Good evening, everyone.

Today is February the 3rd, and I am calling this announcement period to order.

I want to open by acknowledging that this meeting is being held on the unceded stolen land of the Cherokee, Shiny, and Yuchi people, and to remind you all that no one is illegal on stolen land built by stolen labor.

I want to thank all of the line workers who have been working around the clock to restore power for the many residents of Nashville who lost power after an unprecedented storm.

Thank you to everyone, all of our city employees and all of our workers that have been working to try to get people restored as quickly as possible.

Also, want to make sure that our residents know that there are services and resources available to them on Nashville.gov, as well as many council members have been sharing out those resources.

So please make sure if you are in need of uh support, please make sure uh to reach out.

Um, you can reach out to your council members, you could go to Nashville.gov to get that information.

Also, the mayor has announced a commission that will have nine members to which will serve of community leaders, experts in utility infrastructure, emergency response, and crisis communication.

Uh, this commission will investigate um if there was anything that uh NES or the city could have been done for to be better prepared uh to address this storm.

Uh, the commission's initial report is due no later than six months after the first meeting.

Vice Mayor Angie Henderson and myself have been named as two individuals on that nine member uh commission, and again, it is empowered to review and investigate NES's preparation and response to the storm, as well as the response from Metro and other agencies, as well as make recommendations on policy changes to improve response times and reduce significant delays and power restoration.

Lastly, before we uh open up the rest of the announcements, I would like to wish everyone a happy Black History Month.

Black History Month, which started off as Negro History Week by Carter G.

Woodson is now something that has been celebrated uh time and time again, and I would like to wish everyone a happy Black History Month.

I see some of my colleagues in the minority caucus hanging around the podium.

So I am going to uh kick it over to you all, Council Member Sorry, you're recognized.

Thank you, bro.

Um, it's my honor this evening to present a resolution honoring uh one of the individuals in the community that I've done a little walk.

And so this is resolution number highest 2025, 1657.

A resolution honoring Clemen Greenley for a service and dedication, the less privileged in Nashville and Davidson County.

Whereas Miss Clement Greenley and native of Nashville has transformed on Imagineable Losion to ill communities and power mothers and guide youth away from violence through a leadership as founder and CEO of Nashville Peacemakers and whereas Green Lee was raised in an environment where poverty and violence were commonplace, resultingly, she fell victim to sex trafficking, leading to years of drug addiction, homelessness, prostitution, and incarceration.

And whereas after the murder of her son related to gang violence, Miss Greenley was inspired to begin Nashville Peacemakers in 2003.

Nashville Peacemakers is a nonprofit that focuses on stopping violence in the community.

And whereas Nashville Peacemakers promote nonviolence through three pillars that seek to teach both basic life skills and self-worth during their most vulnerable years.

Another program provides peer support, advocacy, and healing spaces for grieving mothers recovering from the murder of their children.

And whereas through the Nashville Peacemaker Straight Talk program, Clemmy Greenley has prevented more than a dozen retaliatory gang shootings and received a CD to deter youth from becoming involved with gangs.

Straight Talk has expanded its work to go into prisons in Davidson County and across the nation to lower recidivism and help ease the transition from incarceration from incarcerated life and whereas her work has reached beyond city limits to influence state policy, serving as a community partner in the development and advocacy of House Bill 1021, landmark legislation expanding access to Tennessee's victims compensation funds unanimously through both chambers in 2024.

Whereas Miss Greenley is a valued partner of the Healed People, Heal People Campaign, a statewide initiative educating victims of violence about available resources and fostering community-based healing and violence prevention efforts.

She has served as a lead organizer for the Homeless Power Project and volunteers with the Center for Community Change, Nashville's NAACP, Jobs with Justice, and the Urban Epicenter.

And whereas every year she hosts Clemmy G's Community Community Day Festival, a Nashville tradition, bringing together youth, survivors, local artists, small businesses, and returning citizens to celebrate unity, redemption, and the power of community healing.

And whereas Miss Green Miss Greenlee's continues her devotion to community even through continued trials and tribulations.

In 2017, Miss Greenlee noticed a problem with her heart during a straight talk speech at San Quentin Prison in California.

She was diagnosed with broken heart syndrome requiring a heart transplant.

Since then, Miss Greenlee has made a full recovery and continues her outreach.

Praise God.

And whereas Miss Greenlee's extra extraordinary contributions have been recognized both in Nashville and across the nation through honors and awards, including the 2025 MBK Outreach Impact Award, the 2018 Nashville Legend Award, the 2007 Nashville of the Year Award from the Nashville scene, a Soros Justice Fellowship, and many others.

And whereas in 2024, the School of the Great Commission Bible College and Seminary saw it fit to honor her dedication to her faith and her community by awarding Miss Clemmy Greenlee an honorary doctorate in Christian humanities.

And whereas her story of transformation and resilience is featured in the 2025 document documentary, Clemmy G unfiltered.

Which chronicles her journey from survivor to national advocate, inspiring generations to believe that healing and justice coexist.

The film was honored as the best short story documentary and 2025 International Black Film Festival.

And whereas throughout her life's walk, Miss Greenley has embodied the spirit of radical love and fearless compassion, standing as living proved that one person's courage can ignited movement of peace, restoration, and hope.

Nashville and Davidson County have been better true of tireless work and endless compassion.

Now, therefore, beat resolved by the Council of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

The Metropolitan County Council goes on record as recognizing Miss Clemen Greenley for a dedication to the people of Nashville and Davidson County.

This resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the wealth of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Ladies and gentlemen, Ms.

Greenley.

First of all, I want to take a bow to my God.

Second, I want to take a bow to the people in back of me.

After reading all that, I got tired.

I just love what I'm doing.

I have no idea that I have been going hard like that.

I really haven't.

So I really just thank you for coming.

You saw one documentary.

You met me one time and you saw what I've been wanting people to see for the last 10 years.

That I am who I am and I'm about my community.

I just want to thank everybody.

I know majority of y'all wasn't here for that.

You just didn't know it, and I thank God you got stuck.

I want to thank my team back here.

Wave your hand.

Let him come for the future.

Okay, come for the picture.

Come for the picture.

Come up for the picture.

Anyone want to join me and let me join you guys?

Please feel free to reach out to me because we all need to get back out here and do some stuff.

Where are your people?

Come on.

Come on, y'all.

Um, can you go around and wait so you can get a picture of everybody?

Oh, sure.

No, he got that's yeah, that's not that's not here.

All right.

Um, thank you for for everything.

Thank you for all that you can do all again.

Oh god.

And the feedback.

Congratulations.

Very well deserved.

Colleagues, does anyone else have announcements?

Councilmember Styles, you are recognized.

This Friday, I am very happy to announce the very first building of Chinatown will be opening at 9 a.m.

That is on Hickory Hollow Parkway.

It is behind the Red Lobster.

You won't be able to miss it.

We're going to have a phenomenal time.

We have entertainment.

It's going to be a big party.

So I hope everyone will be able to join us.

And you're about to have some flyers on your desk.

Thank you, Councilmember Styles.

Uh, I did want to make a quick uh correction for any neighbors who are still in need of assistance from the storm.

United Way has a free and confidential hotline that you can call by dialing 211, or you can submit them to the city's needs tracker at Nashville Responds.org.

Colleagues, will anyone else like to be recognized for.

Nashville Response.com, not dot org.

Thank you.

Oh, okay.

I was just told that they both.

Yes.

Okay, we're gonna check and see y'all, because I read it from a press release.org, but I'm hearing.com, so we'll check and make sure that we have the right one.

Okay, so it is.com, Nashville Response.com.

Thank you, everyone.

Colleagues, will anyone else like to be recognized?

Uh Councilmember Gamble, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Pro Tim.

I just want to announce uh the passing of former council member Walter Hunt.

Walter Hunt served as the District Three Council member from 2006 until 2015.

Uh, in addition to that, he was a great man and servant, public servant to the city of Nashville.

He worked for several mayoral administrations.

He was the former director of the Metro Action Commission.

And he was a great friend and buddy to me and others, a mentor to me and others, and he will surely be missed.

I will say that his uh funeral arrangements have been made.

His um, he will be lying in repos on Thursday.

Uh this Thursday, the this Thursday, uh, February 5th at Lewis and Wright funeral home uh from one to four o'clock.

There will be a family hour from four to six.

That's this Thursday, February 6th on Friday, February, February 5th, Thursday, Friday, February 6th, uh, will be the viewing at 10 o'clock and the funeral at 11 o'clock at Mount Zion Church in uh downtown uh on Jefferson Street.

So if you are able to attend, also there'll be a proclamation uh going around uh for council members.

Hopefully, you will sign on to that uh and just appreciate your support for his family uh during this time.

Also, I want to turn your attention to a notebook on your desk in recognition of Black History Month.

Uh, our favorite uh count uh council member Terry Vowe got these from Think Inc.

uh company, and this is just a nice notebook with the beautiful artwork and recognition of Black History Month.

So want to call your attention to that as well.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Gamble and former Councilmember Hunt will definitely be missed, and our condolences go out to his family and friends.

Colleagues, would anyone else like to be recognized for the announcement period?

Uh Councilmember uh Voe and then Councilmember Benedict.

And I did confirm everyone that both of those websites work, Nashville Responds.org will take you to Nashville Response.com.

Uh so hopefully you'll remember one of the two.

Councilmember Sorora, you're uh next after Councilmember Benedict.

Councilmember Voe, you're recognized.

Thank you so much, Pro Tem.

Um, I just want to let you know there's a lot of community support going on in District 17, and I want to make sure that people are aware.

Um tomorrow um from 1 to 4 p.m., uh Watson Grove Baptist Church is uh has opened their doors to a warming center, and uh we are partnering with Hattie Bees, who will be serving lunch um at one o'clock.

So please come out to that.

Um in the Napier neighborhood um from 12 to 2 every day this week.

Uh lunch is being provided.

These are all warm meals.

And in Napier, if you go to the Claiborne Family of Faith Worship Center, um they will have lunch for you there.

Um I want to congratulate the Tennessee Justice Center.

They turned 30 um last weekend, so they've had to reschedule and we will be celebrating that tomorrow um at their office.

But congratulations to them.

Um and then this weekend, there is the first of many lunar new year celebration at Plaza Maniachi on Saturday from 3 to 5:30.

Um, and there's also the uh Wedgewood Houston art call happening this Saturday.

Um, and I want everyone to um save the date for my first town hall uh happening this month.

It's gonna be on Saturday, February 21st.

Um doors will open at 9 30.

We'll have a little fair, and then the um town hall will start um at 10 o'clock, and it's at the Adventure Science Center.

And um anyone who's in attendance, and I really hope that families will come out after our town hall.

Anyone who attends can go to this Adventure Science Center um for free um and experience that with their families, and so very um excited about that.

And um, if you haven't heard, uh District 17 will be um getting to host uh the Olympics because Nashville Stadium has been chosen as one of the uh venues for soccer matches, and I am so proud and very excited and looking forward to that.

So I just wanted to make sure people knew.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Vaugh.

I haven't seen Councilmember Prepti that excited since uh in a while.

Councilmember Benedict, you're recognized.

Thank you, Pro Tim.

And I gotta say uh thank you for to the minority caucus for these booklets.

They feel I love the feel of a cover, and it's velvety.

Uh very nice to have, thank you so much.

Um, I've been really doing my best to communicate out to the district to um the past week on Instagram.

So for anybody who hasn't watched updates, there's a lot of updates there.

Wanted to give you uh one thing as I walked in.

If you live in District 7 and are in need of some shelter, I did have somebody reach out to me with an Airbnb.

They want it specifically to be for somebody in seven.

So I know that I'm saying this in front of everybody, but I just got it on my way in here and I wanted to offer that up.

Um, I also want to encourage people to go to Nashville.gov and look at the resources that are available there.

This is of course applicable to everybody, not just District 7.

And then I want to remind people that next Tuesday, uh, February 10th, we're going to have a joint committee meeting.

I think I just want to lift this up again and again and again.

Uh, we're gonna have a joint committee meeting to talk about the storm response.

Um there are a lot of resources around District 7.

And if anybody still has outages, we're down to a few hundred.

If you do still have a single outage, which is what we mostly have right now, send me an email and uh we'll get somebody right out.

Thank you.

Thank you, Pro Tem.

Thank you so very much, Councilmember Benedict.

Council Member Sora, you're recognized.

Thank you, Pro Tim.

Um, yes, I I do want to um offer or echo the Pro Tem and and talk to everyone.

Uh that uh we apologize.

We're sorry for what everybody's been through this last 10 days.

Uh I know I've had a lot of stories from so many people, different ones, and there's still people without power up till now.

So uh we're pushing, we're working, we're trying, we're doing all that we can.

Uh, but we do we do want to uh I I personally at least want to say we we uh sorry we'll do better with the commission that is uh in place and all the questions and the joint meeting, we'll get to the bottom of it, make sure it doesn't happen again.

I also wanted to thank everyone that has stepped up to help during this time.

Uh there's a lot of people that have been giving out foods.

Uh umb with hotels, uh council members, individuals, neighbors, Nashville stepping up to do what Nashville does best.

Uh, people taking their neighbors in uh into their homes.

That's what we've been doing.

And so we've all been doing this together, so I wanted to thank everyone.

Um lastly, I wanted to uplift something that I found out yesterday that uh I did not know about uh but run into residents that had medical issues uh but needing help and later found out that there is a priority list for people with medical issues.

Uh and that folks, I want to keep lifting it up that uh people should get registered on it.

If they're registered on that link, it makes sure that anytime there's a power outage, they becomes a priority.

And so uh people can go to um nestpower.com slash life support to get on that list for those that still don't have power.

Uh, keep reaching out.

You need food, you need uh anything.

Uh reach out to your council members, reach out to the ad large, whatever we can do uh to continue to manage this together.

So thank you, Pro Tim.

Thank you, Councilmember Swore.

You uh stole a little bit of my shine, but it's all good.

I'm gonna reiterate what you said.

We want to thank all of our neighbors and organizations and council members and metro departments that have been on the ground uh serving our community.

Obviously, we don't know every single group or organization that has been on the ground, but I do want to give a special shout out to I see Shiny Glampian in the audience.

She was acknowledged at the Tennessee State General Assembly this week by Senator Charlene Oliver for her efforts.

And I wanted to uh send a special thank you to Turks, Stand Up Nashville, the Equity Alliance for the work that they've done, knocking on doors in the community, helping with hotels and generators, um, along with several council members who've also been out in the community knocking on doors, talking to constituents, as well as our departments, MDHA, the fire department, OEM, MMPD.

Literally everyone has been uh trying to do the best that they can.

And I also wanted to acknowledge Ms.

Tamika White, who I see in the audience as well, who I know firsthand, has also been doing uh a lot of this work in heavy lifting.

So again, we know that there are so many people that are are doing this work, and we just want to thank every single person.

Um, there's not a way to thank every person by name, but those are a couple of individuals that I've seen um just on the front lines that have been doing so much of this work.

So uh colleagues, do we have anyone else that would like to be uh recognized?

Councilmember Sorora, you're recognized.

Uh, I don't want us to close out without thanking remix.

They are under a lot of food, and so I wanted to lift them up remix at Migrant Watch.

Thank you.

Thank you so very much, Councilmember Sorora.

We actually uh was able to see the remix in action yesterday while we were helping to support some neighbors um and council member cash's district.

So thank you again.

Um, so thank you to the remix.

Thank you, Council Lady Sorora.

Um, that's why you have to be careful when you start naming folks, because y'all always forget somebody, but thank you to every single person.

Um council members, does anyone else have announcements?

Council Lady Sapovida looked like she wanted to sing a solo.

Are you still are you on cue to sing, Council Lady?

Oh no, okay.

All right.

Well, with that, you are we're going to close the announcement period.

Will the meeting please come to order at a tech a quorum, and today is Tuesday, February the 3rd, 2026.

This is the 54th regular meeting of the current term of the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County.

There are 36 regular meetings remaining in this council term.

Will all members of the council as well as the public please rise for the invocation and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance?

The invocation is being offered this evening by District 9 Councilmember Tanya Hancock.

Miss Hancock, you are recognized.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

Winter Storm Fern is believed to have caused the death of five people in Davidson County.

Betty Doss, 79, Francis Pilkington, 93, Sharon Conyers, 46, Elmokia Martinez Oliveira, 39, James H.

Mitchell, 92.

Let's bow our heads in a moment of silence for those we have lost.

Thank you.

We will remember them forever.

Colleagues, Vice Mayor Henderson and Councilmember Allen, along with 13,330 others, are still without power.

And cruise across the city will not rest until all have power restored.

As I live through my seven days, two hours and fifteen minutes, but who's counting.

Staring at phones, wanting to be 70 degrees year-round, flipping light switches aimlessly as we walked in and out of rooms.

Much like sellers of yesteryear, so we could continue to have sustenance to get us through.

Even if that meant standing really close to them this past Saturday and Sunday when it was 40 degrees inside and close to zero outside.

Chess, clue, Uno Monopoly, and even basic car games like GoFish, all by candlelight.

The preparation the NDOT did to treat the ridge in advance of the storm, which made climbing out of my neighborhood by Thursday possible.

The work the NDS has done every day since the storm began, forever scaling to restore 216,700 people to power thus far and still not stopping.

And last, I'd like to say thank you to the National Fire Department and Metro Nashville Police Department, who, amongst all their other duties, came every single day to check on what will in my neighborhood be forever known as the burning pole, burning slowly to the ground, shrinking like a candlestick, but still burning every single day.

Until finally, after seven days and seven nights.

The poll was extinguished and power was restored and life could resume.

The neighborhood said a collective hallelujah.

If your poll has not been extinguished, or if your power has not been restored, please take care of yourself and your loved ones.

And if you need a warm space, let us take care of you at our community warming centers or Nashville Fire Department or Metro Nashville Police Department locations because soon you two will be restored, and hope is right around the corner.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Welcome, Council members, and welcome, members of the community.

We appreciate you joining us this evening for the second meeting of 2026 after a harrowing and icy week for our city.

Council members, I know you are exhausted, as are so many members of the Nashville community who have been without power for an extended period in dangerously cold conditions.

I want to express my appreciation for all the extra work that you have been carrying in service to the greater community and to your individual consistituents.

I know you have been the brunt of much frustration and anger, and so I want to make a special point this evening to recognize how challenging and important and valued your work is.

Weeks like this one just passed, remind us of the importance of our employees, programs, services, and public facilities that are funded through the operational budget.

And also the infrastructure that is planned through our capital improvements budget.

Speaking of the CIB, council members will have received a memo about the prioritization process from planning and zoning chair Horton and budget and finance chairtoomes, and an email uh from Mr.

Wilkinson on the council office team.

Uh, that work, that prioritization work is due February 11th, after which there will be a brief special joint committee on Tuesday, February 17th.

Members have a memo from me on their desk about nominations for a council colleague to serve on the Greenways and Open Space Commission.

We'll take those nominations at the next meeting.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of the honorable Walter Lee Hunt Sr.

Um just on January 26th, uh, just recently.

I know uh Ms.

Gamble mentioned that in our announcements portion.

Um but as a former council member having just passed, I do want to make sure that we acknowledge all those former council members in this main meeting.

Councilman Hunt represented District Three and served North Nashville on the council for two terms from 2006 to 2015.

He was a veteran, a U.S.

Army paratrooper with the 101st Airborne and a journey lineman with the TVA.

And I know we all have a special appreciation this week for the difficulty and importance of that work.

Later, he served in both counseling and leadership roles at the Metropolitan Action Commission and the Metro Social Services Department.

We extend our condolences to Mr.

Hunt's family.

Members will have received information about memorial services from Ms.

Hayes Shacklet and then also from Ms.

Gamble this afternoon and evening.

Mr.

Hunt was a trailblazer.

And I know we all look forward to learning more about the lives and stories of Nashville's Black leaders, educators, communities, cultural institutions, and universities during Black History Month throughout February.

Happy Black History Month.

All right.

Without objection, we will suspend the calling of the roll and ask the clerk to please record the names of all the members present throughout the meeting.

I will say that Jenny Welsh is here, and it is her birthday this evening.

So we have a lot of birthdays in this council.

Y'all are all special folks.

Some of you had a very recent birthday, but I'm not gonna share your birthday unless it's at this exact meeting, okay?

All right, so um uh approval of uh the minutes is their motion for approval of the minutes of the meeting of January 20th.

I hear the motion is properly seconded without objection, and seeing no one seeking to be recognized to change the minutes.

All right.

The minutes of the meeting of January 20th are approved.

Mr.

Clerk, are there any messages from the mayor?

There are no messages from the mayor.

Thank you, Mr.

Clerk.

All right, um, we're gonna roll right into our agenda.

Uh first is Section E, appointees and nominees.

This portion of the agenda shares all persons who are scheduled to appear before the rules, confirmations and public elections committee for an interview this evening.

Re-referrals back to the committee will be by rule as part of the council's two meeting process for elections and confirmations.

No votes will be taken by the body in this section of the agenda.

Chair Cash, your brief report, please.

No vote totals necessary, simply the names of those interviewed and for which seats, and also if a person wasn't able to attend your committee this evening at what meeting they will next appear.

Go ahead, Chair, you're recognized.

Okay.

Um, oops.

So tonight we interviewed um for the contract and compliance board, uh, the appointment of Marcus Booth.

Uh the for the historical commission, the reappointment of Don Kusick, and for the historical commission, the reappointment of Laura Roast.

Um then and then we deferred the reappointment of Shalon Haji for a term expiring uh February 2nd, 2029 to the Action Commission.

Uh we deferred one meeting zero to zero.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you.

Uh now for uh our confirmation, Section F of the agenda.

Chair Cash, you are recognized uh for your committee report on the appointees in the second step of your committee's two meeting process with vote totals and a consolidated motion for the confirmation of those persons, or first for a deferral motion if there are any.

Go ahead, sir.

No deferrals.

For the Civil Service Commission, the appointment of Kwan Pool for a term expiring March 31st, 2030.

Um favor, zero against zero not voting.

Uh for the Greenway and Open Space Commission reappointment of Maury Hill for a term expiring February 11th, 2029, approve aid and zero.

Eight in favor, zero against zero not voting.

And for the transportation licensing commission, the reappointment of Anne Butterworth for a term expiring January 31st, 2028.

Also approve A to 00.

Uh I move approval.

All right.

There is a motion to confirm these three appointees uh uh in a consolidated uh uh vote and is properly seconded.

Does anyone wish to remove an item from the consolidated motion for person purposes of an individual abstention or no vote?

Seeing none, all in favor, uh please say aye.

All right.

Um confirmed appointees uh or re-appointees.

If you chose to return to the council chamber this evening, which is not required, do please stand as I call your name.

Council has confirmed uh the appointment of Kwan Pool to the Civil Service Commission.

Keep standing, thank you.

Uh Council has uh confirmed the reappointment of Maury Hill to the Greenway and Open Space Commission.

And then lastly, council has confirmed the reappointment of Anne Butterworth to the Transportation and Licensing Commission.

Thank you both very much for being here.

Congratulations.

Uh, whether here in person or watching from home, uh, we appreciate your willingness to serve our city.

Again, congratulations.

All right.

Next, we are on to Section G uh in our agenda.

Nominations.

Uh members have uh received a memo uh from me uh previously, and this was announced at the last meeting.

Uh this is item G1 uh for nominations for the Transportation Licensing Commission.

Uh nominations to fill one vacancy on the commission with a term expiring on January 31st, 2028, with an election to be conducted at the March 3rd council meeting.

If you do have a nomination, please do enter the queue.

Uh Councilmember Spain, your recognized sir.

Thank you, Madam President.

I uh nominate Michael Hayes.

Okay.

Um council member Spain has nominated uh Michael Hayes.

Uh Councilmember Parker, your recognized, sir.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

I'd like to nominate Mannon Hall.

All right.

Councilmember uh Parker has nominated Mannon Hall.

Uh Councilmember Hancock, you're recognized.

I'd like to nominate Jarrett Webb.

Okay.

Uh Councilmember Hancock has nominated Jarrett Webb.

Do any other members seek to be recognized for a nomination to the Transportation Licensing Commission?

Okay.

Seeing none, the nominations are closed.

Uh Mr.

Clerk will contact uh your nominees, be in touch with you uh for that contact information.

And again, the election will be held uh or conducted rather at the uh March 3rd meeting um subsequent to these nominees uh being interviewed uh at our next February meeting.

All right, um that concludes our nominations.

Um and now uh we're moving to section H of our agenda.

This is our regular public comment portion.

Okay, so this is not our pre-budget public comment.

Um that will come immediately following.

Um, but this is for persons um who uh seek to speak on something uh other than the budget or another agenda item that we have uh this evening.

All right.

Uh members of the public who are Tennessee residents wishing to speak uh can sign up for public comment outside the council chamber from 5 to 6 p.m.

on the day of a council meeting.

Public comment in this portion is limited to 20 minutes uh total uh at our council meetings generally, and each speaker is allowed up to two minutes to speak.

Uh for our pre-budget public comment period, uh we have a space of two hours also with sign up and again with the same uh two minutes.

So uh first for our regular public comment.

Um, um uh, and I would ask I'll read just a few of you, and if you'd go ahead and um come forward and be ready to speak subsequently.

Uh first is Paul Plyman, uh, then Linda Ferris, and then Manon Hall.

Um Mr.

Plyman is speaking on agenda items 45 and 46.

Uh he is uh these are ordinances uh 2026, 1275, and 1276, and he is speaking in opposition.

Uh Mr.

Pleeman, you are recognized.

Okay, thank you.

Hi, Council.

My name is Paul Plyman.

I live in Ridgemont Estates.

I'm done pretending this has been a good faith process.

We've engaged at every step.

Community meetings, planning meetings, council meetings, and every single time we were clear.

We don't want this.

You keep citing that Nashville needs 90,000 homes by 20 uh 34 without disclosing that this is the most aggressive projection in that study.

The state of Tennessee's own projections for Davidson County over the same time period of time are closer to 12,000 homes.

Please explain the difference of 78,000 homes.

Roughly 200.

Oh, and recently we watched the ice storm.

Roughly 250,000 households lost power, of which mine was one.

Tens of thousands still remain without it today, and lives were lost.

This isn't the first time either, but we're told this city is ready to safely absorb 90,000 more homes.

That's not planning, that's negligence.

Now let's talk about integrity.

I submitted detailed policy-based objections to planning before their vote.

Only one commissioner read them beforehand.

At that same meeting, Councilmember Gamble told the record that a neighborhood resident supported this rezoning, then read a statement from Ellen Angelico.

Miss Angelico lives two miles away.

I wouldn't call that a neighbor.

That misrepresentation stood at the moment of decision while actual residents were done speaking.

Still, oh sorry.

And while all this was happening, false rumors about my character were circulated among members of council.

They are untrue.

And today I filed an ethics complaint, so the facts can speak for themselves.

So I'll end with this.

Do not vote based on narratives, rumors, or pressure.

Vote on the evidence, the same evidence residents have begged you to read.

Your time has been clear about this process.

Thank you.

Next is Linda Ferris, uh speaking also on agenda items uh 45 and 46 in opposition in opposition.

Go ahead.

Hi, I'm a fifth generation Nashvillean, and except for the time that my husband was active duty in the Marine Corps, I've lived here in Nashville for my six years.

I'm speaking on behalf of myself, my family, and my elderly neighbors, most of whom have lived in these homes for 40 years.

We are not opposed to building on this land.

They say that it's 13 acres, but some of those acreage or acres are underneath TVA power line, so that can't be built on.

We want them to build within this current zoning.

If you look at this right here, this is the land.

This is a church.

There is one home that has uh would would like for this to be developed.

All of this red does not want this developed.

We are asking you to please put the brakes on.

The infrastructure is still not what it needed to be, even years ago.

If you look at the dozens of emails our group has sent to Jennifer Gamble, uh council member gamble, we have told you over and over.

Electricity is dipping two or three times a week.

Um we sat on hold two years ago for 911 calls.

Our infrastructure is not in place to support all of this rapid building.

We ask you, please to put the brakes on until the infrastructure can catch up with this.

Um again, two years ago, I'll tell you a quick story.

My neighbor was face down, and when I called 911, they put me on hold and said, wait until you're answered in the order you were received.

The other day I called where a live poll was uh live line was down.

Again, waited four minutes.

After that, uh another friend I heard of waited 20 minutes to talk to somebody at 911.

NES is at fault for some of this, but our infrastructure was not up to par even before that happened.

Um, I thank you for your time, but I ask you to please you are there to represent the constituents.

We don't want this.

Stop putting money in the developers' pockets and take care of the Nashvilleans who have been here, who have lived here, and who pay their taxes here.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Next is uh Manon Hall.

Um Mr.

Hall will be followed by Abigail Ferris and Cade Wooten.

Uh Mr.

Hall is speaking on agenda item 20, resolution 2026, uh 1784 in support.

Go ahead.

Awesome.

I really like this, and I'm so glad that y'all filed this resolution to support the many people across Nashville that work for Nashville that work for NES that have been spending 16-hour shifts that have been working so dedicatedly hard to make Nashville come back to life.

And what I would love for those people that have been working so hard is for them to know that all the people that they're friends with that have not been able to work, that were stuck at home, so many restaurants, bars, um, places without power are currently um facing eviction.

Um in two days um time, um, rent will be uh considered late.

And I'm so scared to see the amount of people that aren't gonna be able to pay their rent this month.

Um I see Facebook post after Facebook post and like Facebook groups across the city saying, Hey, can I get an extra job?

Can I get more hours?

Does anybody know where I can get extra work because I've not been able to, I'm you know, I'm I'm missing a K.

I'm missing $2,000 for what I need for my rent, what I need for my utilities this month.

And that is such a minuscule, relatively minuscule amount of money to get somebody to be able to stay in their how home.

And I am so I'm just asking that um y'all as council members do your best in reaching out to your community to making sure they're aware of the resources that currently exist and asking for um um the mayor's office for um Mac for all these organizations to step up to find money, to find resources, and and make sure that all the Nashvilleans that have been able to survive through this week are able to stay in Nashville and support the many people um that did all the hard work um to make us come back online.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Next is Abigail Ferris.

Uh, she's speaking on agenda items 45 and 46 uh in opposition.

Go ahead.

Yes.

I'm also speaking as well as a public comment period.

I want to speak on my own personal experience.

A little background on me.

I personally um an engineer electrical engineer in the power industry.

I'm a sixth generation Nashville.

I request a call for accountability for natural National Electric Services leadership and Metro's response and oversight to the winter storm firm event.

A reminder, uh, given events, agenda items 45 and 46 that our infrastructure needs improvement prior to developing out more homes just across the board.

A lack of preparation and the adequate risk assessment resulted in significant loss of life.

One is too many.

The five documented were too many.

Uh, I call for proper communication from NES, National Electric Service, accessible communication.

They only posted updates via X, which is Twitter, or Facebook.

I have neither.

For a life threatening event, and clearly it was, the main form of communication should never be social media.

Uh, please send a text or automated call relaying the facts.

I signed up for text alerts and received zero.

Uh mishandled information.

I called customer service relations.

Someone answered, took down a my information and said they put in a ticket.

I then received another call stating um whenever um, and I apparently my ticket was never put in properly for life threatening events down to power lines.

Um I also want to uh and um note the doers, the hard workers.

I'm talking about the linemen, the crews, the transmission system operators, the planners, the boots on the ground workers that make the tough operational decisions.

Thank you for your hard work.

Your work does not go unnoticed.

You deserve to have better leadership and protocols to follow.

I know we cannot control the weather, but we can properly prepare.

And yes, leadership and the board can be upheld to higher standards.

Thank you all for your time.

Thank you.

Uh next is Cade Wooton, followed by Shawnee Glappian and Miriam Alfosley.

Uh Cade is speaking on a writ of moratorium after the storm.

Go ahead.

Awesome.

Good evening, council members.

I'm Cade, Stand of Nashville.

I want to also talk about winter storm Fern and the ongoing catastrophe that has been our city's response.

I know many of us are in this room have been hit hard, and the impact is ongoing.

Thousands are still without power or heat.

Many workplaces are still closed.

A week of pay is now gone for the workers who need it most.

Families jumping from couch to couch and our limited resources being pushed to the brim.

And it's about to get worse.

Numbers of evictions filed this this month were up 50% from last year.

When emergencies like this happen, they aren't just weather emergencies.

They highlight all the parts of our physical and social infrastructure that aren't up to par.

And in this case, the city has not responded with anything close to the urgency the moment demands.

So far, there has been no rent moratorium, no clear sign from city leadership that renters would be protected while they recovered.

No system in place to pause harm while people got back on their feet.

We knew this storm was coming.

We knew people would lose income, and still the burden was placed entirely on tenants to absorb that shock.

That didn't happen because we lack compassion.

It happened because of our long-term prior policy priorities.

We built a city that can move super quickly to order a tank when downhill revenue is threatened, but not when working people are.

We invest in deals, incentives, and image, but when basic systems of care are needed, housing stability, emergency relief, renter protections.

We're unprepared.

A rent moratorium is needed now as a practical reality.

Without action, the fallout of the storm will be drastic and expensive.

Displacement, crowded shelters, disrupted schools, lost jobs, and families pushed further into crisis.

Our electrical grid is outdated, but so is the way we care for our neighbors.

Disasters will keep coming.

The question is whether we keep letting them fall hardest on the people least able to absorb them, or whether we finally govern like their lives are worth protecting.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Shawnee Glafian speaking about Black History Month.

Go ahead.

Yes, yes.

Happy Black History Month, good people.

Um yeah.

Uh shout out to the Black Caucus, Parts of the People.

I see you all.

Um also shout out to Councilwoman Tombs.

Her and I have never communicated as much as we did this weekend, helping out folks in District 2.

So I want to give y'all a shout-out.

But this is to all of you all.

As we're honoring this month, I want you to remember that this is more than just a performative measure.

We need to make uh consider resolutions that make an impact overall there were 13,000.

I mean, I'm sorry, 1,350 evictions in January of 2026.

That's a 56% increase from 2025.

And I would hate to see the numbers based on February's rent um evictions or rent issues.

Uh with this thorough, many people had to dip into their rent money just to survive.

This is a simple request.

I'm asking that you halt eviction doc halt the eviction docket and the share of execution of notices for 60 days.

It's real simple.

We got to look out for each other, we gotta look out for our people.

The efforts does not stop when a state of emergency ends.

It is an ongoing situation that we have to continue to fight.

Y'all have a good one.

I'll see y'all in a minute.

Thank you.

Uh, next is Miriam Alba Fazley speaking on agenda item 20.

This is resolution 2026, 1784 in support.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

My name is Mary Mabel Fazley.

I'm in District 34.

Uh, I fully support, really appreciating and acknowledging all the hard working people of Metro and elsewhere that really got us through uh the last 10 days.

I am not personally through.

I am one of the last remaining without electricity.

So I just want to bring up something really important.

We have to, we all know.

Um, I was here last year advocating for a bunch of stuff.

You're gonna hear me advocate for that again very shortly around housing and whatnot.

But one of the things is that we always constantly say, and I get it, you know, we don't have enough money, we don't have enough revenue.

We get we're trying to keep the lights on.

We were not able to, but you know, we're it's always a tight budget that we're trying to live by.

I'm asking you to get bold.

There is nothing to lose, y'all.

There is nothing to lose.

We lost so much this week.

Um, I have almost lost my mind, um, and I'm sure many of y'all have.

And I it's time to get bold.

Right now, we met we dealt with so many people that literally, y'all on Monday, I saw two women drive up to a house that was completely iced simply to work, clean that house, and get wages because they knew they wouldn't make rent if they didn't.

They put themselves at such risk to get wages.

We have to understand there are so many people that couldn't do that, that will not make did not make rent two days ago, that will not make rent in the next 15 days, and we've got to take some bold steps among many, and let's do a moratorium, 30, 60 days, just stop it so these people can get back on their feet.

It's not just the hotel rooms that my colleague Shawnee got them into with my other colleagues.

It's not just the meals that we deliver from Mercy Kitchen.

It's the it's what's gonna happen in the next 60 days.

This is not over by any means.

So please start ranking the list of stuff we need to do now to make sure our people are okay because they are not okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, um, that concludes uh the regular public comment, and we're gonna roll right into the pre-budget uh public comment.

Uh all right.

Um I'm gonna kind of call folks roughly in groups of kind of three or four.

Um, you know, we just ask if you want to assemble, please do not um block the door, but um, please just you know kind of rest until it's your time.

Um, we look forward um to hearing from you all.

Um right.

Uh first we have Andrea Prince, Eddie Ladimir, and again Cade Wooten.

Uh Andrea Prince is speaking uh about Barnes affordable housing.

Go ahead.

Hi, uh good evening, council members, vice mayor.

Um, my name is Andrea Prince.

I am the CEO of Rebuilding Together Nashville, and I'm here tonight um speaking on behalf of our organization and as a member of the Alliance for Affordable Nashville.

Um, and I just appreciate seeing you all here.

I know it's been a rough, rough week for Nashville, so thank you.

Um, as budget discussions are beginning.

Um, I'm here to support funding of the Barnes Affordable Housing Trust Fund at 30 million dollars.

Um, it is what the UHS has discussed, and what we need um to make sure that affordable housing um preservation in our uh city is met.

Um, you know, nearly a quarter of older adults in Nashville are cost burdened.

Um, our owners on average spend only $540 a month on their mortgage.

Um, and so for them, the most affordable house that they have is the one that they already own.

Um, the grant funds that are provided to us through the Barnes Fund, make our work possible.

Um, in 2025 alone, we repaired 55 homes, investing nearly a million dollars in home repairs.

And with that million dollars, that preserved 17 million dollars in home value.

Um, and that's going directly back to longtime Nashville um homeowners who have lived here.

Um before I close, I'd want to take a chance and uh to extend an invitation to you all to come on February 19th to the Belle Court Theater.

We're going to be screening in partnership with the trustees office, um, Nashville PBS's, um, aging matters, outpriced and overlooked series, and it really um highlights some recipients of Barnes funds and follows the story of one of our homeowners of the home repairs that we were able to complete.

Um, so I just encourage you as you start uh making budget plans, please um keep in mind the Barnes Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

It is necessary for us to be able to continue to do our work.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Eddie Eddie Latimer, also regarding the Barnes Fund.

Go ahead, sir.

Uh, welcome.

Thank you very much for let allowing us to be here.

Uh, and I want to say uh in to what that lady said about our aggressive creation of homelessness every day in this city by evicting people who have the ability to work, but they get behind, and there's no way to get them current.

So I would okay, the Barnes Fund, we were told all of us, the 12 or so organizations that do affordable housing 24-7, to hope to retard our efforts on this while the city paid a half a million dollars to create a housing study called the Unified Housing Strategy.

And we did this, we cooperated.

And the unified housing strategy came out with the conclusion 43 conclusions, but five of them had specific goals.

And one of them was about the Barnes Fund.

And what it said is that we you need to fund this fund at 30 million a year if we're gonna make a dent in the shortfall of 90,000 houses, uh, the mid-30s.

The um we are right now is funded at 19.

We appreciate you guys for doing that.

We have 30 from uh 50 30 from you all, 15 from you all, and 4,000 was created from a some return money.

But we've got we need 30.

And it says we need 30,000 if we want to help people who work in this building to live in the city.

And it's so the thing is is we've got to have, but we need 30 right now, we need 30 next year, but in 28, it says we need to have 50 million dollars a year put into the Barnes Fund.

There's no dedicated funding for this, it's just you guys deciding to bite the bullet and put it in the in the budget so that the people who work here while we're abroad can live here.

Thank you very much, and thanks for all you do.

Thank you.

Uh next is Cade Wooten, and Cade will be followed by Matthew Loudoun, Jose Vilaida, and uh Kenita Patterson.

Uh go ahead, Kate.

All right, what's up, y'all?

Back from my Encore.

So, St.

M Nashville this year.

We have budget ask, as per usual.

We've been out in the community talking to people about what they think should be prioritized.

Um, and so this year we have four budget asks that fit together to tackle our biggest issue in the city, that of affordability.

When our mayor ran in 2023, he used a simple message.

I want you to stay.

This message captured the painful realities of living in Nashville.

Those who make the city what it is are being pushed to its margins.

Unfortunately, more than halfway through the term, the mayor's office and this body have not made the investments necessary to make this vision a reality.

But that can change.

This is why we're advocating for the I Want You to Stay fund, a comprehensive funding plan of four priorities that would actually make Nashville livable for workers again.

First, we ask that you fully fund legal support for eviction so that every Davidson County renter facing eviction can access legal legal help.

In Nashville eviction courts, less than one percent of tenants have a lawyer versus 99.8% of landlords.

This has gotten better with the funding we've given legal aid society and the eviction right to counsel program, but it needs to be fully funded.

That's not a label playing field for renters, it's a rigged one.

And the funding we've given this program isn't enough to serve all that need it, meaning your chances of staying in your home can be a roll of the dice.

Second, we're asking for a revolving housing production fund using a pilot program, creating 50 permanently affordable social housing units that can become a proven model for the city.

Next, we want things that will help us be prepared for crisis moments, like the one we just lived through, a rental assistance fund and funding to waive bus fares when our systems fail us.

Today, our community members will be asking you to fully fund these programs in the upcoming budget so that Nashville can be a city where Nashvilleans are actually able to stay.

Somewhere that we, the people who make the city what it is, are proud to call home.

I'll be reaching out to all of y'all to schedule one-on-one meetings for to go through all of these, and I would love your support.

If you already answered my email, you're my favorites.

So, Councilmember Jaffel Clay, if any of y'all want to be my favorites, please answer my emails.

Okay, bye.

All right.

Next is uh Matthew Loudo.

Go ahead.

Hi, my name is Matthew Loudon from District 23, and I'm here with Stand Up Nashville.

I want to talk about Sun's first ask, legal support for those dealing with evictions.

Every day, our neighbors come home to some of the worst news anyone can get an eviction notice, telling them that they will need to leave their home and quickly find somewhere else to live.

Almost 1,000 Nashvilleans face eviction notices each month.

This January, eviction filings increased 50% per year, year over year, even with a winter storm crisis.

Once the notice hits, the clock starts ticking.

In Tennessee, that clock got even faster last year.

The state shortened the timeline.

The tenants have to act from 15 days down to just seven.

That's just one week to understand the complicated paperwork, research the process, navigate the court system, and do your best to try and protect your family's home.

Metro is documented that with eviction support programs, only about 1% of tenants have legal representation, while 99.8% of landlords do.

This stacks the deck against tenants and leads to many default judgments that are reached solely due to judiciary procedures and not because of the facts of the case.

But we already know what works to prevent this.

The eviction right to council pilot and program is effective.

Metro reports attorneys, attorneys help residents reach their desired outcomes in 95% of cases.

But right now, it's only being partially funded.

So our our ask is simple.

Fully fund our eviction support program at the request at 90 nine million a year, so it becomes real countrywide or countywide and stable.

Instead of a patchwork that does wonders for some while leaving the rest defend for themselves.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Jose Vieida.

Go ahead.

Good evening, Council.

My name's Ose Vieza with Send Up Nashville, and I want to talk about ask number two, a uh rental assistance fund.

Many renters in Nashville are employed, many work multiple jobs, and still over a third of them are have a have less than $500 in savings.

This means that one emergency could put them behind on rent.

For example, this week, I uh I met a mother mother that uh had to miss a four weeks of work to take care of um her two little kids since they were unable to be uh attend school.

Um that's you know, that's uh a fourth of her monthly salary.

Um when there are no when there is no rental assistance available, the eviction system becomes the default safety net, and that's the most expensive and destructive option possible.

Once an eviction notice is filed, families lose leverage, their job stability is threatened, their credit is damaged, and uh the app the option of new housing shrinks dramatically.

All of our or all of that other amounts or all of that amounts to or all of that, you know, could be because of a couple hundred dollars.

Rental assistance stops at spiral early.

Uh, we have to acknowledge a simple reality.

Many people fill or fall beyond on rent for reasons outside of their control, and eviction just makes things worse.

Um, cities that invest in rental assistance, see a lower shelter usage, fewer school disruptions, and less strain on emergency services.

This is a prevention, not a charity.

Nashville currently waits until people are already in crisis, if they even respond at all.

Um, we're asking for rental assistance fund or for a rental assistance fund so that the city can act before court filings, before displacements, and before uh families are forced to leave their neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Kenitha Patterson.

After Canita will be Andrew Crinks, Ann Boatner, and Dawn Deaner.

Go ahead, Kenita.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Ms.

Kenita, the homeless CEL Patterson for District 17.

And I'm here with Sun and our neighbors to demand the budget that reflects the reality of Nashville's working class.

We aren't just here to talk about homelessness response.

We're here to demand homelessness prevention for zero to 30% incomers, especially.

We are demanding 9 million for the eviction rights accounts with the new state law shortening the eviction response window to just seven days.

Nashville's housing crisis has become a legal emergency.

This nine million isn't just an expense, it's a smart investment that saves the city up to 43.9 million in downstream emergency costs.

Don't let families fall through the gaps that we have the power to bridge.

We are demanding 20 million for a housing production fund to launch a 50-unit housing social housing pilot.

We need housing that is publicly owned and stays affordable forever instead of subsidizing the private market.

This fund acts as an engine money is recouped and reinvested.

This is how we build Nashville that belongs to the people who keep it running.

Finally, as you draft this budget, you must recognize the power of lived expertise.

Those of us who have faced these courts and these streets bring knowledge that no data set can provide.

Nashville's own continuum of care's plan says that lived expertise leaders must be compensated as co-authors of solutions.

We are done having our insights sought but not supported.

We are here to lead fund the council and fund the housing and value the experts who know the struggle best.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Andrew Crinks.

Speaking about housing as well.

Go ahead, sir.

Greetings.

My name is Andrew Krinks.

I live in District 21.

Uh, these remarks are addressed to the people with the actual power to create the city budget in its entirety, which is the mayor's office.

So I'm here to repeat myself once again as most of us here are.

Last year, we at the National People's Budget Coalition, along with Stand Up Nashville, demanded investment in what's called social housing.

Social housing, in short, is housing that is high quality, permanently affordable, mixed income, publicly financed, publicly owned, and community governed.

Social housing is best funded through bonds, which would only put the city on the tab for about five million dollars annually in debt service.

Every few years, our city leaders promise they're really gonna take housing more seriously this year.

And every few years, a new study tells us we need 20,000, 50,000, 90,000 more units.

That's because the city's current approach is incapable of solving our problem.

In traditional models, affordable housing is created through grants to private developers who are permitted to pocket all revenue.

With bond of funded social housing, all revenue generated is recycled back into the construction of more permanently affordable housing.

This is an investment that literally pays for itself and keeps on giving in perpetuity.

As we've heard, evictions are on the rise in our city.

Evictions happen because we treat housing as a commodity, a means of profit.

When we make housing for people first, when we shift how we fund and sustain housing, evictions will decrease.

In turn, people's life chances will increase, safety will increase, and more of us will be able to stay.

And we know we know the mayor wants us to stay.

We want to stay too, as we've heard.

But the only way most of us will be able to stay is if the city creates housing that remains affordable permanently.

This is feasible.

We have the public land, the stalled private projects, the pure cities in Chattanooga, Atlanta, and more.

So this year we renew and expand our previous ask for three expert staff members that do not yet exist within Metro to bring this new housing model online.

Y'all, no more studies.

Fund personnel and infrastructure to bring social housing to Nashville.

Continued inaction will generate more suffering.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is uh Anne Boatner, um, regarding eviction right to cancel and the Nashville Hispanic Bar.

Go ahead.

Hi, good evening, everyone.

My name is Ann Boatner.

I'm the executive director of the eviction right to counsel program at the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association.

Um, we work in coalition with Legal Aid Society, Nashville Conflict Resolution Center, Rooftop Nashville, the American Muslim Advisory Council to help our Davidson County neighbors who are facing eviction.

We provide legal services, we provide mediation, access to rental assistance, we provide education, outreach, and we are in our fourth year of doing this kind of work.

After four years, we know that our program is working.

Multiple studies have shown, um, and our own internal statistics and external studies have shown that our success rates exceed 90%, generally at about 95%.

So our clients are successful in achieving their goals when we are able to help, but we can't help everyone.

We still cannot provide legal assistance to everyone who needs it here in in Nashville.

We're so very grateful for Metro's continued support for this program.

But there is such a need for more.

We are asking council, please, to support the sustainable expansion of the eviction right to council coalition to meet the need for all of our neighbors by funding the whole coalition at nine million dollars.

Thank you so much and have a great evening.

Thank you.

Next is uh John Deaner speaking about the idea project.

Following Dawn will be Matt Wilsher, Manon Hall, and John Davis.

Go ahead, Ms.

Deaner.

Thank you, and good evening.

Uh I live in District 10, and uh still waiting on my power to come back on as well.

Uh many of you may, my name is Don Deener.

Many of you may remember me as Nashville's uh elected public defender for 10 years.

I'm here to speak tonight about a pilot project that the council has funded for two years now called uh IDEA, short for indigent defense and excellence in advocacy.

Um we're another legal services program, and it's it's housed at uh the nonprofit choosing justice initiative that I started seven years ago to address disparities in how people who are poor and charged with a crime in Davidson County are represented.

The disparity exists because not everybody gets a public defender when they're poor and charged with a crime and can't afford a lawyer.

And Metro invests heavily in its public defender's office, as it should.

The problem is that the disparity exists is that Metro does not, has not until now, until this project invested any funding in providing defense services to somebody who's represented by a private appointed counsel when the public defender cannot represent them.

So for the last two years, we have received uh some funding from Metro for this pilot project.

In the course of a year and a half, we have um taken on 128 clients where we bring in a lawyer to represent them and supplement the pay that the state gives to them.

We are finding that it is in great demand.

We have judges contacting us all the time to try to get uh one of our idea lawyers onto a case, but we are limited in what we can do based upon the funding that has been approved and the availability of lawyers to handle these cases.

I'm here tonight to ask you to continue this funding next year.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is uh Matt Wilsher, speaking on affordable housing.

Go ahead.

It's always tough following Dawn Deaner, a polished lawyer, but uh I do want to open by saying thank you.

Thank you to you for the work that you do every day, but especially over the last 10 days.

I know your job is toughest when times are tough.

As in the last 10 days have been very tough for many people.

So thank you for the work that you've been doing.

The truth is, and you've heard it tonight from a lot of folks, I think you're gonna hear a lot more.

Things have been too tough for too many Nashvilleans for too long in the area of affordability.

And the reality is the city is not doing enough.

I am grateful for the funding that you provided, the Barnes Fund.

I helped create the Barnes Fund.

Bill Barnes was literally my pastor growing up, and his vision is a powerful one for this city, and I'm grateful for that funding.

But the truth is that is only one tool.

And if you were to build a house, you wouldn't just use one tool.

If you did, that house probably wouldn't stand out very well.

You should use all the tools that you have at your disposal.

And now, almost two years ago, the state put another tool in the city's toolbox, and it is far past time to pull that tool out of the toolbox.

Specifically, uh Senator Oliver and Representative Hemer passed legislation enabling the city to fund the creation and preservation of housing that is actually affordable for working Nashvilleans through debt issuances through the industrial development board.

And it is long past time to pull that tool out of the toolbox.

So I encourage you to explore that and other alternatives to preserve and create affordable housing.

And by doing that, you can bring in investment from the public in the nonprofit sector.

And uh, I want to announce here we released it earlier today.

The Pathway Housing Fund with 30 million dollars of funding from the private sector acquired our first two properties uh in Councilmember Greg and Councilmember Huffman's district.

And I want to see this happen across the city, help make it happen.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh next is uh Manon Hall.

Uh go ahead.

Who doesn't love the IDBA?

Um, so one of Sun's asks is for funding two million for crisis we go funding.

Um, if you remember in November, I was here a lot, unfortunately, because we go wouldn't uh freeze fares.

They wouldn't bag the fare box, and it was really hard for them to articulate how much money that would cost.

Um, they really struggled to provide really strong answers to y'all.

Um, that y'all had so many wonderful questions, and you guys were like, we want to meet the moment.

And it felt the same way for me this last week.

Um, I was at, you know, Central many nights trying to herd people onto um the 23B that would take people to the emergency shelter.

Um, because um unfortunately there wasn't that's actually one of the few buses that will be free in the case of you know 32 degrees or less.

And so um that's something that they do, they don't actually, it's not something they show in their budget, and they're able to hey, just say, hey, this bus is gonna be free because we know it's important, we know it's gonna keep people inside.

And so I would love for council to continue to show that like this is a priority to for us, whether you know the federal government um takes away SNAP again, whether um, you know, our town shuts down, and often for many of the days, the only streets that were clear were the ones that the main buses ran on.

And so if you wanted to get around on Nashville, um, it would have just been easier and safer for you to just walk down to uh Dickerson Pike or Gallatin Pike or Murfreesboro Pike or Nolansville Pike or Charlotte Pike or West End Boulevard and get on the bus and go to where you needed to go.

Go to work downtown.

And so unfortunately, people were still having to pay.

I still had to pay for the bus while there was ice everywhere.

Um, and that just feels like an inconvenience.

It would have gotten a lot of people who had never ridden the bus to ride the bus because that was the only way to get around.

And so I just want us to make sure we're prioritizing that in our budget, and uh would thank the mayor's office for including the Senate.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh next is uh John Davis.

Uh after John will be Alexandria Danner, Shawnee Glapean, and Tita Murphy.

Uh go ahead, John.

Thank you, Metro Council.

My name's John Davis.

I'm here with Stand Up Nashville.

And uh I want to jump on the end of that, what Manham was just talking about.

I want to talk about Sun's final ask, which is creating a fund to make buses free when a crisis strikes.

Public transport net transit is one of our most important public goods.

And emergence and in emergencies, it is a lifeline.

When people face sudden shocks, whether from unprecedented weather events, economic disruption, or system failures, access to transportation determines whether they can keep working, get food, reach care, or stay connected to support.

For working class households already operating on thin margins, even small transit costs can become real barriers in moments of crisis.

Sun's last task for a desk dedicated fund that allows we go to suspend fares during emergencies.

This would give the city a flexible, ready-to-use tool to respond when people need mobility the most without delays, confusion, or case-by-case exceptions.

Cities across the country have shown that free emergency transit reduces hardship, speeds recovery, and keeps essential systems functioning.

It supports workers, stabilizes households, and helps keep the entire city moving.

This is a simple investment about preparedness.

A modest investment now prevents deeper economic and social costs later.

If we believe transit is essential infrastructure, then funding it in emergencies should be standard, not optional.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Alexandria Danner, speaking about Metro employees.

Go ahead.

Good evening, Council.

My name is Alexandria Danner.

I am a former Metro employee and current SEIU local 205 organizer over the Metro General Government.

I also live in District 5, which is Sean Parker's district.

We just all lived through a natural disaster.

And we're all gonna remember the past week for the rest of our lives, same as the tornado in 2020, same as the great flood in 2010.

And we all know that this is not gonna be the last time we have these conversations.

These storms are becoming more frequent, and we have to plan for that reality as a city.

What I do hope is that this past week serves as a lesson for all of us.

A lesson in the importance of investing in public infrastructure and investing in the workers whose job it is to keep this city alive and moving.

Because without them, Nashville cannot function.

I hope this moment redefines what we mean when we say public safety, because this week has shown public safety is more than just crime prevention.

See, the second part of this national this natural disaster that no one's talking about is that as soon as the ice melted, water mains began breaking all over the city.

Over 900 in every single one of your districts.

And each one of those water bane breaks affects thousands of people.

That is all of us sitting here.

Now you may survive for a little while without power, but you cannot survive without drinking water.

But because Metro Water has put their bodies on the line to fix those breaks, and because they had the budget to do so, we've escaped a second mass suffering event.

Now that is public safety, and thank you, Metro Water, for that.

But not just them.

NDOT cleared the roads so NES can re-even reach the outages.

General Services maintained first responder vehicles around the clock.

DEC answered every 911 call.

Office of Homeless Services and Social Services work nonstop to keep people alive in the cold.

Metro Parks opened community centers for people without heat.

That is public safety.

And because this is what public safety really looks like, our future budget choices need to reflect that reality.

I know many of you here are allies to labor and to Metro workers, and I'm not questioning that, but before budget season heats up, I want to be very clear to prevent crises like these from happening again.

We have to prioritize our essential workers and the public infrastructure that they maintain.

Thank you.

I understand a bio break, but anyway.

Anyway, I'm asking you to fund our I want you to stay fund.

People may be getting their power back, but the impacts of the storm are still ongoing.

Our neighbors are now uh worrying about how rent is getting paid, amongst other things.

Rental assistance will help them with a chance to breathe after a strough stressful experience that was outside of their control.

A fully funded eviction right to council program will help Nashville and stay in their homes and combat predatory landlords.

While we uh were helping folks in apartments like Haynes Garden, Greenview, Compus Vista, I met neighbors who looked out and care for each other.

They huddled together and shared resources.

As I help one, they helped, they asked me to help another.

As I brought them food, they looked at me and made sure I ate.

Um, these are the type of neighbors I desire.

Many are just a product of their environment.

I want you to imagine if we gave them another environment to live in.

A mixed income development with permanent affordability.

A space like this will help them, but it also helped those like me who desire to stay closer to the city, but uh love the diversity of the residents in my current neighborhood.

Lastly, can uh can you tell me why buses weren't free during the state of emergency?

People who may have walked previously couldn't do so because of sheets of ice.

Uh the bus may have provided the only warm moment they've could have gotten, but don't get me started on the warming shelters.

Uh, people who spent their last day, their last staying at a hotel could have comfortably gotten gotten home once the lights came on.

Suspending bus fare during these events wouldn't cost the city more than the tanker truck they approved at the last meeting.

Thank you.

Next is uh Tita Murphy speaking on the budget process after Theta will be Nicole Valentine, Andrea Pemberton, and Luis Terrell.

Go ahead, Miss Murphy.

Theater Murphy, uh, District 9, Kanye Hancock, Nashville People People's Budget Coalition.

Uh, we at the coalition have been working for uh democratic and transparent budgeting process since 2020.

And frankly, I don't see how this pre-budget comment hearing accomplishes that.

I mean, why are we talking to y'all and not talking to the mayor?

Um, anyway, since we are pleading for pennies, I want to advocate for full funding of community safety that is not based around policing and incarceration.

So, with that, the Office of Youth Safety should be fully funded with its own line item, not just stuck under another line item.

Uh, last year, we have people's budget asked for um some paid positions inside the Human Relations Commission, whose only job would be to um engage the community in developing a budgeting pro uh a public safety process, a public community based public safety plan.

Instead, what we got is a community task force with appointees appointed by the mayor's office, which is more of a PR stunt and is not actually engaging or representing the community.

So, you know, I'm I'm tired of performative gestures and hollow symbolism.

We need something that really makes our metro government more democratic and more transparent.

Thank you.

Next is Nicole Valentine speaking about funding for Napier Community Center, Tennessee Justice Center, and the library.

Welcome, Ms.

Valentine.

Go ahead.

And your friend as well.

Yes, I have one of my young neighbors as emotional support, and she wanted to say hi to her favorite council member.

Welcome.

She's waiting at Terry.

So I want to advocate for funding for the Napier Community Center.

It came up before.

It's the community center I learned to swim at back in 1980 something.

Seriously, every Friday at Naple Elementary School, we went swimming.

And we appreciate the renovation.

My young neighbors, um, like Carla and Trey, who's sitting in the audience, go swimming often.

Um, but there's other needs at the community center, like the game room.

Um, Terry and I was able with uh other community partners give away um over 200 swimwear, and people came in for the first time, and then some also commented on the state of the community center.

So definitely need funding for that.

Please, please prioritize that.

More of our young people would love to hang out in the game room.

Quantity Cash does an amazing podcast there with the kids.

It is being utilized and can be utilized more if it was more appealing to um the young folks.

Um Tanichi Justice Center uh also needs more funding.

As many of you all know Tennessee Justice Center is a nonprofit that does work that is the only nonprofit that's doing the work that they're doing, advocating um for food resources and support, emergency funding this week.

Um Terry and I were able to hunker down there on Sunday, last Sunday, when power was out in our neighborhood, was out for five days in Napier.

Um also cut my finger there on Sundays, Naper Kitchen Table.

We do a community meal.

So it's just a place that's like home.

Um, and so please advocate for funding for that.

Purit library.

Every year I come, I'm always talking about the library.

It's my second, my third space, a lot of folks, second or third spaces.

Um, and then I want to stay fun.

We need we need funding for that.

So there's so many things, but thank you all for listening.

Thank you.

Next is Andrea Pemberton, speaking regarding social housing and eviction right to council.

Go ahead.

Hello, good evening, everyone.

My name is Andrea Pemberton.

I'm here with Stand Up Nashville and with the Nashville People's Budget Coalition.

Um I'm here to talk about Stand Up Nashville's uh ask of a 20 million in bonds to establish a revolving housing production fund and to launch a 50-unit mixed income pilot that provides residents with permanently affordable housing.

Again, that's 20 million for the housing production fund.

Just want to make sure we write that down.

Permanent affordability uh matters.

I moved to Nashville less than two years ago to begin my PhD at Vanderbilt.

I've already had to move once because I couldn't afford to stay in my first apartment.

Y'all packing up is expensive and it's tiring and exhausting for anyone who's had to do it multiple times.

And my next lease is up in May, and I'm worried.

Am I going to have to pick up pack up and move again?

Um I know that across campus and across the city, people are making the same calculations.

Are they moving further out, working more hours, picking up second or third jobs, delaying their education, or leaving Nashville entirely?

People come here to study, to work, and to build community, not to be uprooted every time their lease ends.

And if this is stressful for newcomers, I can only imagine how much harder it is for Native Nashvilleans watching their neighbors uh change every year while wondering if they can afford to stay themselves.

From a policy standpoint, this issue is clear.

Nashville doesn't produce enough permanently affordable housing.

We rely on a private market that prioritizes return on investment, which leads to luxury development, rent hikes, and displacement instead of stability.

The good news is that Thoughtful Policy can provide alternatives, expanding access to permanently affordable housing.

A housing production fund offers a different model where the city invests in directly in community-centered mixed income housing with permanent affordability and no speculative rent hikes because the city retains ownership, equity is reinvested into maintenance, creating more affordable units.

Once the pilot development is paid for, that same equity can be reinvested into new housing, allowing Nashville to keep building affordability over time instead of starting from scratch each budget cycle.

Nashville should be a city where everyone, whether new or long-term residents can stay study, work, teach, serve, and stay.

Housing policy must make that possible.

I urge you to support the housing fund.

Thank you.

Next is Louise Terrell regarding Metro water services or Madam Vice President Lewis Terrell's one of our Metro water employees.

He and Carrie James, who's on the list had to leave.

Um they worked today, Shift.

They also just got called in to work at eight o'clock tonight to help our water, but I wanted to speak on their behalf.

Yeah, Marley Albert, SCIU Local 205.

Um, represent Metro water employees and uh NES employees and many employees around the city.

It's been an incredibly difficult week for all of Nashville and for the workers who have been working 24 hours to try to get this on.

Um, who've been really scared?

This has been a different, as much as we say Nashville comes together, they haven't necessarily come together for workers this week.

Uh workers have had cars broken into, they've been assaulted, they've been yelled at.

It's been a really difficult um week for them where they've been trying to do what they what they do.

So I want all of us to think about how can we change the rhetoric?

How can we think about uh even though we're cold and many Metro employees, myself and lots of us, right?

We had no power, we had um no water in our own homes, but they showed up and did the work.

So I want us to think about what that means.

How do we show up in a way giving one another grace while still holding accountability when difficult situations happen?

So sorry, Luis and Carrie aren't here, they would have done a better job, but wanted you guys to hear their perspective.

Thank you.

Yeah, we appreciate them.

Thank you.

All right.

Um, next uh are uh Michael Hodge, James Scales, and Carrie James.

Mr.

Hodges speaking regarding uh the Barnes Fund.

Go ahead, sir.

Thank you.

I'm Mike Hodge.

I'm in Council District 31, John Rutherford's district.

I'm a member of Edge Hill United Methodist Church and the Affordable Housing Task Force of NOAA, Nashville organized for action and hope.

For years, NOAA members have organized with Metro to do hard things.

We fought for the Barnes Fund, we helped create the division of housing, and we supported the unified housing strategy as a shared moral and civic commitment.

We believe in the vision of the UHS, but its backbone is the Barnes Fund.

The strategy calls for 30 million dollars a year for the Barnes Fund because that's what the housing crisis demands.

Yet last year, Metro invested only 16 million.

That shortfall weakens the very strategy that Metro adopted.

Either we believe in the UHS or we don't.

In 10 years, the Barnes Fund has created or preserved more than 6,000 homes.

But the strategy says we need 20,000 affordable homes in the next 10 years, especially for households under 32,000.

We need 2,000 affordable homes every year.

We won't get there by underfunding our most effective tool.

Barnes works because it leverages other dollars.

Every local dollar brings nine more.

So a 30 million dollar investment unlocks 300 million dollars in housing.

Underfunding Barnes doesn't save money, it just leaves money on the table.

This isn't just compassionate, it's fiscally responsible.

Housing instability drives up costs in schools, hospitals, policing, and emergency care.

30 million dollars is a small fraction of Metro's budget, but housing stability is one of our city's deepest moral tests that affects everything else.

Budget show what we value, and years from now, people will ask not what we intended, but what we funded.

Please fund the Barnes Fund at 30 million dollars.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is James Scales, uh, speaking regarding Nashville General Hospital and SCI.

Good evening, Council.

My name is James, Nurse James from Nashville General Hospital.

I'm also a member of SCIU.

Now, looking at the last budget cycle, I kind of got the feeling walking away from a car used car lot, like a lemon.

Why?

Because last year we were promised a mint condition 5% cost of living adjustment.

Somehow that 5% sweet ride changed into a 3% jalopy with a busted muffler, ball tires, a bumper sticker that said, born to slide.

Now this is like buying a Cadillac, pop in the hood, and find out that the actual engine is run by two squirrels in a tropic mule.

Brutal.

Council members.

Council members, the check engine light is blinking across the whole hospital.

Our budget doesn't need a jump start.

It needs a whole new alternator.

Regarding staff and burnout.

Patient safety shouldn't be optional accessories.

So to finish off this analogy.

But instead, we've been flintstowing it the entire way now.

For the 2027 budget, we're looking for a ride.

We're not looking for a riot that has a sunroof and a jacuzzi.

We're just merely looking for the full five percent adjustment that we were promised.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Carrie James.

After Carrie will be Elizabeth Lieserson, um, Miriam Alba Fosley, and Jackie Sims.

Is Carrie James here?

Oh, I apologize.

Thank you.

Um Ms.

Albert indicated that um Mr.

Terrell and Carrie James uh could not be with us.

Again, we appreciate them very much uh serving uh at Metro Water.

Um and so next it will be Elizabeth.

Go ahead, um, uh speaking on the eviction right to counsel program.

You're recognized.

Good morning.

My name is Elizabeth Lizerson.

I live in District 16.

And for the last four years, I've had the honor of leading legal aid society's piece of the eviction right to counsel program.

As you may know, before this program got started, Legal Aid Society had exactly one lawyer whose job was to help every tenant in Davidson County and Williamson County, and also do some collections defense on the side.

Now that this program exists, we've been able to grow so much from that beginning.

We now we've grown 800%, and we have eight lawyers between Legal Aid Society and Hispanic Bar.

And what we've shown over the last four years is that when we have a lawyer to help a tenant, we can achieve success.

That's that 95% success rate you may have heard about a couple of times tonight.

And what does that look like?

It looks like an MNPS teacher and a single dad who was in a car accident.

He wasn't able to make rent and he was facing eviction.

Our program was able to connect him to rental assistance and get the eviction dismissed so he and his daughter could stay housed.

That's one of the superpowers of our program.

We work in coalition with Rooftop Nashville.

They are part of our program because we know that rental assistance is sometimes necessary alongside legal representation, and the one makes the other better and more effective.

Another example a tenant who was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer.

She needed to move to be closer to her treatment, and her landlord told her that leaving early was going to cost her up to 10,000.

We were able to get that fee dropped, and she was able to move so she could focus on what she needed to focus on, which was her health and not paying her landlord thousands of dollars.

And 10,000 here and there, it adds up.

Hispanic bar and legal aid society between us over the last six months have obtained more than 1.2 million dollars in direct benefits for the tenants that we are helping while we are also keeping them housed.

Many of you may have learned last week what it feels like when the bottom drops out and you lose your home.

Programs like ours can keep people in theirs.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is um Miriam Alba Fosley is next, followed by Miss Sims.

Yeah.

No worries.

Go ahead.

Hey y'all, it's me again.

I still don't have electricity in case you're wondering.

Um I did not refresh the NES website.

I stopped doing that four days ago.

Okay.

Um while I'm as ready as anybody to put all the hell of the last 10 days on NES's um shoulders, and and y'all can do that with accountability and processes.

I want to talk about what we're supposed to talk about tonight, which is investment.

Um, over the last week, I, as well as dozens of other Nashvilleans, many of whom are not here tonight because they're still doing the work, had the opportunity and the privilege to support our neighbors that were suffering enormously.

Elderly and children in buildings that had no power for over a week, parents and teenagers without basic supplies like warm gloves or any form of heat.

Existing in internal temperatures of 40 or below, and I know y'all know what I'm talking about.

Tenants that came back to completely flooded homes, teachers that were ice in and without power.

Last year I stood here and I stand before you today asking again for the same things for housing production fund to build housing that folks can afford, that is mixed income that puts us all in together to be able to take care of each other that have four permanently affordable units in them so that people can stay there and actually start to save and not chase rent with their paychecks over and over again.

But what I really want to say is there's gonna be a crisis in government if we don't act.

Let's issue bonds, let's do whatever it takes.

Every time I see the stadium, I growl at what we spent money on and what we should have spent money on.

I'm really worried that it's like uh, you know, every individualism, let's all get our own generators, let's all get our own internet dishes because services are failing us.

Let's take the big bold steps.

We again we have nothing to lose.

Um, and and let's do what is needed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Jackie Sims speaking on the barn fund after Jackie will be Kelvin Williams, Maggie Baringer, and Nick Kavan.

Good evening.

Go ahead, Council.

Uh, my name is Jackie Sims.

I now live in District 6 after 16 years in 21.

This council meeting tonight was really important to me.

I drove two hours from McMinnville because I have no power at my house in district six.

And I wanted the opportunity to be able to speak to each of you.

I am presently a consulting partner with affordable housing resources.

I handle primarily the rental population.

That is what I'm most familiar with.

I too am a renter.

And I've spent a great deal of time in the trenches working with those that are so housing insecure, they're on the verge of eviction.

So I've spent a lot of time with the judges who have my cell phone numbers, um, the opposing counsel, the landlords, both public and private, but most important, most of my time is spent with those who are housing insecure.

From young mothers to seniors well beyond 65 and older.

We have an incredible crisis with affordability here in Nashville, and I know that you all know this.

There's no way you can be in this city and not be fully aware of that.

I am urging you, urging you, please, to come together as a body and do whatever you need to do to push for that 30 million dollars for um the Barnes Fund.

We had a meeting this past December with persons who want to become homeowners.

Well, they need affordable homes.

And they're excited about AHR, preparing them to become homeowners.

They're so excited.

They've recruited half my class already for April.

So again, I'm requesting that you do whatever you can to make sure that we get that 30 million dollars for the Barnes Fund.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Next is Kelvin Williams, uh, speaking on the eviction right to counsel.

Go ahead, sir.

Good evening.

I am Kelvin Williams.

Mostly everyone knows me as Poet Williams, District 21, and I'm here with Stand Up Nashville.

All of you know that Nashville averages a thousand evictions a month.

And with a housing market that grows more expensive rent that keeps going up, most folks move into different towns just to survive.

And an economic downturn and dramatic cuts to federal safety nets.

The good news is we have something that will help us all, and that is funding this fully instead of keeping it away from the masses.

The thing is, we keeping this money on the table, knowing that it will help everyone in Nashville.

The question is, why?

Is there a reason?

Because we want the money to go to like the Titan Stadium, those that will build for us that will keep piling us on top of each other instead of doing what we ask you to do when we put you in these seats.

The irony is the storm evicted us all, and you felt what it felt like to be evicted.

In crisis, we come together.

Why do we continue to wait until a crisis happen for us to do what we know must be done?

So this is my question.

You say that you want us to stay.

Question is do you want us to stay alive or do you want us to stay dead?

Fund this fully so it will help everyone in Nashville.

Thank you.

Next, thank you.

Next is Maggie Barringer.

Oh, we got out on the first try.

Um, hi, my name is Maggie Baringer.

I'm an attorney with Nashville Hispanic Bar Association as part of the eviction right to counsel program, and also a district seven resident, and I'm speaking tonight on behalf of advocating for more ERTC funding for two reasons in particular.

The first, so many of the cases we see are evictions for non-payment.

A tenant falls behind in rent because they lost a job, their hours were reduced, there was an unexpected and rather expensive emergency, or because housing in our community simply is not affordable.

Unfortunately, if the rent isn't paid legally, there's not a lot of wiggle room.

And so, what we as attorneys try to do is negotiate with the landlord using rental assistance.

If, however, that rental assistance is not available, we have to pivot.

And we have to do something called an agreed move out order, which means that we are protecting the tenants' long-term housing health by removing an eviction on the record, but they are unhoused.

They move out.

Right now, there's not enough assistance.

And because of that, lots of people who are even just one month behind in rent become unhoused.

Second, in addition to more funding for the rental assistance, more funding would mean more attorneys for tenants, which in a system where overwhelmingly landlords are represented.

We know 95% of landlords are represented, and less than 10% of tenants are represented.

That not could that could be that could not be more crucial.

Right now, landlords' attorneys build their business models on the assumption that tenants will not have representation.

We have heard the numbers to date that 1,350 evictions were filed last month.

I can tell you from being in court this morning.

The docket was more than 200 evictions this morning in one courtroom alone.

But there is protection and representation, and there should be more attorneys like myself and my colleague doing the work that we do.

Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Next is Nick Cavan.

After Nick will be Carlina Bell, Zachary Jones, and Makia Miller.

Go ahead, Nick.

Thank you.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Nick Cavan, and I'm a longtime resident of District 18, but a recent uh resident in District 6.

I'm a member of NOAA's Affordable Housing Task Force, Stand Up Nashville, and I'm here to call for a housing first budget.

Year after year, Nashvilleans like myself has shown up to meetings just like this and shared stories about how our friends and family have been priced out of the city, how they've moved away, lived in their cars, or couch surf in order to stay here.

And now that we finally have the unified housing strategy, there's no excuse for inaction.

A housing first budget means housing should get similar levels of funding commitments we give to other parts of our city services, not whatever's left after everything has been funded.

Affordable housing cannot be an afterthought squeezed into the margins.

The unified housing strategy lays out what we need to do, and the Barnes Fund is at the heart of that solution.

The UHS calls for a minimum of 30 million dollars, which we've heard about so much tonight, but again, that's just the minimum we need.

And that should ramp up to 55 million by 2028, as stated previously.

But this year's budget only allocated 16 million of that 30 minimum.

And that forced the fund to turn down over 50 million potential projects that would have built affordable housing here, which means in every project we can't fund means that more families are priced out, more workers commute from neighboring counties, more teachers can't afford to live in the communities in which they teach.

The people of Nashville are counting on you to make housing a real priority this budget season.

Our neighbors deserve to be able to stay here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is uh Carlina Bell.

You recognize, go ahead.

Thank you, Vice Mayor, and the members of the Metro Nashville City Council for this opportunity.

I'm Carlina Bell, and I lead the William Franklin Buchanan Community Development Corporation.

Since 1999, we've worked in Nashville's housing ecosystem, doing the slow necessary work of building pathways to ownership, preserving homes, and partnering across sectors for the long-term good of the city.

The work of our hands has consisted of stabilizing neighborhoods ravaged by blight and foreclosures, opening a single room occupancy home for youth aging out of foster care, and sponsoring Nashville's and Tennessee's first limited equity permanently affordable housing cooperative that is set to convert this spring.

The Barnes Housing Trust Fund has been instrumental in this work, and it is one of the few tools we have to consistently bridge our city's housing and security challenge.

Since its inception, the Barnes Fund has helped leverage over a billion dollars into affordable housing and made it possible for thousands of Nashvilleans to remain housed, not someday, but right now.

We stand today in support of funding the Barnes Housing Trust Fund at 30 million dollars because this fund works, not in theory, but for real people.

The question before us today is whether Nashville intends to meet this moment with seriousness or with scarcity thinking, which cost us more in the long run.

From where we sit, these vital dollars just don't build units.

They stabilize families, support the workforce that keeps the city running and give community-based developers a fighting chance to deliver housing that serves people across the continuum of need.

And yet the need continues to outpace the supply, especially for deeply affordable units that serve our most vulnerable neighbors.

Lastly, these investments prevent displacement.

Thank you, Miss Bell.

And I thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next is Zachary Jones, uh, speaking regarding affordable housing.

Go ahead, sir.

Uh good evening, everyone.

Um, my name is Zachary Jones.

Um, I'm a resident of District 13, and I am a member of the Nashville People's Budget Coalition.

Um, I'm here this evening to voice my concerns of the affordable housing issue that is plaguing our city, and what I believe to be the gross misuse of the city's budget, uh namely on surveillance, policing, and the entertainment slash um uh what do you call that?

Uh what's the word I'm looking for?

You know what I'm talking about.

We do.

It's okay.

Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, go ahead.

Um, this ice storm that uh hit at the end of last month, left over 200,000 Nashvilleans without power, during which 109 different landlords um filed and submitted a total of 183 uh evictions, detainer warrants through the Davidson County General Sessions Court.

January of 2026 oversaw a total of 1,350 eviction filings, a 56% increase from the January prior.

Almost half of 2025's general budget revolved around uh public safety and justice, with the staggering 356 million going to policing, uh 25 million dollar increase from the year before.

With this much money going to uh and invested in maintaining an iron grip on the citizens of Nashville, uh I know without a shadow of a doubt in my mind that a permanently affordable housing program is not only possible but necessary during the current environmental disaster that it that we are recovering from, and uh following that.

If January is any indication, the cost of living is not shrinking, wages are not increasing, and the last thing this city needs is another year of investment not focused on providing the basic needs for Nashville's.

It's time for you all to do your jobs and figure it out.

And uh the thing I was thinking about was uh, you know, um it's okay.

Your time's expired.

We we genuinely do know what you meant.

Okay.

Uh next is Mikha Miller.

Mickey, are you here?

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening, council.

My name is Makia Miller, and I live in District 21.

And I'm here to talk about Sons ask to start a rental assistance fund.

Being real, the disasters of last week aren't going away.

And even before the disaster, mutual aid request to help people stay in their homes happened every day.

Networks of generous people support others as they get notices from their landlords to get their rents paid.

The city should also be providing this sort of aid to its people.

Often the difference between going without housing and staying in your home is a few hundred dollars.

The city should provide dedicated funding for this and keep the stability and health of its inhabitants at the forefront.

What we're missing in Nashville is a standing accessible rental assistance fund that people can turn to when emergency happens.

One that is easy to navigate, equitable, and efficient, where those in need can access funds when they most need them, not months after they've already been displaced.

You hear how that doesn't make sense.

So our small it's and it's really small, $2,000 for 2,000 families to start dispersing.

Um for 2,000 families to start.

Um that being dispersed through partners that are already in the community doing the work that the elected people should also be doing.

Um thinking about the aftermath of the storm, the amount of people who missed work days that were critical to their paychecks, um, record setting um eviction numbers like we've already heard.

This rental assistance fund is imperative, and it could have already helped those people in need.

This fund would not solve everything, but it would give the city the ability to respond before a temporary crisis like the ice storm becomes permanent displacement.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um I failed to call out the next three.

I see Mr.

Kenya Waller, who is next in the back, but I also see Mr.

Bick Nelson in the front.

And so, Ms.

Waller, with your permission, I'm gonna let Mr.

Nelson go first, so you don't have to hurry up to the front.

Um, but next are uh Mick Nelson, Darkinha Waller, and Robert Jackson.

Go ahead, sir.

Hey, Mick Nelson, uh, longtime resident of District 6.

Um, right now in Nashville, we have about 20,000 units that rent for less than a thousand dollars a month, which is kind of a lot.

But we have about 50,000 households in Nashville that can't afford to pay more than a thousand dollars a month.

And so I think what we're hearing tonight is this is just an unacceptable status quo that we need to do something about.

Um, and I actually applaud this council's commitment to the housing and zoning bills that you've passed to help make more affordable housing and housing in general happen, and that's what we desperately need.

But it's essential that to continue that work by funding affordable housing in Nashville.

And we know that the most proven tool for that is the Barnes Fund for Affordable Housing.

And you know, I almost want to do a call out here like we know the unified housing strategy call.

You ask for 30 million dollars, at least 30 million dollars, and we need to do that.

Um we've heard the strong talking points from people all over the city from the highest public officials to everybody else that we need to invest in affordable housing, and and I strongly agree with that sentiment.

So our neighbors who lack affordable housing can't afford afford for us not to invest it in in the Barnes Fund, and we know that that's gonna work, and it's gonna give you the most units uh proven bang for its buck.

So really support that, as well as all of these other potential tools.

This is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

We need as much of it as we can.

Um, but we just need a lot of it, and thank you for your support and your commitment thus far, and look forward to uh votes later this year.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Uh next is Darkinha Waller.

Go ahead.

You are recognized.

Thank you.

Again, my name is Dark Kenya Waller, executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee, Minnesota.

Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands.

On December 23rd, a family who had lived in a hotel for three years learned they would be removed by police the next day.

The charge, criminal trespassing, no notice, no hearing, no legal process at all.

Our legal aid attorney took their call over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

That attorney pleaded with the hotel management for a few hours to try to secure a court order stopping the eviction.

He drafted a 30-page emergency filing.

And on December 26th, while the courts were closed, our attorney contacted the clerks and finally reaching a judge on vacation.

He argued by phone to the judge and secured an em an emergency or order stopping the eviction.

Even with the court order, the hotel called the police because it was criminal trespassing.

But it took the legal maneuvering of the attorney to explain that even in a hotel, notice and an opportunity to be heard is a constitutional right.

The unfortunate reality is that legal aid is unable to assist everyone who calls us for assistance.

Our eviction rights accounts program is funded at less than one third of what it takes to meet the demand here in Nashville.

As stated earlier, for the people we are able to help, we are 95% successful in helping them to achieve their stated goal.

The program works, but only for those lucky enough to get through.

We are sometimes forced to shut down our intake to catch up with the need.

We are piloting different efforts to be able to triage even faster.

Just this week, we received a call from a mother of three, desperate for information and support due to the devastating storm.

She was without power and internet to perform her pro her remote work.

She took our rent money to find a hotel.

Thank you, Ms.

Waller.

We appreciate you.

We fully fund the program.

Uh next is Robert Jackson.

Um after Robert will be umly uh Padilla, uh Stephen Watts, and um Sherry Stinson.

Uh go ahead, Mr.

Jackson.

Great.

Uh good evening.

My name is Robert Jackson.

I'm here with Stand Up Nashville.

I'm a high school U.S.

history teacher here in Nashville.

I live in District 35.

Uh, as a history teacher, I'll tell you, I watch people forget things all the time, things that they just might have learned about or things that they just might have lived through.

And it breaks my heart when I do, but you expect it.

Um I gotta tell you, what I don't expect is in the summer for you to forget, and I think the city expects for you not to forget.

Forget what it was like to be evicted this week.

And tonight, uh, I want to talk about homelessness for our kids.

It's not just living outside when they're evicted, it's the grind of moving night to night and month to month, sleeping one night on a cousin's couch, then a motel, then a car, all while trying to be a good student in my class.

And many of us experience this lifestyle temporarily this week, and we get to make the choice this summer after this budget gets washed and rewashed, whether or not we remember it.

With eviction courts lacking fair representation, it's it's David versus Goliath in there.

You all know it.

It's no wonder that this system happens.

Families lose cases they could have resolved, and preventable tragedies multiply.

Parents scramble, kids miss more days of school, assignments don't get turned into me.

But the good news is that these outcomes are preventable.

Our current legal support does help families stay housed, either by winning cases, setting up mediations with landlords, creating payment plans, negotiating reduced rents, or avoiding a damaging law uh judgment.

But it has about a quarter, one quarter.

Remember that in the summer, it only has a quarter of the funding that it needs to be available to all who needs it.

How much does it need?

Okay, there we go.

Police fully fund the eviction right to counsel at the full requested amount so MNPS kids can come to my class.

Thank you.

Uh next is uh Ms.

Padilla.

Go ahead.

You're recognized.

Hi, counsel.

Um, I'm Siclali Padilla, and I'm here with the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association.

As someone who works closely with the ERTC program, I wanted to share the numbers that reflect why our eviction support program is where it's scaling.

Um, Stout conducted a two-year independent study on our pilot program, and what it showed was um that we create real impact with 95% of tenants reaching their desired case outcomes in Metros pilot study.

Um, this is possible because eviction cases are not these huge hopeless things.

Our team works tirelessly to meet the needs of our most vulnerable population.

Um, the report also found that 37% of tenants owed one month or less of rent at the time they faced eviction, and the majority of tenants who owed rent said they could pay some or all of the back rent.

Without representation, these tenants are far more likely to experience negative outcomes resulting in eviction and homelessness.

That's exactly where ERTC lawyers can help develop a plan that keeps Nashville families housed.

But most importantly, the return on investment is real.

Legal support for eviction saves the city money.

The same summary states that the pilot program saved the city 250, and tenants saved $2.60 for every dollar spent.

That's a return on investments of $5.10.

And that's not all the report estimates are.

And that's not all reported.

Estimates are that a fully funded program at the requested $9 million could save the city up to $43 million.

Our ask is fiscally straightforward.

Fund an already effective program at scale so that these solvable cases don't turn into homelessness, job loss, and emergency spending.

And get the added benefit of saving taxpayers and constituents money.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Stephen Watts.

Go ahead.

Stephen Watts, District 10, um, representing the Southeast Center for Cooperative Development.

Last year, a coalition I was part of secured 100,000 for a social housing study.

And although I hear that money might finally be being released a year later, it's hard to feel like we're pleading for everything, especially when we know that MMPD lands millions of dollars through a regular regular procurement processes when those funds could otherwise be used for safety.

What I mean by that is this week we remember that safety is in tanks and guns.

It's community members checking on each other.

It's housing that you can afford to stay in.

It's neighborhoods where you know each other because people aren't constantly economically displaced.

So a couple of things I'm asking for.

The first is a fully funded Barnes Fund, which is at minimum an 11 million dollar increase.

The UHS says we need to scale up to 55 million in a couple of years, and we're going the wrong way.

The second thing, and this is for council, but also for the mayor, um, we can afford to uh build permanent affordable housing like the co-op that um that uh Carlina talked about earlier, or the things that Stand Up Nashville talked about.

Um through bonding.

We could afford it to do for the Titans.

That was 760 million in city bonds.

They really wanted them to stay.

What about us?

The last thing I'm asking for is 9 million for legal aid society and 4 million for rent assistance.

So everyone here has asked for the same things, and what's concerning to me is what happens when we're not here because the budget never looks this way.

This week, an email was sent out to all members of council, Metro Legal, and every district judge that has to say to use levers to stop eviction processes.

Stinning on was every single organization that council members Porterfield and Suara named as being on the front lines.

And so it's very frustrating when we're called to be the cleanup crew for negligence and also addiction to the idea that safety is only one way, but we're told that we're being unreasonable when it comes to policy.

So what I'm asking is for a fully funded Barnes Fund, social housing production fund, rental assistance, stop eviction proceedings now.

Thank you.

Next is Sherry Stinson.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening, council members.

Thank you for having all of us.

These nights get long, and you guys have been so attentive and so gracious and caring.

So I just want to say thank you because it it's really meaningful.

Uh, I'm here obviously in support.

I'm Sherry Stenson with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville, and I'm here obviously to plead, I like that word, for more money in the Barnes Housing Trust Fund.

And I thought it might be helpful for you all to understand how that's used from a practitioner.

So we use the Barnes Housing Trust Fund for site development, for roads, underground utilities, and stormwater costs.

So Habitat pays the same amount of impact fees as for-profit developers.

For-profit developers pass that on to the houses.

We have to absorb that so we don't pass it on to the buyers of our homes.

So that's a real important figure there.

Um, the Barnes fund covers a third of the costs of our habitat homes.

Habitat raises the additional two-thirds from corporate faith and foundation support.

We have a diverse funding stack that is appropriate, responsible, and it does not rely solely on one particular funding source.

But if we lose any component of that stack, we cannot make those numbers work.

So I had another bunch of other numbers, and I'm gonna skip those because I want to tell you two things.

We just recently opened our application process in Antioch for the next 12 homes we're gonna build, and within 15 minutes, we had 5,000 applicants and it crashed our system.

So how bad is our need for affordable housing?

That's 15 minutes worth.

That's that's says a lot.

The other thing I want to tell you about is Andrea, she's one of our recent homeowners.

I was on the build up with her recently, and she is 72 years old.

And she said, do not worry about me, my people live till they're 90, I'll be in this house for another 20 years.

I need stable housing costs.

I cannot at 72 be suffering rent that goes up 400 every month.

I need this home because I need affordability.

Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Simon.

All right, uh, that concludes our public comp pre-budget public comment.

We want to express our thanks to everyone.

I do want to share with folks that even when you do not see council members in here because they are back there getting some sustenance.

So we do appreciate you all and thank everyone who came out this evening.

All right.

Next item on the agenda is uh a resolution on public hearing.

Uh Spanish interpretation services are provided for all Metro Council public hearings.

Uh Council Office Team Member Uh Karina Valdez is here as the interpreter.

Ms.

Valdez, will you please share how you can help?

Loser Risos Interpretación Español staran disponibles in audience pública.

Gracias.

We appreciate you.

Um we have uh just one item on uh public hearing.

It is a resolution.

It is agenda item one.

Uh this is resolution 2026-1766 sponsors tombs, Evan Siegel.

I would ask the gallery, please um uh be quiet as you exit.

Um, you're welcome to chat on the mezzanine.

Everybody's welcome to chat on the mezzanine.

Thank you.

Um this is a resolution authorizing the waste services department to utilize surveillance technology for fleet vehicles available under a cooperative master agreement with Routeware Inc.

Um, I don't I can't recall if I read the sponsors, Tombs, Evan Siegel Styles, and GAD.

All right.

Um I will first recognize uh uh budget and finance chair tombs.

Go ahead, ma'am.

Thank you.

Um, Madam Vice Mayor.

Um you can go ahead and do your committee reports.

It's a kind of an atypical public hearing.

You're used to all those zoning public hearings, I know.

Yes.

Um budget and finance voted to recommend approval.

10 in favor, zero against zero not voting.

All right, and for the report of the transportation and infrastructure committee, Chair Evan Siegel, you're recognized.

Transportation and infrastructure committee, uh recommended approval, seven in favor, zero against and zero not voting.

Okay, all right.

Now it's back to you to uh request open to public hearing.

All right.

I declare the public hearing open uh for council member tombs' resolution uh 1766 uh regarding uh uh waste services department surveillance technology for their fleet vehicles.

Um would all members of the public that are here in support of this resolution, please raise your hand.

Would all members of the public here who are in opposition to this uh hearing, please raise your hand.

All right.

Um uh okay.

Seeing I do see someone here in opposition, is that correct?

Okay.

Um those persons who wish to speak uh in support, uh, could come forward if there are any supporting speakers.

Do speak first.

None.

All right.

With that, um, Mr.

Hall, you are uh recognized.

Go ahead, sir.

I just wanted to highlight how easy it was to have a public hearing on this and not a public hearing on all the other items that I believe in.

I think a lot of other people believed were surveillance technology, and so I would just say, like, hey, let's have a public hearing when there's surveillance.

Thanks.

All righty.

Would anyone else uh seek to be recognized on the public hearing related to uh this waste services?

Master agreement.

Seeing none, um, I will declare the public hearing closed.

Um, and uh it's back to you uh for a motion on your resolution.

Thank you, uh Madam Vice Mayor.

Move for approval with a brief comment.

Is there a second?

Okay, go ahead.

Just want to say for the view and audience or for any council members that missed budget or transportation.

Um the surveillance is a camera that is on the arm of the uh garbage truck that oh I apologize.

I I was just thinking, yeah, it's looking in the bin to see what's in the bin.

I'm sorry.

I don't know why.

Please continue.

So sorry.

There's a camera on the arm on the truck, and it helps them track like if someone says that their stop was missed, they can actually look on the camera and see if the truck actually went to that stop, and it also lets them see if the stuff that's in the bin is contaminated.

So that's the purpose of the camera.

Thank you, ma'am.

Is there any further uh discussion on this resolution?

Seeing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Any voting no?

Any abstaining?

Okay.

Um abstention.

Okay, we can do that.

Um uh Mr.

Clerk, if you would please record that abstention.

Uh council uh has adopted uh this resolution.

Uh right.

Next, uh, we have our consolidated consent agenda.

All resolutions and second and third reading ordinances on this agenda are included on the consent agenda if recommended for approval unanimously by all committees to which the item was referred.

Items on the consent agenda will be voted on at a single time.

The item number along with the resolution and ordinance number of the items on the consent agenda will be read by me.

Members of the council may remove any item from the consent agenda by request before the consent agenda vote is taken.

All right.

Resolution 2026-1767.

Agenda item four, resolution 2026-1768.

Agenda item five, resolution 2026-1769.

Agenda item six, resolution 2026-1770.

Agenda item seven, resolution 2026-1771.

Agenda item nine, resolution 2026-1773.

Agenda item 10, resolution 2026-1774.

Next, bills on second reading proposed for the consolidated consent agenda.

Agenda item 58, ordinance BL 2025-1192.

Agenda item 60, ordinance BL 2026-1197.

Now for this section, I'm gonna take this uh without any objection in the aggregate.

Um uh no, those are not on consent.

So sorry.

That's that tranche of 30 contracts, they're not on consent.

Sorry about that.

Just chugging along, seeing them all marked the same.

Let me skip ahead by about eight pages and continue with the consent agenda.

All right.

The next item uh proposed for consent is agenda item 99, ordinance BL 2026-1236.

Agenda item 100, ordinance BL 2026-1237.

Agenda item 101, Ordinance BL 2026-1238.

Agenda item 102, Ordinance BL 2026-1239.

Agenda item 103, ordinance BL 2026-1240.

Agenda item 104, Ordinance BL 2026-1241.

Agenda Item 105, Ordinance BL 2026-1242.

Agenda Item 106, Ordinance BL 2026-1243.

Agenda item 109, Ordinance BL 2026-1246.

Next bills on third reading proposed for the consolidated consent agenda.

Agenda item 110, ordinance BL 2025-1008.

Agenda item 111, Ordinance BL 2025-1087.

Agenda item 112, Ordinance BL 2025-110.

Agenda item 115, Ordinance BL 2025-1132.

Agenda item 116, Ordinance BL 2025-1133.

Agenda item 117, Ordinance BL 2025-1143.

Oh, sorry.

Let's go back.

122, agenda item the 1163 and agenda item 123, the 1164, are not on consent.

Ms.

Times, I apologize.

Those are not on consent.

All right.

Um Mr.

Clerk is he he knows what's next.

It's 124 agenda item.

Ordinance BL uh 2025-1165.

Agenda item 125, ordinance BL 2025-1166.

Agenda item 126, ordinance BL 2025-1167.

Agenda item 127, ordinance BL 2025-1170.

Agenda item 128, ordinance BL 2025-1171.

Agenda item 129, ordinance BL 2025-1172.

Agenda item 130, ordinance BL 2025-1173.

Agenda item 133, ordinance BL 2025-1178.

Agenda Item 135, Ordinance BL 2025-1180.

Agenda item 136 ordinance BL 2025-1181 agenda item 137 ordinance BL 2025-1182 agenda item 138 ordinance BL 2025-1183 agenda item 139 ordinance BL 2025-1184 agenda item 140 ordinance BL 2025-1185 agenda item 141 ordinance BL 2025-1186 agenda item 142 ordinance BL 2025-1187 agenda item 144 ordinance BL 2025-1190 oh I apologize Mr.

Clerk go back put my elbow on 1189 um uh agenda item 143 is ordinance BL 2025-1189 and um next is agenda item 144 ordinance BL 2025-1190 agenda item 145 ordinance BL 2025-1191 agenda item 146 ordinance BL 2025-1193 and lastly proposed for the consolidated consent agenda agenda item 147 ordinance BL 2025-1194 that concludes the reading of the consent agenda do any items need to be removed from the consent agenda if so um members please join the queue to request that all right uh council member benton you are recognized sir thank you vice mayor uh number 110 uh 2025 1008 okay council member benton has requested that agenda item 110 uh which is a bill on third reading be removed from consent it has been removed uh council member swara uh you are recognized thank you vice mayor uh agenda item number 22 items 2026 1786 okay um council member swara has requested the removal of agenda item 22 uh this is resolution 2026 1786 uh it has been removed from consent are any other members uh seeking to be recognized uh to remove an item from the consent agenda all right uh seeing none uh mr clerk are all committee reports in for the items on the consent agenda yes all committee reports are in thank you mr clerk members is there a motion for approval of the consent agenda properly moved and seconded all in favor say aye council has passed all items on the consent agenda all right now we will go back to resolutions uh that were not on consent first among those is agenda item two resolution 2025 1712 sponsors porterfield tombs voara parker welsh bradford ewing cap and gadd this is a resolution opposing the boring companies proposed tunnels within Nashville and Davidson County condemning the company's lack of transparency in adequate community and metropolitan council engagement and troubling labor and safety practices affirming that public land and public infrastructure decisions must prioritize the welfare safety and express needs of Nashville residents and reiterating the Metropolitan Council's commitment to real equitable community driven transit solutions uh miss porterfield sponsor you are recognized thank you vice mayor committee reports please all right um for the report of the rules confirmations and public elections committee chair cash we voted to defer two meetings six in favor zero against zero not voting okay um thank you chair um and it's back to you miss porterfield for a motion uh thank you vice mayor i would like to move for a two meet and deferral with a brief comment is it okay go ahead ma'am uh thank you vice mayor um i still have concerns but i do believe that um we should hear from the uh boarding committee uh the board company um even though they had not made plans to meet up to this point they did uh thank you to council member at large quinnevin siegel who was able to work uh with them to get a meeting on um within the transportation infrastructure committee there will be a meeting on the 19th at 430 p.m so i would like to invite all of my colleagues to come out and hear about uh what those plans are i would uh love for people to bring forth the questions and concerns that they have heard from their constituents i've heard uh lots of questions and concerns i'm sure some of our other colleagues have as well so i would like to invite the full body to come out again that's on the 19th of 430 p.m with those questions and concerns and i will save all of my comments uh for that time vice mayor so with that i would uh ask for a two meeting deferral thank you miss porterfeld and can you all clarify i think we had four and four thirty just for the viewing public um council evan siegel point of a single it's four indeed 430 okay i apologize okay it's 430 special council

That's on the 19th of 430 p.m.

with those questions and concerns, and I will save all of my comments uh for that time, Vice Mayor.

So with that, I would uh ask for a two meeting deferral.

Thank you, Ms.

Porterfield.

And can you all clarify?

I think we had four and four thirty just for the viewing public.

Um council Evan Siegel.

It's four, indeed, 430.

Okay.

I apologize.

Okay, it's 430, special counsel saying we're we're all good.

I just I I I sense a discrepancy that might have been my error.

Just one to clarify um because I know it has a high level of public interest.

All right.

Um is there any further uh discussion on this motion to defer two meetings?

Seeing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Any voting no?

Any abstaining?

All right.

This is deferred to meetings.

Um, and uh again, there will be a uh special time at the February 19th meeting, but the deferral of two meetings means it's we'll be back for consideration at the first meeting in March.

Okay.

Uh all right.

Next is agenda item 12.

Uh, this is resolution 2026 uh-1776.

1776.

I felt like this whole section, y'all, on the consent agenda.

If I hadn't read it number by number, we could all be having like an internal history lesson of American history, like, oh yeah, that was that battle and that bill and all those things.

So yeah, we're in our 1776 era of our numeration here.

All right, so uh for this bill, or rather resolution 1776, sponsor Cupin, Horton, Evan Siegel, and Gad.

This is a resolution amending ordinance number BL 2021-874 to extend the construction commencement date for an easement agreement pertaining to a portion of Alley 371 in connection with the development project.

Mr.

Koopin, you are recognized, sir.

Thank you, Madam President.

Happy 250th uh anniversary, America.

That's why we did this bill.

Um I need to move to suspend the rules and would love to have the uh special counsel explain why if that's okay.

All right, yes, this is pursuant to rule 16 and special counsel.

If you could please uh uh share the why.

Um yes, vice mayor, and I may have misspoken earlier.

It's rule 17.

Uh, there's no uh no resolution approving or authorizing the execution of an agreement um can be considered by this council without uh essentially the the the document having uh all signatures but metro.

And in this case, there is a signature missing, and so uh suspension is necessary to consider it.

All right.

Um uh chair cash, did you all consider okay?

All right, you all didn't not take this up.

Is there any objection uh to the suspension of rule 17?

Seeing none, the rule is suspended.

Um, and so this can be uh uh taken up at this time.

Um go ahead, uh Mr.

Koopin.

Thank you, Madam President.

Move approval.

Um we do need to get our committee report committee reports.

Okay, uh for the report of planning and zoning, Chair Horton.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

Uh planning and zoning considered ours 2026, 1776, and recommended approval.

Nine in favor, zero against zero not voting.

All right, and for the report of the transportation and infrastructure committee, uh Chair Evan Siegel on 1776.

We're gonna have fun with this.

Uh the Transportation Infrastructure Committee uh voted in favor of this.

Seven in favor, zero against, and zero not voting.

Okay.

All right.

Uh now it's back to you, Mr.

Koopin, for a motion.

Thank you, Madam President.

Move approval, please.

All right.

Um uh is and I heard a second earlier.

Yep.

All right.

Um, it's properly moved and seconded.

Is there any discussion on this or anything that you need to share, Mr.

Koopin?

All right.

Seeing no one in the queue for purposes of discussion.

Uh uh all those in favor, please say aye.

Any voting no?

Any abstaining?

All right, you have adopted this resolution.

Next is uh agenda item 19, resolution 2026-1783, sponsors Styles and Eastlick.

This is a resolution requesting the Metropolitan Civil Service Commission to update rules about the filing and resolution of employee grievances.

Mrs.

Stiles, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Vice Mayor Committee reports, please.

Yep.

For the report of rules, confirmations and public elections, Chair Cash.

Okay, uh, we did three things, and I want to be clear about that.

So we first voted to approve six in favor, zero against you were not voting on a consent.

Then we've there was a motion to reconsider, and we voted eight in favor, zero against you were not voting to reconsider.

And then we voted to defer one meeting eight to zero to zero.

All right.

At which juncture, Miss Styles, that means it is a deferral by rule.

Okay.

Correct.

Yes.

All right.

No uh discussion or comment at this time.

All right.

Um next is uh agenda item 20, resolution 2026-1784.

Uh this is a resolution recognizing the Metropolitan Government employees for their extraordinary efforts during inclement weather in January of 2026.

Sponsors so far are Alan Welsh, Porterfield, Coopin, Cash Hill, Spain, Rutherford Tombs, Parker, Evans, Benton, Nash, Styles, Wiener, Hancock, Harold, Arrell, Benedict, Swara, Bradford, and Vo.

That said, I do know we all appreciate these folks.

And I would imagine that your motion might include Rule 12.3, Miss Allen.

Hint hint.

Go ahead.

Thank you, madam.

Uh myor, I would first like committee reports, please.

Yes.

For the report of rules, confirmations, and public elections.

Chair Cash.

Thank you.

We voted um eight in favor, zero against zero, not voting to approve.

All right, and the the substitute, sir.

I assume sorry, same same numbers.

We voted eight.

Eight in favor, zero, zero, substitute.

Understood.

Back to you, Ms.

Allen, um, for a motion on your bill first to get it before us.

Okay, thank you.

I'd like to move the bill just to get it on the floor.

Yep.

Is there second?

Okay.

Now you can make a motion.

I would I would like to move the substitute with a brief explanation.

So the bill itself is an expression of our appreciation of all the amazing employees who have worked and are still working so hard to um to help the lessen the impact of this incredible ice storm that we've all lived about and we've heard so much about uh throughout this meeting.

People have been working around the clock in very difficult conditions, and um we are grateful to all the many departments, all the many employees that um went above and beyond the call of duty.

We know it was not perfect.

We will uh we will have discussions about that later, but um and learn from the experience.

But I think the effort was Herculean and is is worthy of the the appreciation of all the council.

And with that, I would, if I could, um, let's first let's get it substituted, and then you can renew your motion to approve a substitute with rule 12.3 applied.

That's what I would like to do.

Okay.

Uh the substitute itself actually uh increases the numbers.

I I began writing this when the storm was coming and uh told our director that I would be increasing the numbers.

So as the number of polls went up and the number of linemen went up, um I had to increase it, and it's still not um truly accurate of the number of people who went out there.

So with that, I would move the substitute uh to recognize or come close to it, the effort that was put out there.

All right.

Is there any discussion on the substitute, the motion to substitute?

Seeing none, all in favor of the motion to substitute, please say aye.

Any voting, no or abstaining.

All right, now you can renew your motion.

Now we'd like to move the bill as the resolution as substituted with rule 12.3 so that all voting in the affirmative could be added, and to ask that we make a copy of this for every department that uh mentioned or should have mentioned to show our appreciation.

All right.

Um that is a proper motion.

Um that is a lot of departments, but we appreciate them all, and we will we will do that.

Um right.

Uh is there any further discussion at this time?

Seeing none, um, this is a motion to approve as substituted with rule 12.3 applied, such that everyone voting in the affirmative will be listed as a co-sponsor.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any voting no or abstaining.

Good.

Okay.

Uh this resolution has passed as substituted.

Uh all right.

Um, next is agenda item 22, uh, resolution 2026-1786.

Uh, this is resolution uh, well, uh, this is resolution recognizing January 2026 as Muslim American Heritage Month in Nashville and Davidson County.

The the present sponsors are Swaravaux, Coopin Nash, Porterfield, Kimbrough, Alan Welsh, Tomb Sepulveda, Harel, Lee, Benedict Gamble, Ewing, and Wiener.

Um, Miss Swara, sponsor, you are recognized.

Thank you, Ice Mayor.

Uh, commentary post, please.

For the report of rules, confirmations and public elections.

Chair Cash.

We voted to approve six in favor, zero against zero and not voting.

All right.

Thank you so much, sir.

Back to you, Miss Swara.

I'd like to move for approval with a brief comment.

All right.

Is there second?

All right, go ahead, ma'am.

All right, thank you, Vice Mayor.

Uh, first I want to thank all the co-sponsors.

I really appreciate uh everyone that signed on already.

Uh and for those that missed signing on, please, if you're interested in signing on, uh, go ahead and uh let the clock know.

I'm not going to invoke 12.3.

Uh, but I do think that there might be others that miss the opportunity, and if they do want to, I want to be able to say that.

Uh, I've been on council for six years.

This is my first time doing the uh Muslim American heritage month.

Uh, but I brought it this time for three main reasons.

Uh part of it is part of the uh rhetoric that is going on nationally about Muslims and and we've done a lot of war calling out a lot of uh eight here, and I appreciate that for my colleagues.

Uh, but I wanted to make sure that Islamophobia is called out specifically as somebody who is subjected to it on.

I was joking with someone today that uh even if I'm anointed by the Pope, or I sing allelujah every day, people will say hate me for what I look like and what I believe.

And it shouldn't be like that.

And so uh um no matter you know what we believe, uh this country uh allows us to have a faith or no faith at all.

As an elected official, I don't just represent Muslim, I represent all Nashvilleans.

And I've done a good job of being there for a lot of people.

So I want to encourage, you know, I cannot do anything with state or national, but uh everyone in this room, look at your constituents, the Muslims are part of it as well.

Uh the res resolution has a lot of information in it, but if you have a mosque in your neighborhood, try to visit, try to get to know uh the national so that when we say we represent all Nashville, that's what I try to do, and I'm hoping that everybody does that.

The second reason is that the resolution talks about a Soviet that American Muslim Advisory Council did that talks about Islamophobia in school.

Uh, before becoming a council person, I testified before the school board about an incident of my daughter uh where one of our friends actually was joking about Sophia.

Would you are you gonna bomb this school today?

Something like that.

Uh um, and what we're seeing is not just kids, it's also adults.

Uh, unfortunately, a lot of Islamophobic incidents goes unreported.

Parents don't want to make any problem, they don't want to, you know, people don't say a lot of things.

So this study is very important.

I'm hoping that people will take a look at it.

It's not uh on MMPS, MMPS is a good uh partner, but this is about schools throughout the state of Tennessee.

Uh and when we have this rhetoric, when we have this anti or the othering of others, our children do suffer a lot from it.

So I wanted to point that out.

And then the last reason why I pulled this out also is because being Black History Month, uh uh is not lost to me that when we talk about Muslims in America, a lot of people talk about the immigrants.

We talk about the immigrant mosque.

Almost everybody here knows to us out.

But do people know that there's masjid Islam in Councilmember Tomb's districts where we have African Americans that have been part of the fabric of this city for a long time before the courts even came to town?

Um Bethina, my friend, who serves in the school, but people think she's an immigrant, but she's been here for she's American, born breaderies.

So I wanted to point that out.

I want to uplift the Muslim black Americans that have been part of this community.

Uh, and I want to thank everybody.

And so again, if you want to sign on, uh please let the clerk know.

And thank you.

Yes, you can always email mid meeting to Metro Clerk at Nashville.gov to sign on.

Um to discussion.

Ms.

Allen, you're recognized.

I was just going to yield my time if uh if the council member had more to say.

That's very kind.

All set.

Okay.

Um uh any further discussion.

Seeing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Any voting no or abstaining?

All right.

Um, you have adopted this resolution.

All right.

Now uh we move uh into our first uh reading items.

Uh section M, bills on introduction and first reading.

By rule, all items on first reading shall be voted on at the same time unless requested otherwise by a primary sponsor or by two other members.

Uh, do any items need to be removed from the collective vote?

I am aware uh that Mr.

Parker has requested the removal of agenda item 27 uh from the collected vote.

So uh that will uh be uh removed and we will take that up separately.

Um do any other members uh seek to remove an item uh from uh the collective vote.

All right, uh seeing none, is there a motion for approval of all the items remaining on first consideration?

Okay, properly seconded.

And so then without objection, you have approved all items uh on first reading, uh, with the exception of agenda item 27, which we will go to now.

Uh that is ordinance BL 2026-1257, sponsor Parker Horton and Vo.

This is an ordinance amending chapters 17.16 and 17.40 of the Metro Code of Laws to permit detached accessory dwelling units, also known as status, on legally created residential lots with non-conforming lot area.

Uh Mr.

Parker, you're recognized, sir.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

I would like to move approval today, but defer second reading along with our public hearing to the first meeting in April.

All right.

Um, and that is to give the planning commission time to um, you know, they had that rule change where text amendments now require um two meetings and some good time.

So I wanted to let them at least have the opportunity to finish their process before we heard it here.

So I'd like to move approval today and defer to the first meeting in April.

All right.

It's properly moved and seconded.

Is there any discussion?

Mr.

Nash, go ahead, sir.

Thank you, Madam Chairman.

Uh I would does this bill conflict with what we just passed in regard to dad's um uh Mr.

Parker.

Do you want to take that up?

At this juncture, Mr.

Nash, again, we're just on first reading, so we're just kind of getting in the process.

Mr.

Parker has proposed uh deferring it the second reading until April.

Do you still wish to have the question addressed at this time?

Yes, I think it's important.

Um Mr.

Parker, go ahead, sir.

Uh sure.

So the bill impacts um the ability to construct a date do in a um it's gonna be difficult to explain this um briefly.

So we have zoning districts, and sometimes they end up being applied um to properties which do not meet the minimum lot size for that area.

So just pulling numbers out of a hat.

Let's say there's a lot that's 5,000 square foot and it's zoned R for two properties, but it's R whatever the number is, and that requires 5,000 and one square foot.

Um so that property would, even though it's zoned two family, is not today allowed to build a day due.

Um and so this just addresses that.

All right, thank you.

All right, uh Mr.

Nash is nodding his head.

All right, is there any further uh discussion on the motion to approve on first reading with second reading deferred in its public hearing to the first meeting in April?

Seeing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Any voting, no or abstaining.

All right.

Um this has passed its first reading and will be taken up for public hearing at our first meeting in April.

All right, now we are on to uh bills on second reading.

We're not on consent.

Section N of our agenda.

And the first among them is 62.

Um agenda item 62, ordinance BL 2026-1199.

Sponsors Tombs, Huffman, Welsh, and Benton.

Uh, this is an ordinance to approve an affiliation agreement by and between Liberty University, LLC, and the Metro Government of Nashville in Davidson County by and through the Office of Family Safety to provide field work experience for students enrolled uh in Liberty University social work programs.

Uh Ms.

Toombs, you're recognized.

Thank you, madam Vice Mayor Committee Report.

Um Budget and Finance voted to recommend approval.

Seven in favor, zero against two uh not voting.

Okay, two abstentions.

Um uh chair Huffman for the report of the public health and safety committee recognized, sir.

Thank you, Voss Mayor.

Uh the public health and safety committee voted approval eight in favor, zero against zero not voting.

Okay, all right.

It's back to you, uh Ms.

Tombs for a motion on your bill.

Move for approval.

All right.

Properly moved and seconded.

Um we are on to discussion.

Um is there any discussion on this bill?

All right, okay.

This is a bill on second reading.

Uh all in favor, seeing no further discussion.

All in favor, please say aye.

Any voting no?

No.

Okay.

Um, that's a whole lot of no's.

Um, so let's just put it on the board if we can.

Um is that well, we're on second reading, Mr.

Wilson.

Okay.

So on second reading for a bill that has three readings, we need what at this juncture?

Just a simple majority?

Okay, guys, let's roll it back so we can keep moving.

Um we had the ayes.

Um now um again, please.

I need the no's and I need those to be steady hands.

Uh okay.

All right, we actually are gonna have to put on the board because I don't think that may not actually be a majority for passage on second.

Mr.

Clerk, would you please load the vote?

I think it may look like a lot of discovery failed, but all right, this will require a simple majority of those voting at this time.

This is a three reading ordinance on its second reading.

Is everyone voted?

Who are they, Mr.

Clerk?

Let me know.

They're slowing down the meeting.

Everyone's in.

All right.

Little potential shame there.

Y'all are like, whoop.

Mr.

Clerk, please show the vote.

All right.

This motion has uh failed.

Um, so this bill has not passed its uh second reading.

Uh there were 12 votes in favor, there were 18 against, and there were five abstentions.

So this uh bill does not advance.

Okay.

All right.

Next um is our tranche of uh some 30 bills um that uh Chair Evan Siegel very kindly read the caption of in transportation and infrastructure um committee.

Um uh so um I think uh what I'm gonna do without objection for purposes of sort of taking these up and for transparency.

Um uh these are bills uh number 69 um through 98.

Um what we're going to see, colleagues, is there's going to be a mandatory uh deferral by rule, okay?

And so because we are not debating or voting for at this time, we are just having a deferral by rule.

Um, I would ask uh that we uh can rely on them being entered uh into the record um in transportation and infrastructure committee.

These are bills, you know, 69, 70, 71, 72, and so on, all the way through to uh 98.

Um, and they uh represent uh uh uh on call contracts with a wide variety of um engineering and uh planning uh firms.

Um is that sufficiently clear to everyone?

Um right, no objection to taking them in this manner.

All right, um, Ms.

Tombs, you are then recognized um for uh your uh committee report on um uh first your bill 69, but basically all of them through 98.

Uh budget and finance chair uh tombs, you're recognized.

Budget and finance voted to recommend approval of all of them.

I mean, not approval, I'm sorry, defer one meeting.

Yep.

Nine in favor, zero against zero not vote.

Okay.

Um for the report of the planning and zoning committee.

Um uh Mr.

Horton, um uh what was your committee's action on this tranche of bills?

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

Planning and zoning uh considered each of these bills and for each one voted recommended approval.

Nine in favor, zero against zero not voting.

Okay, and for the report of the transportation and infrastructure committee, uh um Ms.

Evan Siegel, go ahead.

Uh the transportation and infrastructure committee voted on each of these bills to defer one meeting, seven in favor of the deferral, zero opposed, and zero not voting.

All right.

Um, and so with that, uh Chair Tombs, this is a mandatory deferral by rule of one meeting um for all bills uh enumerated in sequence between 69 and 98.

Okay.

All right.

Um that is gonna save a good bit of time.

And so now we're skipping ahead of those.

And we're on to bills on third reading.

All right, all right.

Okay, okay.

Um next is agenda item 110.

Um, this is ordinance BL 2025-1008.

Uh sponsors uh Alan Rutherford Coopin, Nash, Gamble, Evan Siegel, Swara, Bradford, Porterfield, Huffman, Gad, Voe, Ewing, Welsh, Benedict Lee, and Tombs.

This is an ordinance establishing a voluntary attainable housing incentive program for Metro Nashville and Davidson County for the purpose of authorizing certain incentives to be provided to property owners who seek to build multi-family attainable housing.

Uh, sponsor Alan, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam chair.

I don't believe I need committee reports.

No, they are expecting.

Um already, oh, they're already in.

Okay, yes, ma'am.

Then I would like to move approval with a brief explanation.

Is there a second?

All right, go ahead.

Thank you with thanks to all my many co-sponsors on this.

Um, this is a bill that addresses a need that we've heard about over and over again tonight, housing affordability in Nashville.

This was enabled by state legislation.

After many years of waiting to be able to do something like this, this is a new tool in our toolbox that will allow some incentives to developers who are willing to set aside a certain percentage of their properties in multifamily housing to be income restricted for people earning somewhere between 80 and 100% of the area median income.

This is something we tried to do many years ago, and the state was not ready for it, and now it is a need across the entire state.

This only applies in the RL district, and that won't be ready to go until April.

So this will be something that we can learn from and make adjustments to as needed.

But it clearly addresses the need that we have heard from many, many people, and I would ask for everyone's support on this.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you so much.

We're moving on to discussion.

Mr.

Benton, your recognizer.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

I just wanted to speak basically because I want my colleagues to understand why this evil guy back in the back corner is voting against this.

I care about housing that's affordable too.

I really do.

I've got kids, grandkids, and uh it's easy to see that housing is not as affordable as it has been.

In fact, I see a shrinking middle class that's destroying us.

Um, and that's exactly why I'm voting against this.

I feel like our subsidizing attainable housing or tax credits are slowly putting the middle class on government subsidy.

I feel like that it contributes to eroding the middle class and its ability to support itself.

I'm not ready to capitulate.

I'm not ready to give up or stop fighting regarding demanding a respectable paycheck to not only supporting the missing middle housing, but the missing middle paycheck as a whole.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh Ms.

Allen, do you seek to be recognized again?

Um go ahead, ma'am.

Thank you.

And I appreciate the explanation.

It is helpful to understand what what people are um are processing as they're making decisions about this.

I will say um we do have other programs that are subsidies or tax breaks.

This is not, uh, which is part of the beauty of it.

It it offers an opportunity for the developer to get additional um value out of the land, and that is what pays for it, and that's um that's something that this this is one particular tool that will not rest on the backs of other citizens.

So I appreciate that concern and and hope that perhaps that's information that will um that will be considered.

Thank you, sponsor Allen.

Uh Mr.

Pepti, do you still seek to be recognized?

All right.

Um seeing no one else seeking to be recognized, um, we will move uh to the vote.

Um, this is an ordinance on final reading.

Um Mr.

Benton, do we think that what Ms.

Allen shared about it not being a subsidy might change your mind, and we won't have to put this on the machine.

Okay, Mr.

Eastlick's gonna be a no as well.

All right.

Um uh so knowing that we have no votes and that this is an ordinance on third reading, um, we do need uh a roll call vote.

And so with that, Mr.

Clerk, if you would please uh load the vote.

This ordinance needs 21 votes for passage.

All votes are in.

Mr.

Clerk, please show the vote.

This ordinance has passed its third and final reading with 31 votes in favor, two votes no, and two abstentions.

Uh thank you, Ms.

Allen.

All right.

Um next is agenda item 113 uh ordinance BL 2025-1115 sponsors vo Welsh and Benedict.

This is an ordinance amending uh chapters 16.04 and 16.24 of the Metro Code of Laws to require a fence permit for permanent fences to be constructed within Nashville and Davidson County.

Uh Ms.

Vaux, you are recognized.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

Move to approve.

Right.

Um, there's a motion to approve properly seconded.

Uh is there any discussion?

All right.

Uh seeing none, all in favor, please say aye.

All right.

Any voting no?

All right.

And with that, uh, because it is an ordinance on its third and final reading with multiple no votes.

Uh we will have to go on the boards.

Mr.

Clerk, if you would please load the vote.

Mr.

Clerk, are all votes in Ms.

Gadd and Mr.

Prepti?

Do you you're showing is voting?

Do we need some assistance from ITS?

They're on.

Okay, we just had a bit of a lag there.

Sorry to call y'all out.

Thank you for voting.

No worries.

Um all votes are in.

Mr.

Clerk, please show the vote.

All right.

This ordinance has passed um its third and final reading.

Uh, with 30 votes in favor, five against, and zero abstentions.

All right.

Thank you, Ms.

Foe.

Next.

On third reading, uh, is agenda item one hundred and nineteen, ordinance BL 2025-1147 sponsors Tooms Horton and Evan Siegel.

This is an ordinance amending certain access management sections of chapter 13.12 and 17.2 of the Metro Code of Laws to implement the access management manual, which compiles regulations and guidelines for access from private property to the public rights away to modernize the development review process and make streets safer for all modes of transportation.

Ms.

Toombs, you're recognized.

Although it kind of feels like Ms.

Evans Siegel should have been the lead sponsor on this one.

I'm not sure.

There's some kind of fees in there that ties in budget.

That's been a question asked multiple times.

Right.

All righty then.

Uh thank you, Adam Vice Mayor.

Uh committee report.

Uh budget of finance voted to recommend approval as substituted.

Nine in favor, zero against, zero not voting.

Okay.

Um good to know.

Um, for the report of the planning zoning committee, uh, Mr.

Horton.

Thank you, Vice Mayor Planning and Zoning voted in favor of a one meeting deferral.

Nine in favor, zero against zero not voting.

Alrighty, I can see where this is headed then, but we need to get the report of the transportation infrastructure committee in as well.

Go ahead, Chair Evan Siegel.

Uh, the transportation infrastructure committee voted seven in favor, zero against, and zero not voting uh to approve.

All right, okay.

Um was that on uh the substitute as well?

On the substitute and as substitute.

Okay.

Um all right.

Uh that said, uh, even uh with those uh other committee reports with one of our standing committees having a vote of a one meeting deferral by rule.

Um this uh bill is deferred one meeting.

Um so this will be taken up again on its third and final reading at the second meeting in February by rule.

Okay.

Um next um our agenda items 121 or rather 122 and 123.

They are companions to each other, sponsor tombs.

Uh ordinance BL 2025-1163 and its companion 1164.

Uh 1163 is an ordinance to amend title 17, the Metro Code of Laws of Zoning Ordins to the Metro government by changing from R8 to SP zoning for properties located at 2130-2132A.

Oh, it's this one.

2138A, 2138B, 2138C, 2140, and 2142 Buena Vista Pike and 300.

3005A, 3005B, 3007, and 3009 Cliff Drive at the southwest corner of Buena Vista Pike and Cliff Drive.

This is 5.29 acres to permit a mixed use development.

It's companion 1164 is uh an ordinance that requires certain materials to be restricted in the construction of buildings at all those many addresses that I already mentioned and won't mention again.

Ms.

Tombs, you're recognized.

Thank you, madam vice mayor committee report.

Um for the report of the Planning and Zoning Committee, uh uh Chair Horton.

Thank you, Vice Mayor P and Z considered each of these companion bills and voted in favor of deferring both bills uh by two meetings.

Uh nine in favor, zero against zero not voting.

Okay.

Um all right.

So it's back to you, uh uh Ms.

Tombs for a motion.

Move for a two-meeting deferral.

All right, there's a motion to defer uh both these companion bills, agenda items 122 and 123, um, uh to defer them for two meetings.

It is properly seconded.

Is there any discussion?

Seeing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Any voting no or abstaining?

All right, these will be taken up uh in two meetings from now.

Is there a motion to adjourn?

We had a point uh okay.

Is this a point of personal privilege?

It is.

Okay, go ahead, ma'am.

I'm sorry, you did the thing too fast.

I was that's that's okay.

I I needed to share some information with everybody that you all may not know, and and I think it's important for you all to know.

So just in case you all did not know, this is the time of the aquarium.

Let the search sun shine in, because it's Aquarius time.

Thank you, madam.

Thank you, Ms.

Lee.

We are now adjourned again.

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