OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Nashville Metropolitan Council Regular Meeting - August 5, 2025

Metropolitan CouncilTuesday, August 5, 2025
BodyNashville, Tennessee
SessionMetropolitan Council
DateTuesday, August 5, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

He uh Swani and Yuchi Land.

0:04

A reminder that no one is uh illegal on stolen land.

0:10

All right.

0:11

We have a two presentations.

0:14

We're gonna start off with Councilmember Koopin.

0:17

Um Councilmember Coopin, are you ready?

0:29

Give me just a minute.

0:42

All righty.

0:44

Ah, thank you, Pro Tem for joining us as well.

0:47

Um I'm honored to have the uh family here of Dot Dobbins, um, who we know we tragically lost uh in June.

0:55

We also have members of the uh the Germantown neighborhood and German Town Commons among others.

1:00

Um and we know that this was such a horrific and tragic loss on our streets with somebody who was just walking home from the dog park and should be with us right now.

1:09

And so I know that since that moment we've done a lot of work to um not let this be in vain and to work on our infrastructure and save crossings and things like that.

1:18

Um, but obviously nothing will replace Dot to us.

1:22

So um we have a resolution that we passed as a counsel um honoring all the work and contributions that Dot made um to the neighborhood and also to the city, she was just an incredible woman and um forever will be in the record books of our city.

1:35

Um so I'd like to read that, read that to y'all now, and then we'll just kind of go around.

1:41

Um, whereas Dorothy Eileen Dot Dobbins was born on July 17th, 1947 in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

1:48

Her father, C.

1:50

Ray Dobbins was an ordained minister, and her mother, Mary Alice Smith Dobbins, was an elementary school teacher and whereas Dot was the second of seven children.

2:01

She grew up in Memphis, where she attended Central High School.

2:05

After graduation, Dot attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where she studied politics, religion, and history and whereas while in college, she became active in the YMCA, attending programs in New York and Berkeley.

2:22

She also participated in the memorial march for Martin Luther King Jr.

2:26

in Memphis in April 1968.

2:29

She graduated from SMU in 1969.

2:33

And whereas her graduation, whereas after graduation, Dot worked for a year in welfare service in Dallas and then became a resident advisor to disadvantaged teenage girls in a job corps program in New Jersey for one year after these experiences, she decided to attend law school and whereas in 1971, Dot entered Vanderbilt Law School as one of only 12 women in a class of 150.

3:07

For Dot Law School was a way to engage in her passion of community service, joining the organization now as the legal aid society of Middle Tennessee to provide legal assistance to low-income and vulnerable members of the community.

3:20

And whereas after law school, Dot began working full-time at legal aid.

3:28

She worked at legal aid for 13 years, becoming the head of the family law unit, and whereas in addition to her work with legal aid, Dot became a passionate advocate in Nashville.

3:41

She worked with the Nashville YWCA to establish the first domestic violence shelter in the city.

4:02

Whereas in 1987, Dot was invited to serve as the general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Human Services.

4:09

One of her greatest accomplishments was the passage of the Tennessee Uniform Standard of Child Support Law passed in 1989.

4:17

And whereas in 1990, Dot left the Tennessee Department of Human Services and began practicing law in the private sector.

4:28

In 1993, she partnered with her Vanderbilt Law School classmate Erwin Vennick to establish the firm of Dobbins and Vennick.

4:38

She continued in private practice for 20 years.

4:41

And whereas Dot also continued her work in the public sector, serving on the Metropolitan Social Services Commission and as a trustee of the public policy committee of Senior Citizens Inc., she also helped draft the first order of protection legislation in Tennessee to allow courts to issue orders to protect victims against abuse.

5:05

And whereas Dot was also committed to the Alternative to Violence Project, which is an international movement which offers experiential workshops that sensitize participants to violent tendencies in their lives and help them learn ways to defuse conflict and confront.

5:25

In 2006, she was trained and certified as an AVP facilitator and participated in numerous AVP workshops.

5:32

And she actually concluded a AVP exercise on death and dying for the National Friends Meeting on the very day she died.

5:40

And whereas Dot was also a founding member of the Cohousing Project of Germantown Commons, the first of its kind in Tennessee.

5:47

German Town Commons was founded in the Cohousing Community Model meant to nurture a sense of community and neighborly bond.

5:53

And whereas Dot was married to Paul Schrag from 1978 until his death in 2008 after a battle with a rare degenerative neurological disease, through which Dot served as a devoted caregiver.

6:05

And whereas Dot's rich life was tragically cut short on June 8th, 2025, when she was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking her dog Angel in a crosswalk on Third Avenue North in Germantown.

6:16

And whereas Dot is survived by her daughter Nan, her son-in-law, and four grandchildren, she was a true pillar of the Nashville community, and her tragic loss will be felt by many.

6:26

And whereas it is fitting that the Metropolitan Council honors the life of Dorothy Dot Dobbins for her many contributions to Nashville and Davidson County.

6:35

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Council of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County that the Metropolitan Council goes on record honoring the life and legacy of Dorothy Dot Dobbins and reflects on her important contributions to Nashville and Davidson County, and this resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

7:03

Thank y'all.

7:36

Thank you, Councilmember Coopin and Dot's family for being here.

7:59

All right.

8:17

And I'm gonna ask you all to bear with me while I get this out.

8:20

Um because the governor has authorized the National Guard to assist ICE.

8:28

Um and we also have the governor of Texas issuing arrest warrants for legislators for not having quorum, uh, which is not illegal.

8:38

We have a state who's looking we have states who are looking to redistrict to give themselves more seats.

8:45

And every day we still have people who are going missing because if it was about doing things the right way, then they wouldn't be snatching people after court because if you are going to work sites, then it wasn't about them being lazy.

9:01

Because if it was about picking up criminals, then you wouldn't be picking up mothers, children, even U.S.

9:10

citizens for just being brown.

9:15

Because if it was about patriotism, you wouldn't beat the father of three Marines.

9:20

Because if it was about the Constitution, you wouldn't be hiding who you are while you beat people, put people in camps, arrest judges, threatened to imprison electeds just based on how they vote.

9:34

A dictator is rising, and so I would encourage people not to look away.

9:50

Now we'll go on to announcements.

9:53

Councilmember Kimbrough, I believe you are in the queue.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning and Land Use██████████████████████████████████████████42%
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Community Engagement█████████████13%
Affordable Housing████████████12%
Public Safety████4%
Miscellaneous███3%
Traffic Management1%
Environmental Protection1%
Public Engagement1%
Summary of Proceedings

Nashville Metropolitan Council Regular Meeting - August 5, 2025

The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County held its regular meeting on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at 6:30 PM in the Metropolitan Courthouse. The meeting included a public hearing on the Nations Neighborhood Plan (a major rezoning and Urban Design Overlay), confirmation of 12 board appointments, and action on numerous zoning and infrastructure bills. The meeting adjourned after 10 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved en masse (32-0): Resolutions RS2025-1379 through RS2025-1412 (except items removed) and ordinances on second and third reading that received unanimous committee approval. Notable items include:
    • RS2025-1379: Renewable energy purchase agreement with TVA.
    • RS2025-1380-1383: Grants for juvenile justice, interpreter services, and economic mobility.
    • RS2025-1385-1412: Various property easements, encroachments, and infrastructure approvals.
    • BL2025-950, 951: Encroachment and stormwater agreements.
    • BL2025-897, 907, 912-924: Stormwater, water, and sewer infrastructure projects.
  • Items removed from consent: RS2025-1415 (HomeStyle Bakery recognition), BL2025-860/861 (Jones Avenue rezoning), and others were voted on separately.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Madeline Fahy, Claire Norris, Tana Miller, Mitchell Miller (all District 28 residents) spoke in opposition to BL2025-872/873 (Franklin Limestone Road industrial rezoning), citing traffic safety, lack of infrastructure, and overwhelming community opposition (over 1,400 petition signatures). They urged indefinite deferral.
  • Michelle Flynn spoke in support of RS2025-1413 (resolution urging state to pass HB 1442 on law enforcement identification), citing concerns about impersonation and public safety.
  • Public Hearing on BL2025-830, 831, 832 (Nations Neighborhood Plan): Approximately 30 speakers addressed the council. Supporters (including neighborhood association leaders, business owners, and planning professionals) argued the plan increases housing options, tree canopy, and stormwater management while preserving neighborhood character. Opponents (residents of the Nations) claimed inadequate community engagement, that the blanket upzoning to RM40 would allow excessive density, and that the plan fails to guarantee affordable housing or address infrastructure needs. The hearing lasted over an hour.

Discussion Items

  • Nations Neighborhood Plan (BL2025-830, 831, 832): Sponsor Councilmember Horton presented substitutes reducing the area from 329 to 293 acres and adding conditions. After debate, a motion to defer for six meetings was tabled (voice vote). The bills passed second reading on a roll call vote of 26-7-4 (830) and voice votes (831, 832) with Ellis and Kimbrough voting no, Lee abstaining. The bills are now before the Planning and Zoning Committee for amendments before third reading.
  • RS2025-1413 (Resolution supporting HB 1442): Councilmember Suara urged support, citing risks of impersonation by masked individuals. After discussion, the resolution passed 28-0-2 (Eslick, Nash abstaining).
  • BL2025-868/869 (Central Pike rezoning): Passed third reading as amended (33-0) after Councilmember Evans added a requirement for lighting improvements.
  • BL2025-872/873 (Franklin Limestone Road): Indefinitely deferred at sponsor Benton's request after public comment citing safety concerns.

Key Outcomes

  • Nations UDO and Rezoning (BL2025-830, 831, 832): Passed second reading with substitutes. Will be considered for third reading after committee review.
  • Franklin Limestone Road Industrial Project (BL2025-872/873): Indefinitely deferred.
  • Bar/Nightclub Parking Minimum Eliminated (BL2025-837): Passed second reading.
  • Historic Landmark Overlay for Harding Pike (BL2025-703/704): Public hearing deferred to October 2025.
  • FY2025 Debt Obligations: Mayor's message noted $158M tax anticipation notes, $61.1M refunding bonds, and $483.8M water/sewer revenue bonds.
  • Appointments Confirmed: 12 board appointments confirmed unanimously, including Electric Power Board, Hospital Authority, Human Relations Commission, Metro Action Commission, and Nashville Entertainment Commission.
  • Other Bills: Several zoning and infrastructure bills passed or deferred as noted in the agenda.

Meeting Transcript

He uh Swani and Yuchi Land. A reminder that no one is uh illegal on stolen land. All right. We have a two presentations. We're gonna start off with Councilmember Koopin. Um Councilmember Coopin, are you ready? Give me just a minute. All righty. Ah, thank you, Pro Tem for joining us as well. Um I'm honored to have the uh family here of Dot Dobbins, um, who we know we tragically lost uh in June. We also have members of the uh the Germantown neighborhood and German Town Commons among others. Um and we know that this was such a horrific and tragic loss on our streets with somebody who was just walking home from the dog park and should be with us right now. And so I know that since that moment we've done a lot of work to um not let this be in vain and to work on our infrastructure and save crossings and things like that. Um, but obviously nothing will replace Dot to us. So um we have a resolution that we passed as a counsel um honoring all the work and contributions that Dot made um to the neighborhood and also to the city, she was just an incredible woman and um forever will be in the record books of our city. Um so I'd like to read that, read that to y'all now, and then we'll just kind of go around. Um, whereas Dorothy Eileen Dot Dobbins was born on July 17th, 1947 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Her father, C. Ray Dobbins was an ordained minister, and her mother, Mary Alice Smith Dobbins, was an elementary school teacher and whereas Dot was the second of seven children. She grew up in Memphis, where she attended Central High School. After graduation, Dot attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where she studied politics, religion, and history and whereas while in college, she became active in the YMCA, attending programs in New York and Berkeley. She also participated in the memorial march for Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis in April 1968. She graduated from SMU in 1969. And whereas her graduation, whereas after graduation, Dot worked for a year in welfare service in Dallas and then became a resident advisor to disadvantaged teenage girls in a job corps program in New Jersey for one year after these experiences, she decided to attend law school and whereas in 1971, Dot entered Vanderbilt Law School as one of only 12 women in a class of 150. For Dot Law School was a way to engage in her passion of community service, joining the organization now as the legal aid society of Middle Tennessee to provide legal assistance to low-income and vulnerable members of the community. And whereas after law school, Dot began working full-time at legal aid. She worked at legal aid for 13 years, becoming the head of the family law unit, and whereas in addition to her work with legal aid, Dot became a passionate advocate in Nashville. She worked with the Nashville YWCA to establish the first domestic violence shelter in the city. Whereas in 1987, Dot was invited to serve as the general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Human Services. One of her greatest accomplishments was the passage of the Tennessee Uniform Standard of Child Support Law passed in 1989. And whereas in 1990, Dot left the Tennessee Department of Human Services and began practicing law in the private sector. In 1993, she partnered with her Vanderbilt Law School classmate Erwin Vennick to establish the firm of Dobbins and Vennick. She continued in private practice for 20 years. And whereas Dot also continued her work in the public sector, serving on the Metropolitan Social Services Commission and as a trustee of the public policy committee of Senior Citizens Inc., she also helped draft the first order of protection legislation in Tennessee to allow courts to issue orders to protect victims against abuse. And whereas Dot was also committed to the Alternative to Violence Project, which is an international movement which offers experiential workshops that sensitize participants to violent tendencies in their lives and help them learn ways to defuse conflict and confront. In 2006, she was trained and certified as an AVP facilitator and participated in numerous AVP workshops. And she actually concluded a AVP exercise on death and dying for the National Friends Meeting on the very day she died. And whereas Dot was also a founding member of the Cohousing Project of Germantown Commons, the first of its kind in Tennessee. German Town Commons was founded in the Cohousing Community Model meant to nurture a sense of community and neighborly bond. And whereas Dot was married to Paul Schrag from 1978 until his death in 2008 after a battle with a rare degenerative neurological disease, through which Dot served as a devoted caregiver. And whereas Dot's rich life was tragically cut short on June 8th, 2025, when she was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking her dog Angel in a crosswalk on Third Avenue North in Germantown. And whereas Dot is survived by her daughter Nan, her son-in-law, and four grandchildren, she was a true pillar of the Nashville community, and her tragic loss will be felt by many. And whereas it is fitting that the Metropolitan Council honors the life of Dorothy Dot Dobbins for her many contributions to Nashville and Davidson County. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Council of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County that the Metropolitan Council goes on record honoring the life and legacy of Dorothy Dot Dobbins and reflects on her important contributions to Nashville and Davidson County, and this resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it. Thank y'all. Thank you, Councilmember Coopin and Dot's family for being here. All right. And I'm gonna ask you all to bear with me while I get this out. Um because the governor has authorized the National Guard to assist ICE.

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