Championship. Approved 31-0-0.
  • RS2024-606 – Resolution recognizing July 2024 as Parks and Recreation Month. Approved 29-0-0 with Rule 12.3 (all affirmative votes as cosponsors).
  • RS2024-607 – Resolution recognizing July 2024 as Disability Pride Month. Approved 29-0-0 with Rule 12.3.
  • RS2024-608 – Resolution supporting Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball in January 2025. Deferred to August 20, 2024 meeting.
  • BL2024-468 through BL2024-475 – Bills on first reading passed collectively (except BL2024-469). BL2024-469 (police operations) deferred three meetings.
  • BL2024-343 – Ordinance to amend Arts Commission membership and grant criteria. Extensive debate on amendments. Sponsor Styles withdrew the bill after multiple amendments (including one to remove council member from commission) passed.
  • BL2024-344 – Ordinance to amend selection of members to Music, Film, and Entertainment Commission. Passed on second reading as amended (amendment two requiring council member elected by full council, and amendment three adding NSAI representative). Voice vote with one abstention.
  • BL2024-426 – Ordinance on grading permit and drainage plan review. Deferred one meeting per Rule 8.
  • BL2024-428 – Ordinance establishing East Bank Development Authority. Passed on second reading (voice vote) with deferral of third reading to August 20, 2024.
  • BL2024-441 – Ordinance on algae, moss, mildew, lichen, fungus. Deferred one meeting per Rule 8.
  • BL2024-466 – Ordinance approving option agreements for new elementary school in Antioch. Deferred to first meeting in August with public hearing.
  • BL2024-187 – Ordinance to expand adaptive residential developments in non-residential zones. Passed on third reading (27-7-0) after amendments to restrict short-term rentals in new entitlements and housekeeping.
  • BL2024-271, 272, 317, 318 – Specific plan zoning and building material restrictions for properties at Homestead Road and Buena Vista Pike. All deferred one meeting.
  • BL2024-390 – Ordinance requiring Office of Homeless Services to maintain an inventory of homeless service providers. Passed on third reading (22-12-1) after discussion on administrative burden and potential for harassment. Director of Homeless Services expressed support.

Key Outcomes

  • Transit Improvement Program (BL2024-427) – Approved as part of the consent agenda on second reading, clearing the way for a county-wide referendum on November 5, 2024, to levy a surcharge on certain taxes to fund the program.
  • Adaptive Residential Zoning (BL2024-187) – Final passage (27-7-0) expands housing in commercial zones along corridors, with an amendment prohibiting short-term rentals in new entitlements.
  • Homeless Services Inventory (BL2024-390) – Passed (22-12-1); requires the Office of Homeless Services to maintain and regularly update a list of providers and their services by zip code.
  • Arts Commission Membership (BL2024-343) – Withdrawn by sponsor after amendment to remove council member from commission passed; sponsor will refile.
  • Music, Film, and Entertainment Commission (BL2024-344) – Passed on second reading; includes a council member elected by the full council and a representative from the Nashville Songwriters Association International.
  • Elections – Three new members elected to the Nashville Music, Film, and Entertainment Commission: Gina Miller, Stephanie Silverman, Mo Sabri.
  • Appointments – Several appointments deferred or re-referred for further consideration.
  • Rule Change – Deferred to August 6, 2024.
  • Late Resolution – Failed to be introduced due to objection.

Meeting Transcript

And we'll go ahead and start the announcement period. We do not have any presentation tonight. But before we start council member announcement, I want to make a statement. I think it's very important to uh citizens to be able to hear this. This morning, some anti-Semitic leaflets were passed out in Sylvan Pack. A couple of weeks ago, there were leaflets in North Nashville. We've seen people parading our streets with anti-Semitic chance. We also had someone destroy crosswalk that was painted by our LGBTQIA community. I want to say to all these visitors from out of town, you're not welcome here. The people in Nashville are very welcoming. It is a city where a Muslim council person is friend with a Jewish council person and an LGBTQ council person. It is a city that welcomes immigrants, and it is a city that preached love for all of us. So you have the right to match, but there's no room for H. One of my favorite quote is by John Lewis. John Lewis said, I believe in freedom of speech, but I also believe that we have an obligation to condemn speech that is racist, bigoted, homophobic, anti Semitic, Islamophobic, or hateful. And so I want to say to all our residents, please do not engage this group. Part of the lessons of Lawson and Lewis is non-violence. And so they want attention, you don't have to give it to them. And that when you come for one of us, you're coming for all of us, and we continue to stand together as nice villains. Thank you. Thank you. Just an update on what's going on in the community as well as a chance to meet your councilperson and ask questions. On July 27th, we have a backpack giveaway for school children that are going back for this year. It will be at Temple Baptist on Old Hickory Boulevard from 10 a.m. to noon. All the information about this can be found on my social media page. And so we're here, and we will continue to be here. And as we said in February, when hate rears its head, we will fight back stronger and harder and united together. As you know, Jewish council members and Muslim council members and Christian council members and LGBTQ and black and white and everyone has stood together in this body over and over again. And if some losers want to come in from out of town and try to do something, they can do that, but we will fight back harder and louder and stronger. And so I just want to say that to the members of the public. We are working hard to fight back and push back, and people have a right to speak, but we have a right to condemn it back. So we will continue to do that. Thank you, Council Member. And now on to the more uh more mundane, mundane business here. Um July 17th, 6 30 to 8 p.m. I want to lift up um Councilman Swara and others are having a rally at Diane Nash Plaza for lighting lighting our world memorial vigil honoring James Lawson and John Lewis. Thank you for for coordinating that. Um July 18th, 7 p.m. to eight to nine p.m. Pink Flamingo Happy Hour, hosted by Courtney West Schroeder um in Salem Town. Uh July 18th, also 6 30 to 7 30 p.m. the Gulch Neighborhood Association will meet at Marble Fox. July 20th, 9 30 to noon. Uh neighbor to neighbor is going to have a traffic and transit uh event, so please check that out. We're excited about transit tonight. Um, and then again, July 25th, uh, 7 to 9 is another Pink Flamingo happy hour. July 27th, 9 to 10 is the German town neighborhood cleanup, and July 27th is the Salem Town Neighborhood Association cleanup with German town um from 6 to 8 p.m. So thank you so much. Thank you, Council Member.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com