The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County met in regular session on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in the Metropolitan Courthouse. The meeting included public hearings on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, extensive public comment, and action on numerous resolutions and ordinances. Key themes included the FY2026 operating and capital budgets, affordable housing, Metro employee pay, eviction legal defense, and community safety initiatives.
Announcements. All right. I want to start off. I want to start off by acknowledging uh the native land we are currently on. Uh, as a reminder, these are native lands. Uh, these are originally the Cherokee, the Shawnee and the UC people lands. Um, and I want to read a quote that I read last week because I still think it's relevant to our current times. Terrible things are happening outside. At any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return from shopping to find their homes sealed, their families gone. Anne Frank. You all are Nashville, you all are Davidson County, you all are Tennessean. No matter where you were born, who you love, what religion you practice, what you look like, you all belong here. All right. We do have one presentation today by Councilmember Coopin, who will be reading in regard to foster care month. Uh I think it's on. Is it on? Good. Well, good evening, everyone. Um, I'm really excited to be joined by a rising superstar, Ella Batamy. She um has worked really hard at the state to get a law passed, um, a foster youth bill of rights. Um, and just really exciting work to get up there and testify and and work with legislators to make something happen. Um, so really, really exciting, and so we had a resolution recognizing uh foster care month and foster care memorial day. Um, and so want to uh read through this real quick. So this is a resolution recognizing May 2025 as National Foster Care Month in Nashville and Davidson County, whereas National Foster Care Month provides an important opportunity to raise awareness of the needs of the more than 391,000 children and young people in foster care. When people are encouraged to wear blue to support youth in foster care, and whereas a 2024 State of the Child in Tennessee report found that more than 5,200 foster youth resided in Tennessee, and more than 800 youth aged out of foster care in the state in 2023, and whereas to support those in foster care, the Tennessee General Assembly passed Senate bill 1015 in April 2025. And whereas the bill was drafted and advocated for by Ella Brynn, a Nashville teenager and Metropolitan Nashville public schools graduate who aged out of foster care. And whereas Ms. And whereas Miss I don't know me mispronounces Brennan, thank you very much, used her own experiences in the foster care system to call for change and lead the passage of the bill, which ensures children in state custody have the right to education, housing, and medical care. The bill also ensures children can contact legal representation without restriction and can report violations of personal rights without punishment and whereas the General Assembly separately passed House Bill 103, which extends transitional services for former foster youth from age 21 to age 23. And whereas it is the job of all residents of Nashville and Davidson County to protect the best interest and welfare of foster children in our community, and whereas it is also the role of the community to mourn the loss of those youth who die while in foster care, acknowledging their inherent value as human beings and remembering their lives as a parent would whereas organizers plan to dedicate the third Sunday in May to memorialize youth who have died in foster care and teamwork. Whereas it's fitting and proper for the Metropolitan Council to recognize the thousands of youth in foster care in Tennessee, their foster parents, and those who advocate for their best interests and welfare during and after their time as foster youth, and whereas it is further fitting and proper to honor and remember those who have died while still in foster care. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the council of the metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County that the Metropolitan Council goes on record recognizing May 2025 as National Foster Care Month in Nashville, Tennessee. The resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government requiring it. Congratulations. If you'd like to say a few words, today, um, we recognize both youth who are in foster care, but the youth who have passed away in custody, and I would like to share how many that is. It was 11 youth who died in foster care in 2021, nine in 2022, 13 in 2023, 11 in 2024, and six so far this year. Tonight, we remember them. We mourn them because they were valuable members of the Nashville community. I was privileged enough to be able to leave foster care behind me, and it's time that we acknowledge there are children who never will. You don't, and tonight there is a huge show out for issues in our community that we all care about. And I love seeing Nashville rally around these issues, and I urge you to consider foster care as one of those. We are the children of your community, and you don't have to foster a child to care to stand up for us. So I urge you to organize with your church, your library, whoever your community is, organize book drives, natural hair product drives, f mentor a child's, just care. There are so many ways to get involved. Um, and so I am beyond hopeful with the passage of this bill and this resolution that we as a community are going to rally around foster children. So I thank you on behalf of myself, the foster children in Tennessee, my siblings, and the kids who are suing DCS.