Good evening, everyone.

Today is June the second, 2026, and I want to open up our announcement period by acknowledging that this meeting is being held on the unceded stolen land of the Cherokee Shiny and UC people, and to remind you all that no one is illegal on stolen land built by stolen labor.

We have two proclamations today.

Our first proclamation is from Councilmember Jeff Eastlick, a proclamation recognizing Elbert Tucker for on the occasion of his retirement from a distinguished 42-year-long career in television news.

Councilmember Eastlick, you are recognized.

Thank you very much.

Whereas Mr.

Elbert Tucker has established a distinguished 42-year career in television news leading up to his forthcoming retirement this Friday.

Having uh leaving behind a legacy of leadership, dedication, and trusted local journalism.

Whereas serving as news director at WISH TV in Indianapolis, where the station was recognized as Indiana's outstanding news operation in 2016, and received Emmy Award for its heroine at home series.

Mr.

Tucker moved to Nashville in June of 2016 to serve as the news director at WKRN TV.

And whereas during his decade at WKRN, Mr.

Tucker led Strategic Newsroom and Digital Growth Initiatives, expanded local programming and guided coverage of major events impacting Nashville, including the 2016 Antioch Waffle House shooting and the 2020 Christmas Day shooting or bombing in downtown Nashville.

Whereas Mr.

Tucker has also demonstrated a strong commitment to civic and professional service through his participation on the ABC affiliate news directors advisory board, the director of Nashville Crime Stoppers, and as a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy.

And Mr.

Tucker is also grateful for the support for of his colleagues, his friend, especially his wife Janice, to whom he cites as the pillar of his uh support for decades, along with his daughter Faith and his son Reed, as he looks forward to this well-earned retirement.

Now, therefore, I, Jeff Eastlick, district council member for District 11 of the Metro National Government of Davidson County, along with the undersigned members of the council hereby recognize Mr.

Elbert Tucker upon the occasion of his retirement and extend sincere appreciation for the decades and dedication to broadcast journalism, his commitment to transparency, civic awareness, and keeping citizens informed through trusted local journalism and his lasting contributions to the people of Nashville and communities across the nation.

Thank you, sir.

There you go.

I'm overwhelmed.

I'd like to thank you for this.

I'd like to thank my colleagues.

Living in Nashville and serving this community has been a great privilege.

I'll continue to do that as long as I'm alive.

And I thank you again.

It's really humbling.

Thank you.

Next, we have resolution number RS 2026-1925.

Councilmember Jacob Coopin, a resolution recognizing the contributions of Linemen and recognizing April 18th, 2026 as National Linemen Appreciation Day in Nashville and Davidson County.

Thank you, Chair Pro Tem, and uh thank you for being here.

Uh our wonderful line worker representatives on a on an incredible day where we get to hear from the public um at our budget public hearing.

It's an honor to recognize the folks that um work to make our city run.

Um, and most recently and most importantly, in the ice storm fern, where they were out in the cold, uh, many of them without their own power, uh, helping to keep us keep us safe and get electricity back on and in dangerous conditions away from their families.

And so um, it's the least that I think that we can do as a body to recognize them with this uh this resolution.

And so I will kick it off and have my colleagues join.

Um, this is a resolution recognizing the contributions of line workers and recognizing April 18th, 2026 as National Line Worker Appreciation Day in Nashville and Davidson County.

Whereas the United States Congress was designated April 18 as National Line Walker's acquisition day in 2013, has a word to recognize lineworkers in their contributions following Oregon Sandy in the previous year.

And whereas line workers require extensive training, bravery, and technical ability to perform the everyday duties of their profession and whereas line workers are often first responders during storms and other catastrophic events, working to make the scene safe for other public safety personnel and whereas during winter storm fern, hundreds of line workers worked around the clock in freezing temperatures to respond to one of the largest power outages in the history of Nashville Electric Service.

And whereas the line work whereas the line workers' efforts did not end with a storm as they are still working across NES territory to permanently repair uh the temporary fixes and strengthen the electrical grid and whereas line workers play a vital role in the economy by maintaining and expanding energy infrastructure, and whereas lineworkers must often walk under dangerous conditions separated from their families to keep schools, hospitals, and businesses open, and whereas it is fitting and proper that this metropolitan council recognize the contribution of line workers to keep the city going, often under dangerous conditions.

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the council of the metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County that the Metropolitan Council does hereby recognize the contributions of line workers towards keeping power on and protecting public safety and recognizing April 18th, 2026 as National Lineman Appreciation Day.

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

On behalf of the linemen and NES, I wanted to say thank you for this, and I'm accepting this as the first vice president of the union at NES.

We work hard and we're proud of what we do.

So thank you for this recognition.

We also want to recognize the leadership, our president, Teresa Boyles Aplin.

Without her, we would not be as successful.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thanks to you.

And this is right here.

All right, thank you for all of the line people here today, and thank you for your service to our city.

And now we are going to go into our announcement period.

I am going to start off with uh council member Res Bradford.

Councilmember Bradford, you're recognized.

Thank you, ma'am Pro Tim.

I rise this evening to announce the start of Pride Month.

And to say that we at the Metro Council, we stand proudly with our city's LGBTQ community.

Especially right now at a moment when our community is facing relentless attacks from state and federal legislators who are trying to strip our rights, restrict our access to care, and using policies as weapons against us and our neighbors.

It matters that we, the local government, take a stand and say to our constituents clearly, you are seen, you are valued, and you belong.

Nashville has always been and will always be stronger for our diversity.

This month and every month, we stand with our fellow LGBTQ community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Bradford.

Next we have Councilmember Gabb.

You are recognized.

Thank you so much, Speaker Pro Tim, and also thank you to um uh Councilmember Bradford for making sure we open up um on pride of this month so appropriately.

Um I do want to take a moment for colleagues that uh are here at your desk, or if you'll uh make sure you remind colleagues when they come in, um, each one of us um will have an orange ribbon.

Um, and so what this orange ribbon uh stands for, it's specifically on National Gun Violence Awareness Day or Wear Orange Day, um, which is something that is observed the first weekend in June every year.

This color was chosen, uh, the color orange because that's a color hunters wear in the woods to alert others not to shoot.

On Wear Orange Day, we honor and remember all victims and survivors of gun violence.

This year, wear orange weekend will be June 5th to 7th.

Our Middle Tennessee Moms Demand Action volunteers invite all of us to wear this ribbon for your wear orange ribbon on this weekend, but also throughout the entire month.

I'd like to take a moment and ask um those from Mom's Demand Action if you will stand and be recognized for all of your service.

So thank you all for being here.

And um they have also um uh they have also wanted to make sure that everyone is invited this Sunday.

Uh the Tennessee Middle Middle Tennessee Moms Wear Orange Sunday, uh, or wear orange will be this Sunday, uh, June 7th at 2 p.m.

Uh in the Center for Contemplative Justice, and it's gonna be on Alabama Avenue uh right off of uh Charlotte Avenue.

And um we'd welcome everyone to join.

You'll have an invitation in your inbox, and um and folks can learn about it in the community by going through their website, also um social media as well.

So thank you all for being here today.

Thank you.

Uh Councilmember Gad.

Um, if I may take a moment of privilege to add to that, where Orange originated on June the second, twenty fifteen on what would have been Hadea Pendleton's 18th birthday.

Uh so today would have been um Hadia's 29th birthday.

So I just wanted to take a moment to speak her name and honor her legacy.

Councilmember Protesty, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Pro Tim.

Um remember not to give you a promotion this time.

Um I'm a firm believer that all of us make it in life because of the people who have invested in us, those those folks who take the time to get to know us, to know our hearts, to know our passions, um, and to help guide us during our our some of our most formidable years.

Um and somebody like that for myself is my oldest brother Menez, who was my or was who is um uh or who was my one of my very first best friends, a person who has always sought to protect me, to look after me, to uplift me and support me.

Um so I just wanted to take a moment to to say thank you to my oldest brother Menez for all that he's done for me, but also taking a moment to wish him a very happy birthday.

Tomorrow the third will be his 41st birthday, so uh yes.

So Menez, on behalf of the Metropolitan County Council of National and Davidson County, happy birthday.

Councilmember, you're not gonna break out in the song.

No.

Okay, I don't think anybody wants that.

Okay.

Maybe after the presentations, we might get a little happy birthday.

All right, Councilmember Allen, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I was trying to hold out until 6 26, because in light of the fact that we have a room that I know includes some teachers and other people that have been influential and want to teach us to love learning.

I want to wish everybody, happy palindrome day.

A palindrome is a word that's the same frontwards as backwards or name like Hannah.

And today is 6 2 to 6.

And there are three more, two more palindrome days in June.

So take the opportunity to do something symmetric and teach a kid to learn math.

So happy palindrome day.

Thank you, Councilmember Allen.

Forever the engineer, thank you for gracing us with that.

Council Member Sorora, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madame Pro Tim.

A couple of announcements.

Uh, I also want to wish everyone a happy uh immigrants month.

Uh June is the month where we celebrate uh immigrants and and uh today the immigrant caucus, I'm sure she is probably on queue to speak, uh, had a ceremony where we have a bunch of uh shoes uh lining the courthouse steps.

And those shoes uh tell a lot of stories.

They tell the different stories of different people.

Uh, people that had to go through as sheep to get here, whether as a refugee, whether as uh uh uh um an asylum or even just coming for for better work for their for their families.

Uh and it's also represents the the immigrants that have been taken from us uh with ice and true values.

And so uh as we look at immigrants as we continue to talk about inclusion and and acceptability and all of that stuff, I want to raise uh the voices and ask everyone to number one uh recognize the contributions of immigrants to to our nation uh and also to also recognize the plight of immigrants.

Uh when it's not happened to us directly, we may not know all that is going on, but a lot is really happening.

Anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, anti-anti-everything.

And so uh this is a plea that as we recognize in all this month that we recognize the humanity and the people uh behind it.

So it's not just shoes, it's the people.

So uh happy immigrant day.

I also want to take the opportunity to announce uh Senator Shalin Oliver will be doing the Iowa dedication on Saturday.

Uh, this is to recognize the trailblazer, Senator Telma Happer.

And so uh part of Clacksville Iowa will be renamed in our honor.

She's the first black woman to be uh elected to the state uh Senate, and she's the lady with the hat.

We all know she's done a whole lot.

Uh I love recognizing those that came before us because a lot of us are standing because of the work that they've all done.

Uh, and then finally, I want to invite everyone to my third segment on my budget conversation this Sunday.

Uh, will be from 3 p.m.

to 4 p.m.

You can join uh on Facebook and this Sunday I will be talking to union leaders uh to get their perspective on the budget uh as we look at the lot of union members are here, and so want to talk to their leaders about where we are, what they expect, and it's always a very good uh conversation.

So join online on Facebook on my Facebook page and you can uh make comments or ask questions, and then afterwards you get the blog and the newsletter.

Uh thank you, Madame Pro Tim.

Thank you, Councilmember Sora, and a special thank you for everyone who has come out today to speak during our budget public hearing to all of our city workers and union workers and our constituents and everyone is showing up because you care about this city and you're taking time out of your day and away from your family to be here with us.

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge everyone in the audience today and to thank y'all for being here.

Uh Council Member Vaux, you're recognized.

Thank you so much, Pro Tim.

Um, District 17 has lots going on, and I'm really excited because in June, um, books and the boys in gold have teamed up.

Um, so NSC and the National Public Library uh for a special edition library card with tempo that you can only get this month um in June.

So if every anybody wants uh or needs a library card, you can sign up today.

It's free.

And um it's perfect timing because the summer reading challenge just started yesterday.

So just want to encourage everyone to participate participate in that and uh to keep reading all summer long.

Um in District 17 on Saturday, June 13th.

I just want to make sure that everyone knows about the quarterly district 17 town hall that we will be having at United Record Pressing at 3 p.m.

And um also for those um earlier in the day if they want to celebrate the main library's 25th anniversary.

Uh that will be happening from 10 to 2 on Saturday the 13th.

Um and I just want to do um a point of personal privilege.

Uh my niece Bailey turned 24 years old yesterday.

So just wanted to wish Bailey a happy birthday um and let her know that her aunt TT remembers her.

So thank you so much.

Thank you, Councilmember Vaux, and happy birthday as well.

Councilmember Campbell, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Pro TM, as we are celebrating uh Pride Month in the month of June, also immigrant month.

We are also celebrating Black Music Month, National Black Music Month.

So just want to remind everyone that uh NAM has some great activities going on this month and in celebration of Black Music Month and the Black Caucus will be having a meeting uh this Thursday on June 4th at 6 p.m.

uh in committee room two, and anybody is invited to attend that as well.

Thank you, next we have council member Lee.

You are recognized.

Thank you so very much.

I just wanted to um announce we are having you know, we have such a diverse uh district.

Um so our uh Caribbean brothers and sisters have organized a group, um, and the president of that is Hamid Um Sise, and the person that's doing the organizing is um Mr.

Anthony Bowern.

You have seen them before you before we did a resolution um to them before.

Um, you know, they have the uh jerk festival and different things like that.

Well, I'm very proud to say Saturday they are having a gala, but the Kingston's mayor, um, the councilor Andrew Swabe is actually coming in to visit our city from Kingston.

So um I would like to welcome them.

They're not here, but I just wanted to let you all know we are so proud that that group is doing that and so proud of all the diversity in our area.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Lee.

Colleagues, is there anyone else that wants to be recognized?

Uh budgetary tombs, you're recognized.

Thank you, madam pro Tim.

Um on this Saturday, June 6th at 10 a.m.

Uh we are having a uh Senator Thelmar Harper Highway Dedication Ceremony uh sponsored by the Honorable Charlene Oliver, uh our District 19 State Senator.

Um this 3930 Clarksville Pike.

Basically, that's the where the Kroger is on Clarksville Highway.

We will be out in the parking lot.

Uh so encouraging the community to come out.

But basically the parking lot in front of the Kroger and again that's 10 a.m.

this Saturday, June 6th, uh, uh, celebrating the changing of the that portion of Clarksville Highway to Senator Thelma Harper Highway.

Thank you so very much, Councilmember Toombs.

Would anyone else like to be recognized?

Councilmember Styles, you're recognized.

Thank you.

I just wanted to remind people that CMA Fest is starting this week.

We have a lot of performers coming that are diverse downtown.

Uh Naymam is doing activities.

You've got a lot of activities happening on Broadway.

So if you have some time this weekend, you should definitely come down and have a good time.

Thank you, saying none, that is the end of our announcilmember Styles.

Order.

Today is Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026.

This is the tenth meeting of twenty twenty six, and the sixty-second meeting of the current term of the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County.

Well, 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 the Reverend Doctor John Faison Senior, Pastor of Watson Grove Baptist Church.

He is the guest of District 17 Council Member Terry Vowe.

Welcome, Pastor Faison.

You are recognized.

Shall we bow?

God, we thank you for the blessings of an amazing city.

By your goodness and grace, Nashville strives to remain forward focused and prosperous.

That diversity is the secret sauce of our success.

And for that we are grateful.

There's so much ahead of us, and so much we still can yet become.

As well as the unhoused who sleep outside just steps from this chamber.

Allow justice and fairness to be seen from one public square to every penthouse and to every public housing complex.

In every discussion, give us the courage to choose inconvenient truth over comfortable lies.

Let our choices be governed by the public good, not private dollars nor personal greed.

Give us the sensitivity to see the needs of all Nashvilleans as an invitation from you to participate in your creative genius.

Be with us today and forever.

In your sovereign name we pray.

Amen.

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.

Justice for all.

All right, you may be seated quietly so, please.

We have a whole lot of folks here.

We're glad to see it.

Let's try to be as quiet as possible.

Thank you, Reverend Fasin.

Okay, welcome, Council and Community Members.

Happy Pride Month, everyone, and happy immigrant heritage month and Caribbean American Heritage Month.

Uh thank you to Immigrant Caucus of the Metro Council Chair Vaux for organizing an awareness event on the steps of the historic courthouse.

Uh thank you to the caucus uh this afternoon to highlight the contributions of immigrants and refugees to Nashville's cultural, civic, and economic vitality.

Thank you to Councilmember Guad and Mom's Demand Action of Tennessee for organizing council's Wear Orange effort today.

June 6th is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and this is Wear Orange Weekend coming up uh this weekend with a variety of activations to remind us that some 47,000 Americans die by gun violence every year, which is nearly 130 lives lost per day, and those losses impact families, friends, and communities deeply and broadly.

The United States has a gun homicide rate twenty-six times higher than that of our peer nations.

This should not be our nation's normal.

Public safety and justice departments represent 22 percent of Metro's budget, and community safety in all its many diverse forms will no doubt be something the public will be speaking to us about this evening, along with education, which represents 37% of the budget for detailed information about the operating budget, the city's revenues and expenditures, and the budgeting process in general.

We encourage all Nashvilleans to give a look to the citizens' guide to the budget online at Nashville.gov.

We have some elections and confirmations, a brief public comment period for non-budget agenda items, and a proposed amendment uh to our rules of procedure to address before we get to the budget public hearing.

I will provide you with more specific information about the conduct of that hearing at that time, so let's move right into our agenda.

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

Is there a motion for approval of the minutes in the meeting of May 19th, 2026?

All right, is there a second?

All right, there's a motion properly seconded without objection and seeing no one seeking to be recognized for a change to the minutes.

All right.

The minutes of the meeting of May 19th are approved.

Mr.

Clerk, are there any messages from the mayor?

There are no messages from the mayor.

Thank you, Mr.

Clerk.

Have one election this evening uh to fill two vacancies on the Transportation Licensing Commission with terms expiring April 30th of 2028.

Um, with as there are only two nominees for those two spots, without objection, we can proceed by acclamation.

Uh the nominees um uh for these two vacancies are Erica Penley, uh nominated by council member Spain and members um and Mr.

Preptee, uh, and Annie Claver, nominated by Councilmember Coopin.

Uh, is there any objection to proceeding by acclamation?

Okay, seeing no objection, all right.

Uh all in favor of the uh Ms.

Penley and Miss Claver, please say aye.

Aye.

All right, council has elected uh Erica Penley.

Um and if y'all are with us this evening, do please stand.

Um and Annie Claver.

Um if you're with us, I don't believe they are, but we express our appreciation uh to them, and we will keep rolling right in to our appointees and nominees.

So congratulations.

All right.

Uh Section F or of our agenda, appointees and nominees.

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

Referrals uh back to the committee uh 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.

Uh Chair Cash, uh, as brief a report as possible, please, sir.

No vote totals necessary, simply the names of those interviewed and four, which board, commission, committee, or entity.

And if a person is in the appointment and confirmation process and was unable to attend your committee this evening, at what meeting they will next appear, or if they were withdrawn.

Go ahead, Chair.

Uh first for the central business improvement district board appointment of Christopher Carlson.

We deferred one meeting.

Um Central Business Improvement District Board appointment of Patrick Hamilton was withdrawn.

Um contract and compliance board reappointment of Avi and Betney.

For the hospital authority, reappointment of Alfonso Harvey.

For the uh hospital authority reappointment of uh Dr.

Raymond Martin, we uh that was withdrawn.

And then uh for social services, uh S.

Will Acuff was a one meeting deferral.

And for the Social Services Commission appointment of Mandy Spears was approved.

Okay, all right.

Um next, Chair Cash.

Um, you're recognized again for your committee report on the appointees in the second step of your committee's two meeting process, this time 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.

Fire and building code appeals board reappointment of Ilkey uh Hanloser, uh approved six to zero to zero.

Fire and building code appeals board, reappointment of Tim Pro for uh for term expiring July 19, 2030, approved six to zero to zero.

For the board of health, the reappointment of Jeffrey Stove, Dr.

Jeffrey Stovall for term expiring July 9, 2031, approved 600, and the traffic and parking commission appointment of Tom Sturdivant for a term expiring April 3rd, 2031, approved 600.

And I move approval.

All right.

Um there is a motion to confirm these four uh uh appointees uh in a consolidated motion.

Is there a second?

Okay, does anyone wish to remove an item from this consolidated motion for purposes of an individual abstention or a no vote?

All right, seeing none, all in favor of uh these uh confirmations, please say aye.

All right, uh council has confirmed uh these appointees and reappointees.

Uh two are confirmed appointees.

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

Council has confirmed uh the reappointment of Ilkey Hanloser to the fire and building codes appeal board.

Um council has uh confirmed the reappointment of Tim Pro, also to the fire and building code appeals board.

And then uh council has confirmed uh the reappointment uh to the board of health of Dr.

Jeffrey G.

Stovall.

And lastly, council has confirmed uh the appointment of Tom Sturdevant to the traffic and parking commission.

Welcome, sir, and thank you.

Thank you to you all, whether uh in our chamber or watching from home, we appreciate your willingness to serve.

Thank you.

All right, section H of our agenda is the public comment period.

Again, these are for um agenda items uh other than the budget.

Uh members of the public who are Tennessee residents wishing to speak uh during public comment may sign up at a table outside the council chamber from five to six p.m.

on the day of a council meeting.

Public comment is limited to 20 minutes total at council meetings, and each speaker is allowed up to two minutes to speak.

Persons speaking on agenda items must be prioritized to comply with state law.

All right, um, our first uh three folks.

I'll kind of read uh the the first three.

Invite you to come forward um uh and then we will have seven total uh folks for public comment.

Uh first is Chloe Donegan, followed by Michael Lacey and Kelly Chang.

Uh Chloe Donegan is speaking on agenda item 37.

Umrdnance uh 1391 uh recar regarding data centers um in opposition.

Um go ahead.

Uh you are recognized.

Uh good evening.

My name is Chloe Dunegan.

I am a 19-year-old resident of the Rutherford County of the Greater Nashville area.

I have come to express uh concerns and urge to uh limit more on proposed AI data centers in Nashville due to the economic and societal harm that they cause.

Only 3% of Earth's water is fresh water, and only 0.5% of all of that is drinkable.

These data centers tap into the community's drinkable water supply and use up to five million gallons of water per day, which equates to a community of 50,000 people.

Only 80% of this used water ends up evaporating into the air, and the other 20% or one million gallons is pushed into local processing plants.

These plants are already at maximum capacity due to having such a booming economy around Nashville and the surrounding areas, and the rest of that will become immense environmental runoff.

This water will contain corrosive inhibitors such as nitrates and BCT, which is used in antifreeze, industrial biocides such as chlorine dioxide, bromine, and sodium hypochlorite, which is literally industrial bleach, and toxic heavy metals such as chromium, nickel, copper, and zinc.

If this is not enough to see that we are doing some, but we need to protect Nashville and more, these centers are also corrosive and toxic to the air that we breathe.

Industrial-sized diesel-powered backup generators spew DPM or diesel particulate matter into the air, which is a chemical cause of lung cancer, heart attacks, and respiratory inflammation.

Not to mention nitrogen oxides joining the together and creating a ground level ozone and smog, which triggers underlying asthma and lung function decreases, specifically in children, from 50 milliliters to 150 milliliters of reduction in their childhood.

I hope that you can see the dangers that loom above us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um folks, all right.

We are so glad you are here.

Um I just want to convey we are not gonna clap um after speakers, whether in public comment or public hearing, because if we allow the clap time, the diminution of clap time, then the next person, like we're gonna be here for many hours together.

Looking forward to it.

Um, but please um, you know, uh, no extended clapping.

Thank you.

Uh Mr.

Lacey um is next.

He's speaking on agenda item 13.

Uh, this is resolution 2026 uh 2006 in support.

Go ahead.

The item that I'm speaking on has to do with salaries for police and firefighters.

And I'm bringing that up not in a dissimilar context when it comes to AI data centers, because what you're gonna hear about with maybe some future comments and from news articles and likely lawsuits filed over the implementation of a drone surveillance program that's currently happening, is you are seeing disproportionately, in fact, a completely uh disproportionate ratio of drones going to non-white districts versus actual uh non-white districts versus ones that have a majority white population.

But I want to talk about not just the civil liberties aspect of this, but the fact that in industries as wide as you can imagine, there's a concept of training your own replacement.

We are seeing that it's not just people in tech, it's not just people who write music for a living, it's not just people who do marketing for a living.

We're seeing even law enforcement have its jobs being taken from them by the AI-powered corporate mass surveillance.

What we're seeing with these drone programs are not just civil liberties issues, these are people training this technology to replace them.

And even if people feel like that they are contributing to what Larry Ellison describes as his vision for a society, which is one where everything is being constantly recorded, even if you're contributing to that vision, you're not sub- you're still subject to the same market forces that are looking to replace you in your workplace with AI technology.

So while terms like force multiplier are used but with the hundreds of millions of dollars of marketing that is being sold, this technology, I really want the there's a lot of union workers here, and I want to remind our police force and our firefighters that they too are a union and that they're a budget line that people will look to cut using AI.

Thank you.

Next is uh Kelly Ching.

Um Kelly will be followed by Manon Hall and Shawnee Glapion and Maryam Alba Fazley if you want to go ahead and come forward.

Uh Kelly's speaking on agenda item 37.

Uh, this is BL 2026 1391 uh regarding uh data centers in support.

Go ahead.

Hi.

Um, my comment is gonna be a little bit of a combination of the last two.

So I think Chloe did a great job covering some of the environmental um and health impacts of data centers.

But what I want, I hope everyone understands, and if not, you will.

Um, data centers are also the back end of mass surveillance.

We don't need data centers to use our phones to email or watch Netflix as tech companies have been pushing.

We need data centers to save our retina scans and our license plates, and all of the places that we go that are constantly tracked by giant corporations who profit off us as a product and then sell it back to us.

Um, so while I am very concerned about the environmental impacts of data centers and the environmental racism that we've seen in Memphis with uh XAI, and I have major concerns about a data center um being built at FISC in the midst of a historically black neighborhood.

I think we all also need to zoom out and understand that we are building these data centers, which are increasing our electric bills and taking our water and polluting our environment and there's noise pollution and all these things too.

But we are also building our own cages, and a lot of it is done with taxpayer dollars and subsidies, and so that is why you are seeing data centers be the number one most uniting issue across the political spectrum in this country.

Seventy-one percent as far as a recent gallup poll of people across the political spectrum are opposed to data centers.

Our next elections, the biggest issues are going to be data centers and mass surveillance.

And I'm telling you all that because everyone in this room largely understands those risks, but it does not seem like our elected officials have caught up.

So, for those of you who are in favor of mass surveillance, I would suggest if you want to keep your seats, you gotta catch up to the public opinion.

And with this illegally implemented drone program, there is a ton of pushback, and there will be more conversation and possibly lawsuits around how it's been implemented.

Thank you.

Uh, next is um Manon Hall speaking on agenda item uh six, resolution uh 1963 in opposition.

Go ahead.

Hi guys.

Um, so once again, you know, people using our local dollars um for private policing.

This is an extension of a lot of what they've already talked about, um, handing our money and our values to corporations when they don't have our local values in mind.

Um, you know, I'm gonna say once again, I know many of y'all, I I think being confident in the fact that we are not using our tax dollars to hire higher racial profilers is incredibly important to me.

We chose as a city to uh act on the um uh driving well back study.

We've chosen to make better decisions with our public safety dollars and with our public safety actions and approving a budget that we know is going to pay for private police that um work for THP that um we they won't say if they have racially profiled.

That's incredibly concerning to me.

Um and I hope, you know, the confidence that they can't give you an answer, and that's good enough when you know that's dozens of employees that uh participated in the ice raids last year that racially profiled against Nashville and against our neighbors, and we're confident that none of them are gonna be paid with our local tax dollars to be downtown.

Well, there are lots of people, lots of immigrants downtown, lots of um people that have experienced violence um from these agencies.

And um, gonna end.

Um, that I hope that y'all take your old role seriously when it comes to um uh surveillance technology and demand a public hearing for the ongoing surveillance trial with these drones.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is uh Shani Glappion speaking also on agenda item six, uh resolution 1963 and opposition.

She'll be followed by Miriam Alba Fosley, and then lastly, um welcome to come forward Trina Hewell as well.

Um go ahead, Miss Glappian.

How y'all doing?

Y'all look very engaged.

I appreciate that.

Um I'm requesting this body uh confirm reporting compliance from Alliance Bernstein before approving its five hundred and forty one thousand and five hundred dollar economic incentive in this year's budget.

Companies have made many promises, but we need to ensure that they are honoring those before issuing our public dollars.

It's imperative that council ensures the public interest is being served as we sit here in the gallery here and fight for um crumbs like the hunger games.

So yeah, have a good one.

See y'all in a bit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh, next is Miriam Alba Fosley speaking on agenda item 37.

Uh, this is ordinance 1391 regarding data centers uh in support of 1391.

Go ahead.

Uh hey y'all.

Uh it's good to see you again.

Um I'm gonna deck out here soon, but you know what I want for housing, so please do that.

But I wanted to speak on data centers.

Um, I assume this is something we all agree on.

Uh we don't want dirty water, we don't want to be coughing when we walk outside, we don't want to hear that noise that apparently is just really loud with data centers.

We don't want our electricity bills to go through the roof.

We don't want to invest in something or have others invest in something in our city that we actually know nothing about in terms of long-term impact.

So, in case some of us do, because we think like we need some sort of revenue from businesses or some deal or something like that.

Uh I and I I have compassion for your desire to bring revenue to the city.

I'm begging you and asking you to stop that for right now and regulate this data center technology that's coming here that has uh already really, really harmed a lot of people just environmentally.

Um, and it's gonna be real and it's we we gotta put these um we gotta put these boundaries on it, but we've also got to figure out how they're gonna work in order to make us safe.

So I would ask you to just look at the regulation, keep the distances, keep the environmental regulations on it, be forward-thinking in this, because otherwise um we don't even know what this looks like in five to ten years.

We just know what it looks like in two to three years, and it's looking really ugly for a lot of cities.

Nashville's doing all right.

I know we're all pinching uh pennies here, but it's doing all right, and we don't need to sell to the data centers.

Um we don't know how long this little trend is gonna last, but we do know that the impact is really bad for us as human beings.

So please, I'm asking you to really think twice about this.

I appreciate it.

And fund the housing.

Love y'all.

Bye.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh lastly for public comment is Trina Hewell.

Um, Trina, I see agenda item six here, but I also see resolution 2006, um, which is regarding the pay plan.

Are you speaking regarding the pay plan?

No, you're speaking regarding the CBI.

Yeah, okay, agenda item six, um, that is uh resolution nineteen sixty-three in opposition.

Please go ahead.

All right.

Yeah, good evening.

My name is Trina.

I live in district six.

I'm here tonight to oppose item six.

Uh 2026 1963.

Today we are hearing a lot about law and order to justify the central business improvement district budget.

But as Mike Lacey pointed out today, true law and order is the discipline of binding power to publicly known rules.

What is being assembled by the Nashville Downtown Partnership is the exact opposite.

Their contracts are confidential and their security operations lack public oversight.

This isn't an isolated incident, it's a systemic pattern of Metro bypassing this body to deploy unaccountable law enforcement.

Just last week, on May 26th, MMPD launched a secret unapproved drone surveillance trial centered over Madison.

Under Metro ordinance, tracking tech requires a public hearing and council approval.

They skipped both.

Even worse, data shows a hundred percent of those trial flights targeted working class neighborhoods with below average white populations, exposing the city to massive civil rights liability.

From unauthorized sky surveillance to corporate background patrols, Metro is trying to operate a secret city within our city.

Look at the NDP's actual track record.

They operate the library parking garage.

Because of negligent oversight in their own managed space, they caused a catastrophic nine month shutdown of our main public library, destroying the single most vital safe sanctuary left for our unhoused neighbors.

And tonight they want millions in tax surcharges to expand their footprint and deploy private, unaccountable policing to aggressively sweep away the exact community they helped displace.

Do not reward secret drone programs, confidential contracts, and operational negligence.

Reject this corporate annexation of our streets.

Vote no on 2026, 1963.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, that concludes our uh public comment period.

Next uh is uh agenda section I um regarding uh a amendment to a rule of procedure.

Um uh this is an amendment uh to rule 46 uh regarding uh the scheduling of council meetings, uh sponsored offered uh by council member prep T.

You're recognized, sir.

Thank you, Madam Vice Mayor Committee report.

Um for the report of the rules confirmations and public elections committee, Chair Cash.

We voted on uh Councilmember Prepti's substitute, six in favor, one against zero not voting.

Uh and then we voted on the uh substituted rule change, six in favor, one against zero not voting.

Okay, thank you.

Um it's uh back to you, uh, Mr.

Preptee for a motion.

Thank you, Madam Vice Mayor.

Move approval.

All right, properly moved and seconded.

Go ahead, sir.

Thank you, Madam Vice Mayor.

Uh move approval of the substitute with a brief comment.

All right.

There's a motion uh to substitute.

Is there a second?

Okay, go ahead, sir.

Thank you, Madam Vice Mayor's uh colleagues.

So this proposed uh rule change uh effectively what it would have done is it would have canceled the second meeting in August and the first meeting in September, um providing us with an opportunity to be more uh embedded within our communities to do a lot of the work that we do outside of this count council chamber without the uh pressures of our legislative schedule.

Um, however, what this substitute does is it pairs that back and simply just cancels uh the first meeting in September, still providing us with that legislative respite for us to be able to be embedded in our communities and continue doing a lot of the work that we do outside of this chamber, because as we know, the majority of work that we do is not what happens in this chamber.

Um and so this substitute uh is a result of some pretty robust uh conversation uh that we had within the rules committee uh last meeting whenever we were um uh contemplating this, but that's uh uh what this legisl that's what this uh substitute does is it um it just cancels that first meeting in September, providing us with uh a brief respite to be able to do a lot more of the the things that that we do outside of this council chamber.

Um so with that I renew my motion and appreciate y'all's consideration.

All right um uh there is a motion uh to uh substitute it's properly seconded you've heard a description uh by the sponsor is there any discussion all right um seeing none um uh this is first on the motion to substitute all in favor of the substitute please say aye aye okay um uh the substitute is on the bill uh the rule if you would renew your motion please sir thank you madam vice mayor move approval as substitute all right is there a second all right um so there's a motion to approve this rule of procedure as substituted such that um uh the first Tuesday in September uh would no longer be a meeting of the council and effectively the third Tuesday in September uh would operate as the first and only meeting is that correct Mr.

Pepti for those correct purposes of zoning public hearings and so forth okay um uh all right is there any discussion on uh this motion uh uh to adopt uh this rule of procedure as substituted all right uh Ms.

Allen you're recognized thank you madam chair just for clarification there were some complications with um nominations and and uh public notices with that extended period of not meeting is that resolved with moving to the only missing one meeting um in terms of things that would default to being approved because we had gone so long without meeting or having a difficulty making the the public notice for public hearings would you like me to address that to special counsel or the sponsor I believe special council probably special counsel Wilson you're recognized.

Council member in this case uh one deferral would be allowed for appointments in uh with the oh with only the cancellation of one meeting uh I would want to defer to planning for anything on uh particularly with notices but I see they're not here um all right oh I'm uh you can give me one moment um sponsor prep T while special counsel um reviews that analysis would you uh like to respond um in the meantime uh go ahead sir thank you madam vice mayor uh so with regard I think um uh council member allen is is asking sort of two well there there are two components to this question the first one related to appointments made by the mayor for boards and commissions um so the original analysis of this bill uh or of this rule change with it having been two meetings previously was that would have a negative impact on those appointments in in the sense that we wouldn't be able to defer them at all um without them becoming an indefinite deferral um with us no with the uh rule change as substituted no longer canceling that August meeting that no longer becomes one of the pressures because it's the because it would still permit for uh deferrals within within that time frame um then with regard to uh the uh um schedule for public hearings and with planning give me one moment I might have some helpful insight into that um uh sponsor prep T uh special counsel has that answer now if may I I'm gonna put it back over to him by all means please go ahead sir uh council members at this point if um uh essentially anything that would want that uh you would want to hear uh on a on an October public hearing would need to be filed by the uh second meeting in August if something was filed for the second uh for the second or for the third meeting of the third Tuesday of November it would not receive a public hearing until the first meeting in November did uh I'm sorry did I did I say that correctly okay does that answer your question so we just need to plan ahead and and be aware of that change and and how the rhythm works at that time if we approve this.

Yes.

Thank you for that clarification.

Okay.

All right.

Uh yes, Mr.

Prep T, you recognize.

Go ahead.

Thank you, Madam vice Mayor.

So with regard to um the the scheduling for for planning bills with in particular um so I was provided a chart that provides us with what which I would be uh more than happy to share with the council office to be able to be disseminated to to colleagues um but for application uh so for the um may thirteenth application deadline for um for zoning bills um it would go to the planning commission so it wouldn't affect uh a shift of it going to the planning commission or of its intro what it would do is it would shift the public hearing for bills or for zoning bills that were originally filed on May 13th moving that from uh moving the council public hearing second reading from uh September 1st to September 15th um and it would shift third reading from September 15th to October um sixth and so I can like again so that's just one example of what that shift would look like that still allows for those bills to be considered but it simply shifts that timeline and again I'm I'm more than happy to to share this with the council office so it can be disseminated to colleagues.

All right thank you.

Is there any further discussion on this proposed uh change to the rules as substituted.

All right um so we're gonna move to our vote um this requires 27 uh votes um uh of members and special counsel how many do we have in the room we have 30 in the room um so in an abundance of caution um I am going to put this on the board um Mr.

Clerk um if you would please uh open the machine um with all votes in uh Mr.

Clark would you please show the vote um that board is not correct Mr.

Clerk is that so okay this uh colleagues the so the screen what you're seeing at home um special counsel can you please clarify uh that a uh amendment to our rule of procedure does in fact require 27 votes total that was 23 votes in the affirmative um mr clerk do you seek to display the vote again for purposes of the record or do you want me to put it to special counsel to clarify.

Okay um uh so special counsel I'm gonna recognize you please sir um and mr clerk could you just uh could you call the vote as you saw it I saw 23 in favor um I but I did not see the number against sir.

So 23 in favor seven against okay um 23 in favor seven against uh special counsel if you would clarify given the discrepancy on the board please sir yes vice mayor to quote uh rule 53 of the rules of procedure uh in part uh none of the standing rules of procedure shall be amended or repealed except by 27 affirmative votes all right and only 23 votes having been uh achieved uh that uh proposal um has failed uh at this time um members can offer uh amendments to our rules of procedure uh throughout the term all right um next uh we are um going to move into um our bills on public hearing section j all right now first just for some general information uh regarding public hearings uh spanish interpretation services are provided for all metro council public hearings council office team member Karina Valdez is here as the interpreter this evening and assisting with our budget public hearing if you should have any questions Ms.

Valdez will you please share how you can help um go ahead ma'am espanoles are disponibles in laudiencia pública gracias all right gracias.

We appreciate you.

All right.

Now, again, generally um for those wishing to speak this evening as part of public hearings, please do state your name, but it is not required for you to provide your exact address.

If you do not wish to do so, you may want to tell us in what neighborhood or area you live, your connection to what you've chosen to speak about, or who uh your council member is.

All right.

Now for some budget hearing specific information.

Again, welcome everyone.

Um we look forward to hearing from you.

Um, and unlike, as we shared earlier, a time limited public comment period that we have on every council agenda, and in February for our pre-budget public comment period, this is a public hearing required by the charter, and it is not time limited.

Thus, all members wishing to speak, all members of the community here present, um, will be heard.

Your seating position within the gallery does not confer any priority.

Um, and as I know you are all conscientious folks, I'm sure you will be on the lookout, whether for seniors or parents with children.

I saw somebody with a baby and a baby bjorn just a minute ago.

Um, and so be conscientious as you organize amongst yourselves.

We are gonna move really peacefully and intentionally this evening, and to facilitate that, we will have no more than 10 persons waiting in line to speak at one time.

Okay, and we will monitor and maintain that limit.

Everyone may speak for up to two minutes.

You do not have to speak for the entirety of the time.

Speaking will not be organized into for or against, as is typical at public hearings.

All persons will line up together.

After the first group of ten steps forward to the podium to line up, folks can join the line, whether individually or in small groups of five.

Okay, only when the line has five remaining persons is that the time to join the line.

As we proceed, there should be no more than 10 people in a single file line behind the podium.

Five forward of the main door and five behind.

Okay, we have fire marshal guidelines to follow, so the door may not be obstructed, and the gallery has a capacity number that cannot be exceeded.

Council office team member uh Ms.

Hayes Shacklet is in blue.

Uh Rosie, would you please wave so that folks can see you?

Everyone in the gallery can see um Ms.

Hayes Shacklet.

Um, she will administer our line this evening.

Please respect our staff, okay?

This can be a challenging evening.

Folks have a lot of opinions and questions, understandably so, and we're all doing our best to be clear and fair um in administering this public hearing.

Lastly, you will see three budget-related hearing items on your agenda.

And we recognize that the vast majority of folks are here intending to speak on agenda item one, which is the operational budget.

So while there are three separate ordinances as follows, agenda item two for the proposed tax levy, uh, and agenda item three for the capital improvement and capital improvements budget, the tax levy being what will fund the majority of the final budget and the capital improvements budget being our kind of five to six year planning document for bond funded infrastructure.

These must all technically have a separate public hearing per our charter.

Um that said, I will not stop someone for combining these interrelated budget matters in um as part of our operational budget hearing uh remarks in our first and primary hearing.

Okay, so now back on to agenda item one, ordinance BL 2026 1377, sponsor tombs.

Uh this is um uh again BL 2026 1377, a bill to be entitled the budget ordinance of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee for fiscal year 2027.

This is the mayor's proposed budget.

Sponsor Tombs, Madam Chair, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam vice mayor.

Request to open the public hearing.

All right, I declare the public hearing open for this matter.

I ask that those uh folks who are wishing to speak, move calmly, observe your colleagues, and I think we're at about 10.

All right, so with those folks please sit down?

Again, Ms.

Hayes Shacklet.

Whoever would like to come first to the podium, you're very welcome.

Five persons in front of the door, five persons behind.

There should only be ten persons in line, okay?

So just look over your shoulder.

You're gonna know it's time to consider whether you should get in line.

Hey, folks, folks.

If everyone would please still listen to me, okay.

This first go is gonna be a little bit challenging.

All right.

So if you're seated and you're kind of considering, you know, I think I might like to get up right now.

I'm talking to my peers that are next to me.

I think we're gonna move uh uh to uh do so.

Um I ask you just to kind of look over your shoulder.

What we usually have is folks just cramming in 20 deep, trying to turn the corner, go back behind, and adding one after one after one after one.

That can become challenging.

Any way we approach this, given our layout is is somewhat suboptimal, okay?

Um, but let's please do our um best uh effort here.

Um I see more than 10 persons standing at this juncture.

Um and so I would ask um uh hang on just a minute for me.

Ms.

Hay Shacklet, are we good to go with 10 people standing in line?

No, if you're at the back of the line, sit down.

Count back to 10, Ms.

Hay Shacklet.

Miss Hay Shacklet, will you show where 10 is, please, ma'am?

All right.

Okay, now everybody else can spread out and relax and have plenty of space.

If you are in line behind the podium, would you please move to your left?

Okay, over that way.

Thank you.

So we keep the area behind the podium clear.

All right, um, thanks everybody for their patience.

Here we go.

You're recognized.

Go ahead.

Hello, okay.

My name is Carla Christina Contreras, and I proudly serve as the Nashville local president of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

We are one of 25 locals representing the world's largest entertainment union, and our members are the voices, faces, and talent audiences know and love singers, recording artists, actors, dancers, and more.

The SAG After Nashville Local processes more union sound recording sessions with background vocalists than New York City and Los Angeles combined.

That means the entertainment industry is not happening somewhere else, it is happening right here.

These are not outsiders chasing a dream in another city.

They are your constituents, your neighbors, the people raising families, supporting local businesses and building careers right here in Middle Tennessee.

Okay, I know this personally.

Today I stand before you on behalf of 1,600 SAG-AFTRA members across our region who have chosen to build their lives here because they believe Nashville values the arts and the people who create it.

And let me be clear: the entertainment industry is not a luxury, it is an economic engine.

It creates jobs, drives tourism, supports restaurants, hotels, venues, crews, musicians, technicians, and countless small businesses.

So today I respectfully urge you to support and fund the Nashville Entertainment Commission.

Thank you.

Because investing in entertainment is investing in Nashville's.

Thank you.

Your time has concluded.

Next, go ahead and come forward.

You're recognized.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

You're welcome to speak.

Go ahead.

Okay.

My name is Tracy Wilden.

I'm a support employee for Metro Nashville Public School.

I have been employed with Metro National Public Schools since 2012.

I started offering nutrition services.

I currently work as a paraprofessional.

When I first started working for Metro, I noticed everybody was working a second job.

And I was wondering why.

But guess what?

I found myself working a second job also because I wasn't getting paid enough to take care of my bills.

My last five years in nutrition service.

I was working in the last five years in nutrition service.

I was working in the cafeteria out by myself.

I asked for for more money to get compensated for working in there by myself, but they did not compensate me.

I stand before you today on behalf of support workers.

I'm asking for us to be compensated for the days that we are off, because there are so many days that we're off now without pay.

Because if it wasn't for us, the children wouldn't be fed nor taught.

With that being said, our jobs are just as important.

I am asking for to request to be considered a step raise, a better cost of living, and bonuses.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, go ahead.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Dr.

Deontay Williams, and I'm a resident of Nashville.

I stand before you today not only as an educated organizer and advocate, but as the son of a single black mother whose story reflects the struggles of many working families.

That's why I strongly support the $3 million child care innovation and family stability fund.

Childcare is often treated as a personal family issue, but it is one of the most pressing economic issues facing working families today.

When affordable child care is unavailable, parents are forced to make impossible choices.

Some leave the workplace entirely, others reduce their hours and turn down promotions or work multiple jobs with unstable schedules.

In many cases, children are left in unformal care arrangements because families simply cannot afford the cost of licensed child care.

We know that the first five years of a child's life are amongst the most important years of cognitive, social and emotional development.

Early childhood education helps identify learning needs early, prepares students for economic success, and provides the foundations to a lifelong achievement.

When we fail to invest in child care, we are not only failing parents, we are limiting the potential of the next generation before they ever enter the classroom.

Finally, I urge you tonight as I ask you to invest in families, invest in children, invest in home ownership, and invest in neighborhoods that have carried Nashville forward.

And if you need help in assisting you in figuring out how to get to the solutions, there are programs and organizations like the Equity Alliance, Stand Up Nashville, Turk, Civic Tennessee that has professionals that have been doing the work on the ground for years and years.

And we're here and we are ready to do the work.

So reach out and we'll do the work with you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next.

Hello, my name is Otelia Mirga.

I'm a public art project manager for Metro Arts.

I also live in District 11.

With over 26 years of experience and seven years of service to this agency.

Um I just have to say that's my feelings and opinions alone.

I'm here to urge the council to support the immediate uh initiation of the search for a permanent executive director.

Well, Metro Arts needs adequate funding.

Financial investment is only viable under new department and commission leadership.

From my daily observations, our agency is structurally fractured.

We suffer from a severe lack of transparency between leadership and staff, between commission leadership and its members, and between commission leadership and human resources.

For over a year, HR has been fully prepared to launch an executive search.

Unfortunately, the commission chair has repeatedly rejected these opportunities, which is what I feel while misinforming its own commissioners that HR wasn't ready.

While five other departments have begun their ED searches this past year, Metroids has deliberately missed opportunities to move first.

This gridlock directly wastes taxpayers taxpayers' dollars and city resources.

The distribution of grants suggests progress.

The internal reality is one of ongoing instability.

Arbitrary decision making has replaced standard operation procedures.

This toxic environment has led to three formal stamp complaints from people of color, including my own, due to systemic and marginalization and discrimination.

We are failing local artists, our public and wasting public funds through administrative inefficiency.

We are failing our local.

Excuse me.

I respectfully ask this body to please request a special session with HR leadership to review the extensive efforts to the start to the search for the sake of our artists, our public, and our taxpayer dollars, and the integrity of Metro Arts.

You must establish equitable and transparent hiring processes immediately.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Okay, go ahead and come forward.

This you are our fifth speaker.

Good evening.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Christina Sparks.

I'm a native of Nashville, a resident of District 32.

I am a professional author and housing investor.

I'm here tonight to voice my support for neighbor to neighbor and their request for investment in Nashville's neighborhoods.

Although I now live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, I grew up in East Nashville as a part of a large family.

I know firsthand what disinvestment looks like.

I know what it feels like when neighborhoods are overlooked, when infrastructure is neglected and when resources are scarce, and when residents feel disconnected from decisions that impact their lives daily.

Next, go ahead.

Good evening, council members.

My name is Shilania Ransom.

I'm a lifelong member of North Nashville, specifically Univesta Neighborhood and District 2.

I'm here tonight also in support of neighbor to neighbors funding requests, and the important work they and the important work they are doing to strengthen neighborhoods across our city.

As someone who has lived in North Nashville for many years, I have firsthand seen the impact of disinvestment, neglected infrastructure, rising calls and the challenges families face simply trying to maintain safe and healthy communities.

Too often decisions are being made about our neighborhoods without the meaningful involvement of the people who actually live in there.

What I appreciate about neighbors and neighbors is that they show up, and that is something that's really important.

They listen, they build relationships, they help residents organize around issues that matter to us.

They understand that neighborhood safety is more about it's more than about crimes to safety.

It is about whether our streets are safe to walk, whether our children have safe places to gather, whether our neighbors know one another, and that whether residents have a voice shaping their future of their communities.

Through neighbor to neighbor, neighbors to neighbors, safety days.

They're safe by us, community safety and design framework, healing zones, neighbor to date, neighbor to neighbor is also helping residents become a part of the solution.

They are bringing communities together, metro departments, public health professionals, the community leaders to ask address issues before the before they become crises.

For nearly 30 years, neighbors and thank you.

Your time is good.

Thank you.

Go ahead and come forward.

You're recognized.

Good evening, everyone.

My name is Lydia, and I'm representing the branch of Nashville.

We are a non-profit serving Southeast Nashville.

The branch is requesting funding that will go directly toward food purchasing through our wholesale partners.

Last year we were fortunate to receive funds for food purchasing.

This year's request is higher due to many factors, the largest being that the demand for food assistance in Southeast Nashville continues to rise, while the food supply systems our pantry has traditionally relied on are becoming much less predictable.

Over the past year, USDA supported food access has declined due to federal cuts and in-kind food donations from key partners have also decreased.

Simultaneously, the families we serve continue to feel the pressure of rising grocery and gas costs and broader economic instability.

In response, the branch has made a shift in the last year by establishing a dedicated budget line for the direct purchase of food.

This allows us to ensure that we can consistently provide the items families need most, including fresh produce, meat, dairy, and staple goods.

While we act as a community resource for Southeast Nashville through our several different programs, our food pantry remains the front door to much of our work.

Each month we serve more than 1,200 households with full carts of groceries valued at 350 dollars.

We also distribute hundreds of emergency food boxes each month and provide home deliveries to older adults and individuals with disabilities who cannot access the pantry in person.

However, the reality is that without additional funding dedicated to food purchasing, we will not be able to keep up at this scale.

Our funding request for Metro would be instrumental in helping us continue to meet the food needs of our neighbors with consistency, dignity, and enough to truly support their households during challenging economic economic times.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, go ahead and come forward.

You're recognized.

Good evening, Council.

My name is Lindsay Krinks.

I live in 37208, and I'm the co-founder and director of advocacy at Open Table Nashville.

Just before I came in, I was talking to some of the folks outside this building who sleep on the streets.

They talked about being harassed every day and about their struggles to find housing in our city.

We deserve to be treated with dignity, said my friend Shay, not like a piece of trash to be thrown out.

These friends are building our city and they're cleaning it, but they can't afford to live here.

They're dying while our city funnels money to new stadiums and broker's shiny new development deals.

We have to make the next few weeks count.

We have an incredible opportunity right now to invest in infrastructure and programs that will make our city more equitable, affordable, and just for all Nashvilleans.

In terms of housing and vital services, we're asking you to fund the contributors soar program at $350,000 to dedicate $30 million to the Barnes Fund and $9 million to the eviction right to counsel program to establish bond financed social housing with the $7 million from the revolving loan fund and to dedicate $500,000 for specialized staff.

Please listen to our friends at Launchpad and the villages at Glencliffe 2.

In terms of true community safety, which comes from the presence of public goods, resources, and support, not police.

We're asking you to fully find reach and expand downtown with a pilot.

We're asking to dedicate 250,000 to Red Frogs, the group providing non-police intervention and support downtown every weekend.

And we're asking you to expand the community safety fund to 13 million.

I know that's a lot, but later tonight we're also asking you to ensure that seabed funds can't be used for private security that employ THP officers who harass and cage our immigrant and unhoused neighbors.

We see the long hours y'all are putting in and the creativity with which you're doing this budget, and we're very grateful.

Please hear us and make this budget season count.

Thank you.

Next, go ahead and come forward, please.

Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to speak.

My name is Joshua Gaglial, and I live in Sylvan Park.

I'm here to express support for two efforts that I believe go hand in hand.

The proposed affordable housing loan program and the mayor's work to preserve Nashville's historic landmarks, specifically the Fairground Speedway.

Too often we frame growth as a choice between progress and preservation, but that's a false choice.

Nashville is the ability, and I would argue the responsibility to do both.

The Affordable Housing Loan Program is a great example of how we can move forward thoughtfully, gives us tools to expand housing access, support development, and address affordability in a meaningful way.

At the same time, preserving historic places like the Fairground Speedway protects something equally important: identity.

The speedway is not just a piece of land, it's a living part of Nashville's history and culture.

It represents decades of community, tradition, and shared experience.

Once something like that is gone, it cannot be replaced.

But preserving it does not mean stopping growth.

What it means is being intentional about where and how we grow.

We do not need to sacrifice historic venues to create affordable housing.

Nashville is opportunities, underutilized land, redevelopment corridors, and infill potential that can support housing development without race in the place that defined who we are.

Good planning allows us to align these priorities.

We can invest in affordable housing through targeted programs like the one proposed, while also protecting landmarks that contribute to tourism, community pride, and cultural continuity.

In fact, doing both straightens the city as a whole, a city that preserves its character while expanding opportunity.

I want to encourage this body to fully support the affordable housing loan program as part of a broader strategy that balances growth with history.

We don't have to choose between the future and the past.

We could build a National that honors both.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you recognize.

Good evening.

Oh, y'all can do better than good evening.

New here.

First time meeting y'all.

I am Dr.

James Pratt Jr., Professor of Criminal Criminology Law Enforcement and Security Studies at Fisk University, and I direct the Justice Propulsion Lab there as well.

Today I speak only as a Nashville resident in support of Amendment 2, the proposed $3 million child care innovation and family stability fund.

Today I ask you, how are the children?

And I hope everyone can respond where they're out loud or in your heart that the children are well.

So I ask, how are the children?

And the children are well.

Throughout my career, my research on violence on children and family has shown that when caregivers, teachers, and those who enforce the law lack understanding and emotional and material support, stress rises, and harmful outcomes like violent attempts at discipline become more likely.

Most parents are doing their best with limited time, resources, and help.

We often hear, and many of you might have said, it takes a village to raise a child.

Today I am asking each of you to fund that village.

Child care providers, after school programs, family members, neighbors, and community organizations help keep children safe while parents work.

I know this personally, too, raised by a single mother.

I benefited from a network of people who helped care for me when showing childcare was costly, even in the 1990s.

Given gas giving gas money, supporting neighborhood cousins and Sheila Academy, she was and only able to do that work by having extra jobs.

That fund this fund helps stand in the gap and recognizes that when child care workers, families, uh work, when it uh it child care works, family works, we all work.

When it all fall apart, jobs, stability, and opportunities are in fact at risk.

And to that end, I encourage each of you to readily see a future where the fruits of prioritizing extended hours, evening and weekend child care, supporting existing providers, and expanding after school summer programs, allows for us to see a better future with brilliant bright minds.

So I hope you support amendment two and the three million dollars.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, go ahead.

Hello, uh, my name is Dave Pomeroy, uh, 50-year Nashville resident and president of the Musicians Union.

I'm speaking to express the extreme disappointment and shock of Nashville's music and film community at the mayor's decision to eliminate funding of the Nashville Entertainment Commission in this year's budget.

Many esteemed members of our artistic and business community have served on the commission since its acception, all on a volunteer basis.

It all began four years ago with various members of Metro governance fighting with each other to gain control of the process and has been a nightmare of governmental inefficiency.

To be thrown under the bus after all this time and effort on the commission's part is incredibly disrespectful to the very same entities that generate billions of dollars for Nashville's economy.

We request that the funding for the NEC be restored in the final budget.

We've jumped through every hoop and obstacle presented to us, including waiting three months to add the phrase and/or to the job description.

We collectively spent hundreds of hours developing bylaws, budgets, and narrowed hundreds of applications down to two finalists for a job that suddenly no longer exists.

It is a mystery why the mayor would eliminate our funding before it was even spent.

Nashville became Music City because of mutual respect between employers and creators.

The purpose of the commission is to make the process of bringing more employers to Nashville versus other states and cities simpler and more efficient, which helps everyone.

Does the music and entertainment business not bring enough money to Nashville to have for us to have a voice in Metro government?

Despite being a right to work state, Nashville's done more union recording work than New York and LA combined.

But we need your help to take it to the next level.

If our own city government doesn't get it, where are we supposed to look for support for the work we are doing that benefits all Nashville?

We urge you to fix this bad decision and restore funding for the commission.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Thank you.

Go ahead and come forward.

Welcome to both of you.

Thank you.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Courtney Grable Nelson.

I live in District 25, and I'm here tonight in support of investments in affordable housing and child care.

My husband and I are both Nashville natives and high school sweethearts.

We grew up here, built our lives here, and some of our fondest childhood memories were were made right here in Nashville.

We spent weekends at the Adventure Science Center, went on family and school trips to the Nashville Zoo back when we had elephants, and enjoyed all the things that make Nashville such a special place to grow up, and eventually fell in love and started a family of our own here.

In December, we welcomed our wonderful son Elliot.

He was a wonderful surprise, and like many young families, his arrival made us think carefully about our future and what it takes to raise a child in this city.

Affordable housing and affordable child care, they're not just policy issues for us, they're what make it possible for families like ours to stay in Nashville, put down roots, and build a future here.

Because of the mayor's initiatives, we are hopeful about the future of our family.

These investments help keep the American dream alive here in Nashville.

The idea that working families can afford a home, raise their children in a supportive community, and create opportunities for the next generation.

We're excited to raise Elliott in the city that gave us so many wonderful memories.

We hope he'll get the experience to say to have the same joy and sense of possibility that Nashville gave us, and that one day he'll look back at his childhood here with the same love and gratitude that we do.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Hi, my name is Charlene Colbertson of District 31.

Um, first let's set the scene.

Inflation in the U.S.

is 3.8%.

So the offer of a 1.7% call is frankly insulting.

Now, I'm aware that the city contributes more to the MPS budget than the state does, but that's its own issue, especially with the vouchers.

But Mayor O'Connell is out here talking about a cash incentive for the 121 billion dollar company Starbucks.

Weird that cash is found for that, but not our schools.

And since the city agreed to the new stadium, now we have the Super Bowl on the horizon.

Where are the sidewalks?

Where's the public transportation?

Where are the benefits for the residents working long hours and multiple jobs to stay in their hometown?

Oh, they're dodging potholes in traffic as they move to a more affordable life outside of the tourist-run city that's completely lost the plot.

My act as a multi-generational Nashville and an MN MNPS teacher is this.

Show us some respect with a real cola increase that matches inflation and some social services that benefit the taxpayers of Nashville and not the fans of Nashville.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Hi, my name is Julie Morehouse, and I am a resident of District 32.

I just finished my tenth year teaching in Metro.

I'm also an M NPS alum.

I'm here to speak in favor of a higher cola for all MNPS workers.

Um 1.7% is nowhere near enough.

Especially when our benefits are increasing 8% this year.

That means that many folks will end up taking a pay cut this year instead of having a pay raise that matches inflation.

As you heard Charlene say inflation is at 3.8% right now, and that's like conservative national estimates.

So our cola should at least be that, or as approaching that as we can get.

As inflation continues to rise and living in Nashville becomes more and more expensive.

Less educators will be able to live and work here.

This means less qualified educators here serving our students.

This council um needs to show Nashville students and families that they are valued.

A big way to do that is to pay teachers enough to stay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Hi, I'm uh Mike Montgomery.

I'm a commissioner on uh the Nashville Entertainment Commission.

And my son is a teacher in Metro Public Schools, and I agree with everything they just said.

It has taken almost three years with 15 commissioners having 28 full commission meetings and probably twice that number in ad hoc committee meetings to arrive at this point.

We did our job and we created a framework for the Nashville Entertainment Commission, a place where music, film, television, and all other creative mediums could live, overseen by a single executive director who, armed with all the information about our entertainment industry, could help recruit entertainment projects to Nashville and Davidson County specifically.

The laws were written, budgets were set, a job description was defined, and a search was conducted.

Each commissioner examined well over a hundred resumes.

We identified six candidates to interview in person.

From that, we put forth two excellent candidates for the mayor to interview, and then it all came to a halt.

We're not sure exactly why, but I am here to humbly ask for your support and helping us get this project across the finish line and create a new economic engine for the people of Davidson County.

Memphis has its own film office now for over 20 years.

Knoxville has its own entertainment commission for 10, and both have been very successful in recruiting business.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Will Connolly, and I'm the executive director of the contributor.

I live in uh zip code 3721.

Tomorrow morning, while many of us are getting ready for work, there will be people waking up outside in Nashville who are living with significant disabilities, chronic health conditions, and no reliable income.

Some of them will be will spend part of their day in emergency in the emergency department at Nashville General Hospital.

Some will spend it simply trying to survive, and many of them qualify for help.

The tragedy is not that these benefits do not exist.

The tragedy is that the people who need them most are often the least equipped to navigate the system required to receive them.

For the past two years, the contributor has partnered with the emergency department at Nashville General Hospital and with Vanderbilt University Medical Center to identify patients experiencing homelessness and help them access disability benefits, health care income, and ultimately housing.

Through our SOAR program, we meet people at one of the most difficult moments in their lives.

We help connect them to benefits they have already earned and create a pathway toward greater stability and recovery.

Tonight, I am asking for your support for the $350,000 funding requests that would allow this work to continue in the emergency department at Nashville General Hospital.

This investment has already generated more than $669,000 in annual disability income, more than 487,000 in back pay awards, and health care coverage for people who otherwise would have gone without it.

The estimated one year value generated through this work exceeds 1.3 million.

I know there are many worthy requests before you tonight, including investments in housing, mental health, eviction prevention, and other efforts that strengthen our community.

And I'm grateful to live in a city where so many people are advocating for solutions to some of our most difficult challenges.

And I'm grateful for you all, seven of you all especially for including it on your wish lists.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead and come forward.

And y'all can go ahead and come on forward as well, please.

Keep to the left and kind of come on forward.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Hello.

Um my name is Mead Forsyth.

I am the executive vice president of SEIU Local 205.

Thank you so much.

That's new since I addressed y'all last formally, I believe.

I represent approximately 4,000 workers across the state, both public and private sector.

Um I'm also a Nashville Public Library worker.

I'm a Metro worker.

I work at the Luby Branch Library under Council Member Toomes.

I grew up in District 15, uh, Councilmember Greg's district, and that's also where I'm from, and that's where my parents live still.

And I really love living where I'm from.

It's been it's great for me.

I get to help my cousins raise their baby.

It's been a real delight.

We're bringing up the next generation, and they get to come see me at the library.

And uh everybody wants to know when they find out I work at the library about our programming, about the puppet shows, about the story times for the kids, and I always get to tell them, and it's a real delight for me.

I feel like I've won the career lottery, right?

And I know not every job can be my job, but I do think that all metro workers deserve to feel that pride and dignity in their work.

And I don't think this can be achieved through gestures and um written recognition, but I think it the only way to really create this culture of municipal pride is to adequately fund the resources that municipality provides.

I think we must fund uh Nashville General Hospital.

We also should have a cost of living adjustments for all metro workers, and I do think the public schools need to be addressed.

Um we should consider granting them bonuses for the days off that aren't on a calendar, maybe give them more days on calendar so that they can afford to live.

As a library worker, I know that people's health has a direct effect on my day-to-day job and my safety.

And when we unevenly fund city structures, it creates this unnecessary strain on the system.

We need to stop doing that.

Equal funding across the board, fund everyone.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening.

My name is Dark Kenya Waller, and I have the pleasure of serving as the executive director of the legal aid society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands.

I'm here to speak on behalf of the eviction rights of council program, but before I dive into that, I'd be remiss in my role as an advocate if I did not just speak too briefly.

The process for this today.

As I sit in the gallery and experience, the opportunity to address our council, I'm disturbed by the fact that there are seniors, there are folks with disability, there are folks with children, there are folks who don't speak the language well, who are vying for an opportunity to get in this line, and it is the strongest.

The fittest who are getting there first.

I think there should be a better process.

I can't advocate for anything else if I don't advocate for the people who are right here right now.

There's got to be a better way to consider to consider those people.

And I just hope that you all will take the time to consider what that is, so that we can have a more orderly and fair process for those who can't jockey for the position.

Like a coworker who just gets stuff done, the eviction right to counsel program is working daily to move the needle on affordable housing in Nashville.

We ensure that our most vulnerable neighbors are not being pushed out with the explanation that this is just the cost of progress.

There are dignified and respectful ways to do this, which do not include allowing mold to grow in an apartment until someone is forced to move or sending an immediate notice of eviction to a tenant who clearly has months left on a valid lease.

While this is true that the eviction rights to counsel program helps to balance the playing field between the 99% of landlords with representation in court and the one percent of tenants who are not who do not have an attorney when they walk into the court, the eviction rights of counsel program also works to ensure landlords receives the rent they deserve.

Please support the program at 9.3 million dollars.

Thank you, and thank you for your feedback as well.

Um, go ahead and come forward.

Good evening, everyone.

My name is Sally Woodard, and I am an almost nine year employee of Nashville General Hospital.

I work in the patient access department as a pre-registration representative.

And um, I help patients gain access to health care services every day, and many of the individuals that we serve already face significant barriers to care.

Nashville Hospital, uh National General Hospital.

Uh, we exist to help bridge those gaps.

This year, y'all, something really powerful happened during the city budget discussions.

Metro employees across various departments stood in solidarity with National General Hospital by taking a back seat and not requesting additional funding so that the focus could remain on fully funding National General Hospital.

That sacrifice shows how deeply people understand the importance of this hospital.

The workers at Nashville General Hospital uh continue doing everything possible to care for the uh community despite increasing health care cost, staffing challenges, and financial uncertainty year after year.

We're not asking for luxury, we're not, we're only asking for fairness.

We are asking for the city to fully invest in the hospital that serves its most vulnerable residents.

A fully funded budget means continued patient care, stronger staffing, employee retention, and raises for hardworking employees who have dedicated themselves to serving Nashville.

The city charter recognizes the responsibility to care for the indigent population.

We are asking the city to fully honor that responsibility.

Please fully fund Nashville General Hospital.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening, City Council members.

My name is Brenda Gordon, and I've worked in Nashville General Hospital for seven years.

I'm currently working at the Bordeaux Clinic as a clinic coordinator.

And I stand before you tonight, not just an employee, but as someone who sees firsthand what the hospital means to our community every day.

At Nashville General Hospital, we care for the people who often have nowhere to turn.

We care for working families, seniors, uninsured patients, and the indigent population that has city committed to serve under this charter.

This is not just a member, a number.

I'm sorry, this is not just a number on a budget sheet.

These are human beings who depend on us to survive, dignity, and hope.

Every year, health care costs continue to rise.

Supplies cost more, staffing costs more.

The demand for care now continues to grow.

Yet every year we find ourselves fighting for the funding necessary to simply operate and continue to serve this city.

This is not sustainable.

Our employees work tirelessly despite staffing shortages, burnout, and financial uncertainty because we believe in the mission of this hospital.

But believing in the mission should not mean sacrificing fair wages or asking employees to continuously work more for less.

A fully funded budget is not a luxury.

Fully funding National General Hospital budget requests means protecting access to care for vulnerable citizens.

It means investing the health care workers who keep this hospital running.

It means allowing employees to receive the raises they deserve after dedicating themselves to this city year after year.

We are asking you tonight to stand with us, stand with the patients, stand with the workers, stand with the mission of General Hospital.

Lastly, we are grateful for the solidary show.

Your time has expired.

Your time is expired.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, please.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Hello, my name is Miss Honey.

My babies call me Miss Honey, and I work for MMPS schools.

Um, but I'm standing today to say I stand for a solidarity budget.

I'm not advocating for myself today.

I'm advocating for general hospital, even though I'm broke and all my babies know I'm broke.

1.75% is not enough.

But our sisters and brothers at General Hospital, which my students go to, have not been made whole.

We need to make them whole.

Y'all know y'all have not done right by MMPS schools.

We not even gonna go down there.

I done talked to y'all for 26 years about that.

But today is general hospital.

I go to general hospital.

My babies, by and large, for MMPS go to general hospital.

So MMPS schools is standing behind General Hospital.

Fully fund general hospital.

We are advocating for a cost of living adjustment.

Mainly we want them to be whole.

They need doctors, they need nurses, we need support staff.

SEIU needs to be represented fully and wholly.

They serve the city.

If you want great health care, you can go there too.

Some of y'all do go.

We've seen y'all there.

So if you go there and you know it's excellent health care, give them the money they need.

These are your fellow co-workers, people that live in the city with you.

They have to put food on the table as well.

So when they show up for work and take care of patients and people who are sleeping on the streets because you're not funding that either, then make sure that they can do that with a smile on their face.

MMPS Schools stands behind General Hospital.

Raises, fully funded, more than 1.75%.

I can't even believe I'm saying that.

But that's what we stand.

We want to know that we stand lockstep with General Hospital.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

You're recognized.

I'm Howard Allen.

First of all, I just want to say I'm a Nashville, born and raised homegrown.

I have a grassroots organization called the Nashville Homeless Underground and part of the poor people's campaign.

I'm standing in solidarity tonight with people's budget coalition.

I want to talk about housing.

And I want to talk about social housing out of the 25 million dollar budget.

I want to talk about 500,000.

And I want to be able to a good social to mine.

This is to the honorable Thomas Frederick O'Connell, and to you council members.

And I want you to be able to do it right because I'm demanding it.

And what it's going to consist of is permanent with housing, affordable, publicly owned, community control, and hopefully housing for all.

I mean, maybe we might get low-income housing too.

But this is what I want, and I'm challenging you.

Don't take all day about deciding whether or not you're gonna give us the land.

Give us the land because we're demanding it.

And please do it before the Super Bowl.

Because you can do it.

And then I might even go to a social housing apartment.

And look at the Super Bowl.

I think you can tell them the Olympics are common on the world forever.

Do this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead and come forward.

You're recognized.

Good evening.

My name is Michelle, and I'm a Davidson County District 2 resident and a social worker for the National Hispanic Bar Association eviction right to counsel.

Today I'm here to ask you to support increased funding for the ERTC program at $9.3 million.

In 2025, a fiscal impact study found that for every dollar invested in ERTC, Nashville saw a return of four dollars and eighteen cents.

Last year alone, the coalition provided legal services to more than a thousand Nashvilleans and achieved client goals in nearly 95% of cases.

As part of the coalition, National Hispanic Bar Association provides culturally competent legal services to all qualifying residents, including immigrant and Latin A tenants that would otherwise face eviction alone.

NHBA has already assisted more than 1500 clients, delivered over 1.2 million dollars in direct value to families, and has been able to provide comprehensive wraparound services through our interdisciplinary teams.

In Davidson County eviction filings continue to rise, yet funding has remained essentially flat for the past three years.

The mayor's proposed budget of 2.4 million does not account for inflation or growing community need.

Coalition organized organizations are already stretching limited resources.

An HBA alone supplements ERTC funding with substantial non-metro support just to sustain current services and allow for additional social work support.

Increased funding would allow us to expand outreach, provide more multilingual legal education, increase representation, and help more families stay housed before a crisis occurs.

Eviction is not just a housing issue, it's a justice issue, a public health issue, and an economic issue.

Stable housing creates stronger families and safer communities.

Please support increased funding for eviction right to counsel and continue investing in a program that we know changes lives and saves taxpayers' dollars.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, please.

Good evening.

My name is Ellie Campbell, a Nashville resident from District 14.

I work as a paralegal with the eviction right to counsel program at the National Hispanic Bar Association.

Our program provides free legal representation to renters facing eviction in Davidson County.

We have helped hundreds of Nashville families remain housed.

Beyond the human impact, this is a fiscally responsible investment.

Keeping families housed prevents the downstream costs of shelters, emergency services, and displacement that fall back on the city.

Eviction Right to Council Program is one of the many critical housing tools this city depends on, and we hope all of them can be adequate supported.

We are asking the council to fund the eviction right to counsel program at $9.3 million so we can continue serving the Nashville renters that need it most.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening.

My name is Faith Klein, and I serve as the Civil Mediation Director at Nashville Conflict Resolution Center.

Thank you for your continued support of the eviction right to counsel program.

Since ERTC began funding in 2023, NCRC has provided mediation services to 836 landlords and tenants.

Of those cases, 82% resulted in voluntary agreements, and two-thirds of those cases avoided court judgments altogether through mediation.

At the heart of every eviction case are real people with real needs.

Landlords need to remain financially stable and tenants need to stay housed.

Too often courts feel like the only option, yet many disputes can be resolved through a guided conversation with a neutral mediator, allowing both parties to be heard and to do to develop solutions that work for everyone involved.

Mediation creates better outcomes.

It can help landlords avoid the costs of delayed associated court proceedings while helping tenants avoid long-term consequences of an eviction judgment that can make future housing difficult to secure.

For three years, funding for this program has remained largely unchanged despite inflation and rising eviction filings.

As demand increases, the capacity for legal representation, rental assistance, and mediation has not kept pace.

Tonight, our coalition is requesting $9.3 million for eviction right to counsel program.

The funding level, the funding level stouts independent evaluations determined is needed for full implementation.

NCRC's share of this investment would enable us to provide every eligible landlord and tenant access to compassionate dispute resolution before their case reaches the courtroom.

We respectfully ask for your support of this funding increase to 9.3 million to close the justice gap and strengthen housing stability in Davidson County.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Welcome.

You may want to pull that mic down towards you.

There you go.

You hear me?

Okay, my name.

My name is Grace Brady.

I raise I reside in District 21, and I am supporting funding for the Barnes Fund.

As Nashville has grown, it was touted as the It City.

And much of that concept is still true.

With growth comes many challenges, one of those being housing is new residents along with the residents who are already in place.

My congregation at Clark Memorial United Methodist Church took note of this challenge in our neighborhood to acquire affordable housing and the lesser notice given it by the other challenges.

Working with the affordable housing arm of NUNOAA, we researched the need and determined to do our own part to meet that challenge.

The result was the opening of six affordable homes in August of 2025, because the Barnes Fund was the initial and a significant part of that funding.

Research has shown that Nashville has a deficit of at least 20,000 units in affordable housing.

So it begs the question does it make for reasonable public policy to reduce the Barnes fund, which has helped our project and many others to achieve affordable housing for its residents who live on minimum wages or barely among it above it.

There's also research that shows that even our service workers, like police and early responders who support our city and make it safe for all of us, must live outside of the city because they don't have a place to leave, which also increases our public safety and health risk.

I beg the council to consider and please fully fund the barns fund for the 30 million dollars that is being asked.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening.

I'm Irene Bloyd from Council District 24.

And I am also a member of the NOAA Affordable Housing Task Force.

We know that the Barnes Fund is the city's most effective tool for affordable housing.

And we are glad that our mayor included 22 million dollars for Barnes in his budget.

However, I'm here today to urge you to add another eight million dollars to the fund, which would match the unified housing strategies call for 30 million dollars to be funded annually.

Since nonprofit developers can leverage $9 for every $1 from Barnes, this would unlock $300 million more in housing investment.

The positive impact of the Barnes Fund has which has had, excuse me, the positive impact the Barnes Fund has had on the recipients of this fund and in our city should be celebrated and continued, not diminished.

What could be more important in a person's life in a city's reputation than their housing?

I'm a person who is a Catholic and have spent all my life being exposed and challenged by both charity and social justice teaching of my church.

I worked with the Catholic Diocese here in Nashville, where I was very involved with social justice activities and with the teaching of social justice.

I also was an organizer with Tying Nashville together, TNT.

All of this and more have taught me and led me to care about and work for justice.

So now I want to end with a quote from my favorite Pope, Francis.

He said this about housing, quote, let me be clear, there is no social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever for the lack of housing, end quote.

And thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

You may want to pull that mic up.

Yeah.

One of the things about being told.

I'm Mike Hodge, District 31, John Rutherford's district.

I'm a member of Edge Hill United Methodist Church and the NOAA Affordable Housing Task Force.

You've heard us speak many times about the Barnes Fund because it remains the most effective tool we've got for creating affordable housing.

Metro's Unified Housing Strategy says Nashville must create 2,000 truly affordable homes every year, just to keep up with the need.

It also calls for investing 30 million dollars annually in the Barnes Fund.

Mayor O'Connell's budget includes 22 million, but that's 8 million short of the goal.

And because every Barnes dollar leverages roughly 10 more from other sources, that shortfall means as much as 80 million dollars in affordable housing investments getting left on the table.

Some council members are also proposing now to reduce that funding even further.

Tonight, though, I really want you to hear the voice of Reverend Bill Barnes, the namesake of this fund and longtime pastor of Edgeville United Methodist Church.

He spent years advocating for affordable housing and for the creation of this fund.

He died in 2017.

But in 2015, after the Barnes Fund was established, he thanked this council right here.

And he said, it's a remarkable beginning of a process.

It is the beginning.

It needs a source of resilient funding, recurring funding, and that'll happen, I'm sure.

That was 11 years ago.

Today, in 2026, we still do not have the dedicated recurring funding Reverend Barnes envisioned.

But we do have a choice.

We can continue treating affordable housing as a beginning, or we can take the next step and fully fund the Barnes fund at 30 million dollars this year.

I believe Reverend Barnes would thank you once again, not for starting the work, but for finishing what you began.

Thank you.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Esther Ikenim.

I'm a nurse at Triage Nurse in Nashville General Hospital.

I have proudly served the hospital for seven years.

As a nurse, we see first-hand growing health care needs in this city.

We see patients arrive every day who are uninsured, underinsured, sick, frightened, and in need of compassionate health care.

Now you generally hospital continues to serve, continue to serve them because that is our mission.

And because this city has a responsibility to take care of its indigenous persons.

But caring for people requires investment.

We know that.

This year, many of our fellow metro employees showed incredible solidarity by not pushing for additional to the health and well-being required requests of their own because they understand that Nashville General Hospital needs to be prioritized.

NGH employees have continually carrying the body year after year, while health care costs rise, and staff challenges continues to grow.

Nurses, frontline staffs, and healthcare workers deserve fair raises and adequate support for the work we do every day.

A fully funded budget request is about protecting patients' care, retaining employees, and ensuring that the hospital remains strong for future generations to come.

We ask this council to recognize this importance of Nashville General Hospital and honor the solidarity of the Metro workers across the states.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

My name is Jeffrey Jackson, and I work for environmental services as a floor technician in Nashville General.

People may not always see the work.

EVS always behind the scenes, but maintaining clean and safe hospital environment is critical to patient care.

Every employee at Nashville General plays a role in protecting the community.

DC and Metro Workers assist other departments, showing the solidarity by stepping back from requesting additional funding increases because they understood the Nashville General Hospital needed to be paralyzed in this budget.

That says a lot about respect and importance of the hospital.

NGA serves the inteligent population of Nashville and provides care to people who often have nowhere else to turn.

Their mission is settile to the city.

Workers at NGH deserve raises and reflect the dedication and sacrifices they make every day.

Fully funded Nashville General Hospital is about more than numbers.

It is about protecting health care, assist, supporting employees and earning the city's responsibility to care for its people.

We appreciate the solitary shown by our fellow Metro workers.

And tonight we ask this council to show the same commitment by fully funding Nashville General Hospital.

Thank you for listening, God bless you all.

Thank you so much.

So for those of y'all in front of the door, you can go ahead and come forward to the podium and go ahead and come a little closer to the podium, please and far to the left.

Just a reminder so there's gonna be one person at the podium, four people in front of the door, and there should only be five people in line behind the door.

I recognize we have some folks from our community groups that are trying to kind of organize when we put our next five people into line.

Um, but respectfully, it looks a little cluttered back there.

I want you to please respect our staff.

So when we're telling you, um it looks like I can't be heard back there.

Is that what you're saying?

So again, there should be just 10 people in line, please.

Please respect Ms.

Hayes Shacklet's direction.

Short gray hair, blue jacket, our lovely staff member, please uh respect her guidance back there.

Okay, sir, go ahead.

Good evening.

My name is Anne Judd.

I'm the project manager for our eviction right to council program legal aid.

I'm often called the numbers guy, so I'm gonna throw some numbers at y'all tonight.

Uh, the first is four dollars and eighteen cents.

That's our return on investment for every dollar that this council has invested in our program.

That means the 2.4 million dollars that we've had in the past and what's been proposed here for this year would be a return of more than eight million dollars for the city of Nashville and other Nashvilleans.

ERTC has reduced costs across the social safety net in Nashville from shelter maintenance to ER visits to keeping children and families in Nashville.

Even further, the average return for each individual client was more than 12,000 per client served.

And then the next number is 1,069.

That's the number of households that received legal assistance from our attorneys and advocates in 2025.

They are in court with our clients, providing important and vital legal advice and information.

Our clients will already do this work, and with even more funding, perhaps 9.3 million dollars, we can help even more people as our program is scalable.

The next number here is 92%.

That's the percentage of clients who achieve their goal of preventing an eviction judgment or involuntary move.

92% of our clients that didn't want an eviction judgment were successful in that goal.

And we want to make sure that all of our clients achieve their goals.

That's the first question we ask folks.

What is your goal?

And we do everything in our power to make sure they can achieve it.

And while those are numbers, they're also people.

They're our neighbors, our constituents, our friends that are seeking help.

That all may have lost their housing, but not for our program.

We're extremely grateful for this council and our future with Metro Planning Department and look forward to working with all of the initiatives in planning and through Metro Council to really create an affordable and livable housing environment here in Nashville.

But demand continues to rise.

Every month there are about 1,200 evictions.

Like I said, we helped a thousand people last year.

And with more money, we can make sure that we're helping every eligible person if we have 9.3 million dollars to fully implement our program.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Go ahead and come on forward.

Thank you so much.

Hello, my name is Sophia Kiros Colby, and I am the outreach coordinator for the eviction rights of counsel program at Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands.

I'm here today to speak in support of the continued funding for the eviction rights of council program.

In my role, I see firsthand the impact this program has on Nashville residents facing housing instability.

Throughout through our courthouse outreach, I provide tenants with information about their rights and connect them with resources that can help them navigate the often complex and daunting eviction process.

Many people are unaware of their protections available to them until they speak with somebody from our program.

I also attend community events and conduct outreach through webinars and social media to ensure that tenants understand their rights before they find themselves in court.

These efforts help build trust, increase access to legal information, and empower residents to make informed decisions about their housing.

As eviction filings continue to rise, funding for this program remains critical.

The eviction rights to counsel program helps keep people housed, promotes stability for families, and ensures that tenants have access to the support they need during a difficult and often overwhelming process.

We hope to continue this important work and expand our ability to serve the community.

Thank you for your time, consideration, and support.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Hello, everyone.

Good evening.

My name is Shannon Wagner, and I am the executive director of Nashville Conflict Resolution Center.

For 25 years, NCRC has served Davidson County residents across every council district, helping people navigate conflict through mediation and collaborative problem solving.

You'll hear from others about the impressive outcomes of the eviction right to counsel program and the number of cases resolved through mediation.

I would like to speak briefly about why those outcomes matter.

Housing disputes are often treated solely as legal problems, but many begin as human problems.

A medical crisis, a job loss, a family emergency, or a communication breakdown that escalates over time.

When the only pathway available is a courtroom, opportunities for understanding and creative problem solving are often lost.

Community mediation offers a different path.

It gives landlords and tenants the opportunity to sit down with a trained neutral third party and work towards solutions that reflect the realities of their lives.

Payment plans, move-out timelines, property concerns, and communication issues can be addressed in ways that a court order cannot accomplish.

What makes ERTC so effective is that it recognizes that access to justice requires more than legal representation.

It is truly a coalition of partners and offers multiple pathways to resolution.

Mediation is just one of those pathways.

And it is an essential part of a healthy and responsive justice system.

As Nashville continues to grow, we will face increasingly complex challenges around housing stability, access to services, and community well-being.

Investing in ERTC is an investment in a more resilient city.

We are grateful for your support of ERTC and respectfully ask you to increase, not at the expense of other housing initiatives, but as an investment in a program that is strengthening housing stability, expanding access to justice, and helping Nashville residents find solutions that work and stay in their homes.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you so much.

For those of you that are in front of the door, please don't linger by the wall.

Just go ahead and come on forward.

So come on forward to the podium, and the gentleman behind you can come on a little bit, but perfect.

Over to the left, great.

Right, so we can get four people in front of the door.

We don't want to crowd the people at the seat, but you can just line up right there.

Go ahead, ma'am.

Thank you.

Good evening.

My name is Lisa Woolley.

I'm the executive director of Rooftop Nashville.

We are the rent relief partner in the eviction right to council.

I am grateful the city is choosing to support keeping Nashvilleans in housing through the eviction right to council program.

The people we serve are the backbone of our city.

Rent relief as a part of ERTC looks like closing the gap for a single mother whose workers' comp ended before she was cleared to return to work, or the resident whose company was shut down by the state.

And while the new job would pet cover the rent, it wouldn't cover legal fees.

But it also looks like limiting clients to those whose hardship happened in the last 90 days, or to those who only owe two months rent because funding is limited.

91% of clients receiving rent relief funding from ERTC remain housed at 12 months.

This program works and we hope to expand services.

We're asking that you fully fund the program with 9.3 million.

You are not alone in investing in the ERTC program.

Each organization in the coalition allocates private funding to support ERTC.

The most recent example was the winter storm docket.

ERTC staff, civil court judges, court advocates, Metro Action Commission, and landlord attorneys came together to allow residents impacted by winter storm fern time and resources to recover.

Rooftop provided over a hundred thousand dollars in community funding to support the docket.

I hope when the report comes out that each of you takes the time to read it and understand that your significant impact investment has a ripple effect in this community.

The backbone of our community deserves the support.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Richard Poskanzer.

I'm the general manager of the Virgin Hotel Nashville, located at one music square west of Midtown.

I'm here this evening to provide support in favor of the Civic Design Center's proposal for community engagement regarding the Buddy Kill and Circle Renovation for $50,000.

The midtown neighborhood is growing at a rapid rate.

Much of that growth is residential, which only builds upon a strong feeling of community as a key component that makes it such a desirable neighborhood for businesses, families, industries, and residents alike.

The Buddy Killing Circle is the gateway to Midtown and the West End.

As a neighborhood grows and traffic increases, there's a continued need for focus on safety and the flow of all traffic through the community.

Whether for automobiles, bikers, joggers, local pedestrians, tourists, or people simply walking their pets, there is a need for improvement.

Every day I drive from work uh to and from work passing through Buddy Killing Circle.

The number of cars that do not will not stop for pedestrians or joggers that are properly using the designated label crosswalks is staggering.

It's even more worrisome at night where visibility is limited.

In certain areas, you can't even see the pedestrians approaching the circle.

The proposal will also support a review of the intersection of division streets, 17th Street, and Music Square West, just off the circle.

Throughout the day, even more frequently from three to six p.m.

There are constant horns honking and break screeching as drivers try to avoid accidents due to not knowing how to navigate the intersection.

There are visibly issues with the no-turn on red signs, and people are constantly turning from uh turning right on red into oncoming traffic from 17 to division streets.

From the other direction on division street, there are three lanes of traffic coming on the buddy killed circle.

The two left lanes are for left turn only onto music square west, and the right lane is to continue on division street.

However, there's four traffic lights.

This confusion of this intersection impacts the flow of buddy killing circle as well.

Um, things like the no-turn on red signs being illuminated better and blinking lights out into crosswalks of buddy killing circle can make a huge difference.

A little bit of attention could go a long way.

While I'm aware that oftentimes incident and accident statistics are used to make decisions around funding for projects such as this, it may only be a matter of time before something serious occurs if it hasn't already.

We have an opportunity with a small amount of support requested to be ahead of the curve when it comes to safety as we continue to prove our neighborhoods within national specifically midtown.

Thank you for listening for your consideration.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Yes, thank you, Council.

And I'll I do want to also say uh how much we appreciate the work you're doing to make our our uh city a better place.

My name is Chris Claybrook.

I'm with Regents Bank and I serve as a member of our our leadership circle.

Um and I'm here tonight to uh to talk to you also about the request to amend the operating budget to include 50,000 for the community engagement and public realm design plans for buddy killing circle.

I agree with Richard's comments earlier.

Uh one of our challenges continues to be just the movement of traffic through there, especially around that division and 17th.

We we have safety concerns for not only our associates, the residents in that area, uh, but also our customers that are coming in.

Uh Roundabout Plaza is home to 125 associates that make up our regional headquarters as well as our branch.

So we have a lot of of our clients coming through there, and we have safety concerns for them.

We want to make sure we get this to development uh done right on the work around Buddy Killing Circle and the Civic Design Center has put together a proposal including community engagement, design development, and visualizations to start this process.

I would ask you to uh consider including this necessary funding in the operating budget and support this uh upcoming work.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Misty Stevenson.

I stand here today, not only as an employee of Metro Nashville Public Schools, but as a representative of solidarity.

Standing beside my sisters and brothers of MMPS, Metro Nashville government, and Nashville General Hospital.

Tonight I ask is very simple.

Let us let us make Nashville General Hospital financially whole because the city cannot thrive while the very people saving lives are struggling to survive.

Let us provide Metro employees with a cost of living adjustment increase and still raises that reflect the cost of living in this city.

Let us ensure that MMPS employees receive that cost of living adjustment that matches Metro employees, along with compensation for the unpaid days that are already built in their calendars.

Every year, the same song is what sung.

People can no longer afford to live in a city that they work in.

But tonight, we are asking you to do more than hear the song.

We are asking you to respond to it.

Let us live in the city that we serve.

Let us thrive instead of merely surviving.

Let us choose, stop choosing between groceries, rent, medicine, and even gas.

Let us stop working two and three jobs just to make ends meet while still showing up every day to educate children, protect communities, and care for families.

Because the truth is the people who keep this city moving should not be pushed out of the very city that they help build.

So tonight, my ask is not complicated.

It is simple.

This let us let us be valued, let us be respected, let us be compensated fairly, and let us continue serving Nashville with dignity.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Come on forward.

Good evening.

Well, I don't even know what to say after what Misty said, but.

Do you please come a little closer to the mics and be sure I hear you?

Yeah, I already know.

I can't even come behind Missy after that.

I'm sorry.

I am tore from the floor up.

But what I have heard and what's coming in behind me is so true.

It is hard, I hear for these people who work in two and three jobs.

It hurts me to see the single moms do that.

I'm sorry.

And for Metro General Hospital.

Please, please, please don't take it away.

Because I'm gonna tell you, I love General Hospital.

I use it.

I even encourage other metro employees.

I use it because it's beneficial and it's affordable.

That's why I use it.

Honestly, really, that's why I use it.

And I love the doctors.

I love the employees who work there, who does an amazing job, great customer service.

You know, I just we shouldn't have to keep asking and asking and asking.

I know everybody here got an agenda.

I get it.

But don't forget about the people who you work for.

You have to, I'm just gonna say this.

Do what's right.

Thank you.

Go ahead, please.

Good evening, Vice Mayor and Council members.

My name is Sabina Moidin, and I serve as executive director of the American Muslim Advisory Council.

And we are a coalition partners with the eviction right to council program.

Our role in the coalition is to do outreach in the immigrant communities as well as provide language access for those who need it.

Recently, a Thai immigrant who owned her own home fell victim to a for foreclosure fraud.

And found herself in court without legal representation and using AI to try to understand what was going on.

Understanding legal proceedings, it's hard enough if you are a native English speaker.

So imagine how hard it is for someone for whom English is their second language.

We need more funding to guarantee a robust outreach to immigrant communities in Nashville, especially those with limited English proficiency, so they are aware of their rights and get the support they need.

In another case, a Somali family that was facing personal crisis received an eviction notice because they were behind on rent.

We refer the family to legal aid society.

Legal aid uh society was at capacity, and they were only able to provide advice.

The family was willing to pay what was owed and requested a pay and stay deal, but the landlord's attorney was pressuring him to sign an eviction settlement.

He called me, panicking, not sure what to do.

I am not a lawyer and could not provide legal advice.

The legal advice he needed.

We need to make sure we have enough attorneys to take on the growing number of eviction cases that we are seeing.

We are grateful for the support of Metro Council, but we want to increase the budget.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Miss Hay Shacklet, everything okay there.

Could y'all please could you sit down, Miss Huell?

And if you want to speak, Miss Hay Shacklet needs to go back and help administer the line, please, ma'am.

All right.

I I will share again because other people have entered the room.

Okay.

Um we are having 10 people in line at a time.

One at the podium, four in front of the door, and five in line behind the door.

Ms.

Hayes Shacklet, who is in blue, is administering the line.

We ask you please to respect when she says this is the back of the line.

Everyone else should be seated.

Okay.

So there should be 10 people.

Ms.

Hayes Shacklet knows who that is.

Now, one, two here and there.

As she comes forward to speak to you, maybe there's an extra.

So let's show some grace.

But I appreciate that you're sharing there's some confusion.

We have two staff members there who are doing their best to administer.

Okay.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Um, Mr.

Krinks.

Yeah, we we'll need a special meeting for discussing this sometime soon, too.

If despite our best intentions, it's really been very difficult.

Um, but um, so my name is Andrew Crinks.

I live in District 21, and I'm with the National People's Budget Coalition.

Um, you would have heard from probably about 30 of our folks, but most of them are gonna have to go um home, or some of them will, but hopefully you'll hear from more.

Um after direct engagement with thousands of working class Nashvilleans over the last two years.

Uh, we are asking for three things that together amount to one half of one percent of the entire operating budget.

First, it's ten million dollars for social housing.

You've heard this phrase social housing is permanently affordable, publicly owned, community controlled, bond financed, mixed income housing.

This $10 million dollar asked concludes the ask we made last year and are making again, which is five hundred thousand dollars for staff to establish and maintain social housing in the new independent housing authority subsidiary.

The remainder of that ask is nine and a half million for a revolving loan fund for social housing.

The mayor's seven million revolving loan fund is not yet what we're asking for, but we intend to help ensure that it becomes what we're asking for.

It's one thing to say that you want us to say here, and it's another to fund and embrace a model that actually ensures that.

You have the power to improve our lives, and I hope you'll use it.

Second, we're asking for $13 million for the community safety fund operated by Metro Public Health.

The mayor recently said there's more to safety than policing, but you wouldn't really know it from looking at the budget.

We spend nearly a billion dollars annually on police courts and jails, but give only crumbs to non-police alternatives.

It's past time to shift how we understand and fund safety in Nashville.

Significantly increasing funding for non-police community safety uh alternatives help start that process in earnest.

And third, we want full funding at two million dollars for the REACH program.

That's an existing solution, uh, and we need to equip it to meet the enormous need in our communities.

And finally, we want and expect each of these things to be not just funded but established through a thorough participatory co-governance process.

We don't want to give input after decisions are already made.

We want to build and govern these institutions and policies alongside you because the budget is the people's money and the public goods that are money funds should be governed by us too.

Thank you.

Thank you.

What is up, y'all trying to bring the energy?

Saw some yawns, so to try to be hype.

All right, who wants to talk about housing finance?

Awesome.

My name is Kate.

I'm here with Stand Up Nashville.

Tonight I'm here to request that you put $500,000 in an admin account for staff that will catapult our self-sustaining housing model forward.

To do this, I want to talk to you about risk because as we've been talking to people in the city, we over and overhear this word risk and a risk aversion.

Okay.

So for many Nashville residents, myself including, housing has become a persistent source of uncertainty.

I don't know what it's like where you're sitting over there on the gallery, but on this side, outside of the line hunger games and everything else going on.

I know most of us know what it feels like to live in a city where our housing is a gamble every day.

We often talk about new ideas as risky, but we rarely talk about the risk that already exists around us.

The risk of being a renter in this city, to see your rent go up, the risk of another family leaving the city, another teacher moving further from his, her or their classroom, or a child who may have to live on the street, another young person deciding that they cannot build a future here, the wit risk of waking up 10 years from now and realizing that Nashville has become a place where ordinary people cannot afford to live.

Those risks are real and they're already here, but they're not being carried equally.

They're being carried by us, the renters, the working people in this city, by families trying to hold on to the communities they've built.

What stand-up Nashville is asking for is 500,000 to create capacity for Nashville to build something new.

An institution that can develop housing that remains affordable because it remains in public hands.

Housing that creates lasting public value for our city.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Okay, hi everybody.

Um I am Susan Shann.

I live in district one in Bellsbend area, and I am here talking to express my support for two issues.

One is uh what the two fine gentlemen before me were speaking about.

I'm just learning about social housing, and it sounds like a no-brainer to me.

It sounds like something we need to be creating here, and I think 500,000 in the budget um for the establishment of an entity that can kind of uh plan for that and manage that uh makes so much sense for long-term sustainable and affordable housing for the city.

Uh, so that's issue number one.

The second thing I want to advocate for is um a wish list item uh from Dr.

Battle from Metro Nashville Public Schools to implement um composting and the hiring of a sustainability manager for the schools as well as um training.

I believe it's lead L E E D leadership in energy and environmental design uh certification for teachers this is uh long overdue and um obviously the composting will remove a lot of waste from our landfills which I don't need to tell any of you are filling up very quickly uh it'll save a lot of money in the Metro budget over time uh somewhere between 179 and 270 thousand dollars um just from picking up composting waste in the schools and uh I just would love to see that be implemented so please consider including that in the budget that's 58000 again a very small ask for a very large payoff for the city and for our kids who need to learn about the value of doing these things and see that the adults around them value it as much as as they hopefully will as they mature thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead you're recognized.

Good evening friends my name is Hal Cato I'm the CEO of the community foundation of Middle Tennessee and a resident of district 24 it is nights like this I know that test leadership commitment and I want to thank you for yours.

Thank you for sitting here and thank you for the way you've respectfully listened to every single person that's approached this mic.

There may not be a lot of things that we universally agree on in the city every day but I do think we agree on this.

Homes affordable to working families are falling out of reach faster than we can track and daily I hear where is philanthropy on this issue.

There is a role for philanthropy and I am committed in working really hard to bring them to the table in a coordinated way but it is important that Metro builds a table big enough bold enough and collaborative enough for philanthropy to join we got a taste of what can happen at that kind of table when Metro committed 20 million dollars to launching the national catalyst fund within months multiple private and philanthropic investors quickly joined ballooning that fund to 76 point four 76.5 million dollars that is nearly a four to one public-private ratio and that is what Metro commitment can unlock.

Every week I work alongside leaders overseeing hundreds of millions of dollars of philanthropic capital and I can tell you the foundations and donors are actively trying to figure out how to invest effectively in housing in the city I believe that the Capitol is ready to move but I also believe that Metro has to boldly lead at this moment in time your vote tonight is not just about what the city spends I believe it is it also helps determine whether a much larger coalition activates and follows the cities that changed their housing trajectory did it by building a system big enough to hold all of us at the table this budget begins to build that system and I'm proud to stand behind it tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead your recognized hello my name is Lindsay Longoria and I'm a Nashville resident of District 25.

I'm also the community engagement and gratitude officer for the contributor and I'm here to request funding support on behalf of the contributors SOAR program.

As you heard from Will our executive director earlier for the past two years the contributor has partnered with local emergency departments by the way we also support funding National General to identify patients experiencing homelessness and help them access disability benefits health care income and ultimately housing stability I know from the personal experience working on the front lines as a case manager as well as from well researched data that access to housing and community resources leads to health and wholeness a status that the majority of our clients have never experienced especially those who have applied for these benefits on their own and been denied as the process is not set up for individuals to navigate alone.

Tonight I am asking for your support of the 3500 funding request to continue this necessary work that will generate an estimated one point three million dollars in revenue for those who need it most.

This is work that is already happening.

Already work that is already proven effective.

There's no drawback to supporting this budget request, only a better community that benefits when folks uh folks who need it when they receive the benefits that they deserve.

And finally, as a side note, I'd like it to note that you could compensate literally any MNPS employee in this room to fix this line situation in like five minutes.

Thanks, Mike.

Next, go ahead.

Um, Ms.

Stiles.

Could I ask, please, ma'am, so that Ms.

uh Hay Shacklet can administer the line if you might return to the chamber floor.

Thank you.

Or just let Ms.

Hayes Shacklet do her good work, please.

Thank you, ma'am.

Go ahead, sir.

You're recognized.

Uh good evening, counsel, and thank you for this time and for listening.

It's late.

My name is Christian Perro of the Nashville Property Tax Coalition.

We're a non-political group concerned about small businesses in Davidson County.

All 350 of our members understand the property taxes go up in a growing city, and we are okay with that.

We also know that Metro relies on property taxes for a large portion of its budget.

Small businesses have budgets too, and they do their best to plan ahead.

But no business can plan for 75%, 100%, 200, and even 300% increases in their tax liabilities.

Most of these property taxes are passed on to the small business tenants who occupy the commercial buildings in our neighborhood centers and roadway corridors.

We are asking for reasonable tax increases, but when you have historically high property valuations, many of which are incorrect in today's economic climate, combined with an increase in tax rate, you get outrageous tax bills that will force the closure of hundreds of small businesses in the next 12 to 18 months.

What is Metro government going to do to preserve the small businesses that made Nashville what it is today?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good afternoon.

Thank you for your time.

My name is Medina Rashid, and I'm a proud resident at the cottages of Drake's Creek.

I am honored to be a part of what is becoming one of Nashville's first cooperative housing communities, an innovative step towards forwarding only.

Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry.

I'm honored to be a part of what is becoming one of Nashville's first cooperative housing community and innovative steps forward, not only for our neighborhood, but for the future of affordable housing across our city.

As Nashville discussed budget priorities and further investments, I respectfully ask that cooperative housing initiative remain at the top of the priorities.

This project is creating opportunities for working families who may never otherwise otherwise have access to home ownership.

It gives residents stability, dignity, and true voice in our community.

What makes this initiative so important is that it is not just about housing, it is about preventing displacement, building generational stability, and creating long-term community investment.

The excitement surrounding the cottages at Drake's Creek reflects the hope many Nashville residents have for new and creative housing solutions.

However, I also want to emphasize a major concern for many current residents.

Some tenants slightly exceed the current 50% medium income requirement.

Yet we are the very people who have helped build and sustain this community.

We recently went to the Barnes Fund to ask for consideration, grandfathering some of us in.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Your time's concluded.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

You may want to hold that mic up.

Yeah, I got you.

Okay.

Stephen Watts, District 10.

So I come bearing a message from one of my neighbors at Drake's Creek Cooperative.

So she says it's messy, I say it's poetic.

The housing cooperative, let's talk about it.

The safety of it is like no other.

Having your neighborhood be your comfort zone.

The affordability, it's life's desire.

Neighbors handpick to merge into a family compound without the bloodline drama.

The shared responsibility is not just yours to carry.

Land you're trusted with to nurture, grow, maintain without the hectic maintenance solely on your income and time.

No more strange neighbors, no more wavering landlord, no more unbalanced property tax hikes, appraised for you alone.

No more sudden relocation, no more pit in your stomach from moving costs or unfamiliarity.

Instead, initiated cooperative living for all.

Melissa I.

Roberts, co-chair of Drake's Creek Cooperative Council.

So Melissa has also told me one other thing that I really love.

She says being part of the cooperative is what makes us business partners, but being neighbors makes us family.

So quickly, what a cooperative is cooperatives are similar to home ownership associations.

Group of homeowners come together to fight for their shared interests.

But while HOAs come together to make sure that their home value increases, which makes that uh the home unaccessible for people who follow them, instead, a cooperative comes together to keep costs low to make sure that the people who invest in the neighborhood, uh, when that neighborhood increases in value, that those people can stay.

So being employed by the Southeast Center for Cooperative Development, that makes me and the Drake's Creek neighbors, that makes us business partners.

But I also live across the street from them.

So being neighbors is what makes us family.

And so what I want to ask for is two things.

So the Barnes Fund, obviously, everyone has spoken about how we need it.

We also need permanent allocations for permanent affordable housing.

Lastly, I join onto the calls of other members who asked for that 500,000 for social housing staff to make that sure that belonging is policy and not just a slogan.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Poet Williams District 21.

Tonight I did not come here carrying a statistics.

I came carrying the weights of a city that is exhausted.

A city where mothers sit at tables hungry because there is only enough food to feed their children.

A city where fathers work two and three jobs and still come home wondering can they afford the rent?

How is a family supposed to survive when survival itself has become expensive?

Nashville is hurting mentally, physically, emotionally, every night families lie awake asking, will there be enough food tomorrow?

Will we still have a home next month?

Will while luxury buildings continue climbing into the sky, the people who built this city are being pushed further and further away from it.

Affordable housing is not a handout, it is not charity, it is dignity.

It is a mother finally not worrying about eviction knocking.

It is a father making it home before his children fall asleep because right now time is stealing from families.

Parents are missing birthdays, working overtime.

Children are growing up through exhaustic hugs and phone calls instead of presence.

Somewhere along the way we normalize struggle as a price of living in Nashville, but I refuse to believe a city this great cannot make room for the very people who keep it alive.

So tonight I demand you stop seeing affordable housing as numbers on paper and start seeing the people, the tired eyes, the empty refrigerators, see the families one paycheck away from losing everything because a city is not measured by the heights of its buildings, but by how it treats the people holding those buildings up.

Nashville needs compassion.

Nashville needs action.

Nashville needs affordable housing, funded fully because the people are tired of waiting.

Thank you.

Mr.

Gordon, will you pull that mic up a little closer to you?

Thank you, sir.

Go ahead.

My name is Jeffrey Gordon, District 6.

I'm the vice chairman of the National Entertainment Commission.

Uh, we've spent the last three years on square one.

Uh, we were summarily removed from the mayor's budget for uh the explanation of the fact that we would become a department of one, which would afford us to flounder and fail along the way.

I take umbrace with that, in that we've been unable to communicate amongst ourselves and be an efficient commission because of the uh open meetings act, which has been difficult to deal with.

We're asking now, uh, where last year we were 250,000, we're asking for 300,000 dollars.

Our initial ask to the mayor was 585,000 to fund staffing the ability to have an office, the ability to have monies to actually generate the initiatives that would benefit our community.

Speak for actors, for singers for songwriters or the coffee shops down the street from the movie sets.

Um I have nothing but love for the community.

I've been here for 35 years.

I make my life as a lighting director.

Uh we make the sights, we create the sounds.

We've been in 185 different television markets around the world.

That brings our city to the forefront of an entertainment community.

There are several entertainment communities around the world.

We are one that does not have the proper representation to allow our government to maximize the opportunity, the return on investment that a nominal sum would create.

I thank you all for the opportunity to speak before you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening, Vice Mayor, Council members.

I'm Stephanie Coleman, CEO of the National Chamber and resident of District 7.

I'm here in support of the housing investments in this budget.

I want to tell you who this budget is for and the numbers from the city's own housing strategy that we all helped create.

A hotel clerk in Nashville earns about $33,000 a year.

A hairstylist earns about $43,000.

A family social worker caring for our most vulnerable children, about $57,000.

For each of them, a home that they can actually afford runs between $800 and $1,400 a month.

Those homes are disappearing.

Home values in this county are up 40% since 2019.

Incomes are only up 19%.

As of last spring, there were 350 listings in all of Davidson County that a median household could afford to buy.

The business community does not watch this from a distance.

It's a workforce problem that we feel every single day.

You cannot run a city.

It's hospitals, it's schools, it's restaurants, it's small businesses on people who can no longer afford to live in it.

Housing has become economic infrastructure as fundamental to our competitiveness as transit or schools.

And here's what the business community most wants this body to hear.

This is a solvable problem, not with a single headline or a silver bullet, but the way hard problems are actually solved through patient, unglamorous, evidence-based work sustained year after year until it compounds.

And this is exactly what this budget is.

The unified housing strategy is a plan that sets goals, that funds the tools that measures what works and builds on it.

And that's how companies grow as well, and how serious cities solve their hardest problems.

The payoff here isn't next year's headline, it's the long-term return on doing the city work consistently.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Yes, good evening, Vice Mayor, Councilpersons.

My name's Curtis Bryan.

I'm a 35-year pastor in North Nashville.

I live in District 7.

My church community is um in District 21 with Councilman Taylor, and I have a substantial project in District number two with uh council tombs.

For over 35 years, I've worked in the area of affordable housing, but I want to add one caveat to that.

Not just affordable housing, but workforce housing.

Uh I represent uh nonprofit called successful survivors.

We've built multiple affordable housing units across the city.

We have been uh leaders in uh providing houses in uh the North Nashville area, the Cleveland Park, Maxwell area, uh, and the World Baptist Center area, but all faith-based housing.

I'm here advocating that you all would commit at least another additional 20 million dollars to the faith community.

I've represent 75 other churches uh in an initiative called the Church Community Collective, the church community of the largest property owners in our city, and I'd like to help move them toward providing housing for our service industry and uh community uh here in Nashville that housing can be provided for persons who live and work in our city.

I thank you all for your hard work and your time.

I've been committed to affordable housing for 35 years, have dedicated most of my life towards it.

Uh I could take half of the night to express to you my desire to provide housing for individuals, uh, people who live and work in our city.

We must uh do what we can and must to provide safe, decent and affordable housing.

Bless you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening.

My name is Teter Murphy.

I live in Madison, District 9.

Today I am speaking in sport in support of the Nashville People's Budget Housing and Safety for All Plan.

Co-governance, you have been talking a lot about it for the past couple of weeks.

Co-governance is necessary because we are no longer interested in perpetuating systems that we pay for that are at best ignoring us, and at worst, actively starving, beating, raping, kidnapping, and murdering us.

Folks have been saying for the longest time that voting by itself is not enough.

And seeing the recent actions by our state legislature, we see why that happened because we simply voted and outsourced our collective vision and well-being to folks who appointed themselves experts.

That was a terrible mistake.

Co-governance is us taking our agency back.

We are the ones who know what we need and how we need it.

The innovation and imagination is not up there, it's back here.

We are not satisfied simply handing you our money or our votes.

Not anymore.

We are realizing our mistake, and we're taking responsibility for rectifying it.

That's what co-governance is.

It's us taking our power back.

It requires you to take a step back and respect us as equals.

We're no longer supporting systems that don't work for us.

We are dismantling them and rebuilding them in our image.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead and come forward.

Hello, my name is Tracy P.

Beard.

I'm a Nashville native, grew up in District 2.

I currently live in District 32.

I'm also a housing justice researcher and statewide coordinator for housing for all Tennessee.

I grew up here, and my mother struggled in finding a place to live for us during the 90s, and that fueled the research that I do now.

And I know that Nashville can be better and live and make it better for others.

And it's time for Nashville to implement community-led solutions and fully fund the housing and safety for all plan eviction, uh, right to a council for evictions and programs that house and support our unhoused friends, not criminalize them.

We need all of these levers to address the systemic issues of housing and public safety.

These solutions can ensure permanently affordable housing and community led safety, and to ensure that all of these things remain a human right.

And I thank you for your time, and I thank everyone here for their time in this process.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

I greet you in peace.

My name is Karen Roberts.

I live in District 6, and I'm here today as a community member with Stand Up Nashville.

I work as a licensed clinical social worker, and I have been working in the Nashville community for well over 25 years.

And one of the problems, the growing problems that I hear from the clients that I serve is that I can't afford housing.

They come with a major depressive disorder and anxiety.

And it's not simply something that you can just talk away when they're up against something like I can't afford to pay my rent.

So I'm here tonight to ask you to request that you allocate $500,000 in an administrative account for staff that will catapult the self-sustaining housing model forward.

I think a lot about our city, not in an abstract way, but about the actual people who live here, the children that are growing up here, the young people who are trying to survive, families and senior citizens.

Every generation inherits a city that it did not create, and every generation leaves a city behind for somebody else.

The question is, what kind of city will we want to leave?

Do we want to leave a city where housing is increasingly treated as a commodity or where housing remains a foundation for community stability and belonging?

I'm gonna read this poem by Langston Hughes because I think it's appropriate.

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun, a fester like a sore, and then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat, a crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load and does or does it explode?

By the indication of the people that are here tonight, I think it explodes.

Thank you.

Next, go ahead.

Hello, my name is Dylan Moore.

I live in District 9.

I am a teacher in MMPS and a member of the Metro National Education Association.

I've lived in this city for seven years, and that time I've learned that every year the workers of the city have to come here and beg to get what they need.

The cost of living is rising in Nashville, and the wages of Metro employees is not rising with it.

I like to bring particular attention to the substitute teachers, custodial workers, and support staff of MMPS.

These workers' wages still fall well below a livable wage for Nashville.

These are the workers that make my job as a teacher possible, and it is becoming harder and harder for us to stay in the city we work in.

Budgets are indeed a moral document, and a one per 1.7% colour sends the message that people that keep this city running aren't a priority.

Is this the type of city that we want to build where the workers that serve us can't even afford to live here?

Help build a city where we can all afford to live in and increase the cost of living adjustment to actually match inflation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Good evening, Metro Council.

My name is John Davis.

I'm a community member with Stand Up Nashville.

And I likewise am here to request that you put $500,000 in an administrative account for a staff that can hit up the self-sustaining housing model we put forward.

I sometimes wonder what Nashville is going to look like 20 years from now.

We stay on our current path.

Every city depends on people whose names never appear in the development brochures, the nurse working the overnight shift, the cons school custodian opening the building before sunrise, the child care worker, the restaurant server, the bus driver, the city employee, the musician playing a Tuesday night gig.

Every day, these people make Nashville function.

But increasingly, many of them are being asked to live further and further out from the city.

They serve.

At some point, we've got to ask whether this is sustainable.

The city can't thrive indefinitely if the people who make it run are gradually pushed out.

The healthy city creates room for city for workers to live where they work.

A healthy city creates stability for the people whose labor sustains it.

And that's why this proposal matters.

The social housing model isn't just about creating units, it's about creating places where people can remain rooted in the city they're helping to build.

But I want to put a face on this housing crisis.

I want to tell you about three friends of mine, Keith, Jimmy, and Chris.

They're in-house people living in the brush by I 40, all working, all unable to afford housing.

Chris has been in house for four years and waiting for an attainable housing most of that time.

Two years ago, he was hit by a car while he tried to raise enough money for a hotel room.

His only viable housing option at the time.

He was in a coma at Vanderbilt for several months.

Today he walks with a cane.

He's very grateful to say he's attained stable housing after a long wait.

Thank you very much.

Thanks.

Next, go ahead.

Hi, Nancy Simmerley, District 23.

There are three of us here tonight representing the Fountains of Musica Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit, which includes a multitude of stakeholders and supporters.

We're here to address the capital improvement budget and ultimately the mayor's capital spending plan.

The goal of this project is to create a safe, expanded, and inspiring public realm, an important third space for residents and visitors to Nashville.

Fountains of Musica Foundation plans to expand the green space, increase safety for foot, vehicular, and cycle traffic, and at the same time create inspiring spaces in which to rest and appreciate the creative power of Nashville.

The waters surrounding the sculpture musical will soar up to 60 feet in the air with beautiful, beautifully choreographed water and lighting.

Two additional fountains near the circle will help expand the experience in public space.

Fountains of musical will transform the area into a beautiful, welcoming public space, green space that is sorely lacking in central Nashville, Midtown Nashville, Nashville in general.

It will provide a gathering place for locals and visitors while fostering connections and community.

This bold addition to Music Row will serve as a lasting symbol of Nashville's artistic spirit and reinforce the city's reputation as a hub for innovation and culture.

Completing Musica with the addition of the fountains reflects music, culture, education, and creativity as our core identity.

It creates an icon for our city.

Finally, Fountains of Musical will be a legacy for those who inherit this city and a signal of what we value as a community.

Beyond the needs to create a more safe and livable space in that Buddy Killen circle.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're reckoned.

Good evening.

My name is John Dotson, District 23.

I'm also here to advocate for Fountains of Musica and primarily the surrounding area.

We're all pushing citywide for more greenways and better connectivity.

And another example of a public gathering space will model other opportunities around Nashville.

Buddy Killen's Circle is and the fountains will be an example of so many things that are already going on around Nashville.

It's a microcosm of how we can improve Nashville's experiences.

Greenways, multimedial transit, connectivity.

You can be a model of how well we can do all these things across the entire city.

The success of Metro's, excuse me, investment in Smith Springs Community Center and the Southeast Community Center, example, excellent examples of public-private partnership.

When the city puts a focus on something like the Ford Ice Centers, public money follows.

Private money follows, excuse me.

Like the public plazas surrounding the fountains of music, they're important in drawing people together.

Destinations are what make people get up, go and walk or bike about.

And success for the greenways turns on the points along the way.

And it's a throughput Buddy Killen's Circle and Fountains of Music.

It can ultimately link Centennial Park, Fort Negley, East Nashville, and beyond.

If it's happening here in this compact space this close to town, it's urgent to get all of these pieces fit to fitting together as quickly as possible, because the more gathering spaces that we create, the more livable city that we have, and it's better for the health of the community, the more quickly we can replicate this across the city.

And finally, as you all know, fountains really bring an intrinsic economic benefit to the city.

So with that, thank you for listening to all of us tonight.

We appreciate it.

Thank you very much.

Go ahead.

Welcome.

You're recognized.

Hi, my name is Andre LaChoir.

Um, we all appreciate the work that you all do on our behalf and the long hours that you put in, even well beyond tonight.

So thank you for being here and paying so much attention.

Um in the mayor's budget amendment requests you have heard the request for getting the renovation of Buddy Kill and Circle project underway.

The Civic Design Center and NDOT are supportive of doing this project and beginning the community engagement this summer.

Additionally, this is an opportunity to leverage Metro dollars.

This $50,000 for community engagement at Buddy Kill and Circle will be a catalyst for millions of dollars in private donations to create the project Fountains of Musica, which would be creating a gorgeous public realm.

We all ask that you include you join other council people and include this item on your wish list regarding the fountains of musica, it is in the capital improvement budget.

We support the CIB and appreciate your support and hope that you will encourage the mayor to include it in his capital spending plan for 2027.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening.

My name is Joel Cottrell, and I'm the president of the fraternal order of police for Nashville, Davidson County, representing approximately 2,000 members of active and retired law enforcement.

I have good news, I don't need the full two minutes.

The cost to live this year is increased by approximately 3.8%.

The cost of our insurance has gone up over 16% for this next year.

The offer for our cost of living adjustment is 1.7%.

That means the raise is gone before it arrives.

We're asking to match the cost of living at 3.8% to avoid falling further behind the competition.

We're asking to just keep up.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Hello, my name's Ezra Howard.

I'm in District 22.

I'm a member of SCIU, so I support the solidarity budget, particularly on fully funding uh General Hospital National General for $7.8 million, as they requested.

A public option for healthcare service providers in a city is an increasingly rare gym.

Um it's not just for Tennessee, but for the United States, so that's something that should be preserved.

Um, but what I really want to talk about as well is just the process that goes along with the budget.

Um, one of the things that I noted, because I'm in data analytics, um, I was looking at the legislation and comparing it to fiscal year twenty six and twenty-five from the years past, and I noticed it looks like everything got an increase.

But in the news and in the mayor's uh state of metro address, that it was being framed as a decrease.

Because when you look in the budget book, it's higher than what's being legislated.

Now, in the MNPD budget hearing, this was asked smartly by CM Swara.

Um, and the way I understood it from the budget officer is things happen throughout the year, legislation passes, benefits get moved over, and that budget gets rectified and increases.

Um it is not completely fair, I think, to compare what happens in the beginning of fiscal year 27 to what's nearly at the end of fiscal year twenty-six.

It's irks me for data analytics.

So I think the process should be improved.

For one, it should be better explained where those increases come from in midstream.

That should be explained in the budget book for people to fully understand.

And two, it's the year of our Lord 2026.

Why are we just putting out PDFs and not Excel files or CFEs?

When we're talking about a financial document?

That would make I had to build a Python script to scrape 400 plus pages of a PDF.

When they could just push a button to export to Excel.

I mean, I worked for Metro.

I can do that with my data.

It should be done with with budget.

Alright, thank you.

Thank you.

Uh go ahead, you're recognized.

Hi, my name is Shannon.

Um, I am the uh I'm in District 22, Sherry Weiner.

Shout out.

Um, I also want to second the Excel spreadsheet, not what I came here for, but I'm always in favor of that.

Um, what I did want to say though is I am in favor of the funding for the social housing the ERCP program.

I myself am an attorney in solar practice.

I'll be honest with y'all, I'm tired of doing eviction cases.

I hate them.

I hate seeing the vile situations that my clients are in.

I hate dealing with I'm sorry, shitty landlords.

I'm tired of it.

So if there's anything we can do to prevent us from getting that step in the first place, I am absolutely for it.

And I think that social housing is a fantastic first step.

Is it sufficient?

Absolutely not, but it is necessary, and I think it's a good first step.

So please consider that.

A lot of people have already spoken to the benefits of housing in this neighborhood, and I just am here to re-emphasize that.

I won't go over all the data again, but uh just to say I grew up in Alabama in a white flight school.

I didn't have diversity in my school, and I didn't realize how important and essential it is to being a holistic human being until I got out into the world and experienced other people of all different races, genders, socioeconomic statuses.

And so housing, I can't emphasize enough is not only essential for keeping people in our city, but it's also essential in a selfish way for people like myself who need to be able to live next to other people and learn from them.

And so this mixed housing is I I just I can't say enough good things about it.

Um, and then you know, the the other thing that I think we've kind of touched on is that we are pushing the lifeblood of this city out of this city.

Um, the people who keep our tourism industry running, I mean, Nashville's a giant tourism hub.

They are the ones that support this and keep it going.

We're also pushing out, as many you know, here are from General Hospital.

Those that you know work in our hospitals, these are essential people.

And when we push them out, not only have we, you know, increased their commuting and child care costs, but we've also removed their voices from this legislative body right here because they're no longer your constituents, they can no longer tell you what's up.

So let's not push them out.

Woo!

Thank you.

Uh, go ahead and come forward.

You're recognized.

Uh, good evening.

Thank you for your service.

Thank you for your patience.

I don't know if you know it's getting late.

My name is H.G.

Stovall.

Um, I live in the Donaldson neighborhood.

Uh, my council person, Mr.

Jeff Greg.

Thank you for your service, friend.

Uh, tonight I represent Nashville Launchpad.

I also serve on our homelessness planning council.

I seek tonight for you to understand the plight of young adults living in our city and living on our streets, 18 to 24.

We operate the city's only young adult focused and the city's only LGBT friendly emergency shelter straight from the street.

We've also had the privilege of operating an interim gap housing program for a couple of years.

That program has outperformed Metro programs by about 3% on average, and nationwide by 15% on average, and permanent housing placements.

That's a miracle since of the young people launchpad has served, 88% came from literal homelessness.

58% have a history of domestic violence, assault, or human trafficking.

52% have at least one mental health diagnosis.

Please invest in protecting these young adults of whom 44% are black or people of color, and 48% are LGBTQIA plus.

On behalf of these young adults who have called Launchpad home for 30,000 nights since 2012, we request only $300,000 to keep this program open for another year.

Together, let's give hope, solve youth homelessness, and reduce the need for adult services in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Thank you.

Good evening, Council.

My name is Shakira Erica Nash Bally.

I live in District 33, and I am a Nashville entertainer and artist and a local business owner.

I'm standing here tonight because, in all honesty, I'm just curious if standing at this microphone even truly means anything anymore.

By that I mean, over the years, I have watched this entire city completely change.

The historic lore of Nashville is fading.

The broader creative ecosystem has shifted to where the independent music publishing industry we once relied on is practically gone, and all types of independent artists are struggling in its place.

The city has been overrun by luxury hotels and corporate sports arenas.

The real power belongs to a silent corporate machine, while the local creators and independent businesses who built the city's soul are left begging for crumbs.

We were promised that Metro would show true commitment to its local creatives, but instead, the mayor's proposed budget completely zeroes out funding for our newly formed Nashville Entertainment Commission.

It eliminates the 250,000 dollars meant to build infrastructure for all independent entertainers and artists, while broader arts funding remains flatlined.

And we're asking the city to honor the commitment to dedicate one percent of funding to the arts and entertainment.

Corporate entities get public backing and resources instantly, but the actual human beings who keep the tourism machine running are treated like an afterthought.

So the mayor's office claims this cut is due to fiscal constraints.

But we know that when the major corporations or sports franchise wants something from Metro, the money is always found.

I'm asking this council tonight to use its power to amend the budget, do not allow Nashville Entertainment Commission to be starved to death before it even begins.

Restore the funding and stand by the 1% as promised and prove that this council chamber still belongs to the people.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh your recognized.

Hi, my name is Lewis Terrell.

Normally, I'll come up here and speak off the cuff, but today Tomika asked me to write something down.

So today, I normally start out with I work for Metro Water.

Thank you, Metro Water.

I do notice y'all still drinking my water.

Appreciate that.

But now to the business.

Normally, advocate for Metro Water, but today is for Metro Nashville General Hospital.

General Hospital has been a staple in Nashville all my life.

I've had three aunts that work for General Hospital.

One aunt was the first black pediatric nurse in general hospital when it was on Hermitage Avenue.

I don't know if anybody's here remembered it being on Hermitage Avenue.

That's where it started.

Okay, so now to the Biz.

General Hospital has been shortchanged long enough.

When I say short change, they were promised something a year ago, didn't even get a fourth of it.

In January.

Supposedly got it in July.

It got it in January.

No compensation.

So what I'm asking is the council, the mayor, to not do any backdoor deals, but to also give General Hospital what was promised to them and also compensation.

They've been shortchanged long enough.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Hello, council members.

My name is Aaron James, and I work at the Donaldson Branch Library in District 15, Councilman Jess Gregg's district.

I'm here tonight before you, and I am very tired, and I'm sure you are too.

I'm here to ask you to fund the solidarity budget, which is a 1.7% cost of living adjustment and a step raises for general government employees, plus bringing up the wages of paraprofessionals and support staff and MMPS, and I am tearing up right now because I am thinking about people who feed the children in schools that I went to who cannot afford to live here anymore.

I know one person in our union who moved out to Clarksville.

She drives over an hour to work every day, and if a specific exit floods that has much longer commute sometimes, she's late to work.

Last year I was brought to tears by a father, a nurse on our city's payroll, begging the council for more money for Nashville General because they were running out of gloves for gunshot victims.

And I hope that makes you feel something because that's our town's name.

That is my town.

I was born here.

That's my town's name on a hospital, and they don't have gloves.

He has a daughter of his own to raise, and he needs money to do that.

And they didn't get that money like Mr.

Terrell just mentioned.

They didn't get that praise they were promised by our government.

That's y'all.

That's me that I am a part of this government.

They didn't get that money in July like they were promised.

They didn't get it until January.

So I'm asking you for the money for step raises and 1.7% 1.7% colour for National Metro general government employees to make to match the minimum for Metro support staff and to give national metro and general government hospitals what they deserve.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, come forward, please.

Hi there.

My name is Madeline, and I'm a resident of District 20.

I'm a member of Nashville People's Budget Coalition, and I work as a mental health professional here in Nashville, Tennessee.

And I am using my time to talk about what's on my budget wish list, which consists of $9 million allocated to a revolving loan fund for social housing and $500, $500,000 to social housing staff.

Because in my opinion, that is mental health care.

I went to graduate school and learned countless theories of development and perspectives on diagnosing people.

But as I've come to see it, the first mental health intervention should be access to consistent and affordable housing.

It's not uncommon for people to forgo medical treatment or script grocery runs in order to make rent.

This stress is not sustainable, and it's certainly not conducive to the positive mental health that you claim to want for this city.

You could diagnose these people with anxiety or depression or pathologize their anger, but maybe this is an honest reaction to not knowing if you will have a comfortable, safe place to put your head down at night.

We are not short on studies demonstrating that housing reduces rates of violent crime and increases mental health.

And I think we can all agree that we deserve safe places to live.

If we really are worried about the mental health crisis, we need to first make sure that everyone's most basic needs are met.

The mayor says he wants us to stay, but the majority of us can only afford to leave.

Access to housing is mental health care, it's harm reduction and it's safety planning.

This nine million dollars towards the revolving loan fund and the five hundred thousand dollars towards social housing staff would be mental health care.

You'd like my vote and the vote of many other Nashville constituents here tonight.

I suggest that the council members at large and Mayor Freddie please listen when we speak, because this status quo is not working, and we'd like to work with you to try something new.

We are on the same team.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Oh, go ahead, your recnest.

Hello, I'm Kyle Cook.

I live in District 24, Brenda Gadd's district.

I work in District 19, Jacob Koop in representing a member of SCIU Local 205.

I'm the chief steward of the Metro National Government Chapter in 2001 when Nashville built a new main library.

They also built five other branch libraries, they built a first art museum, they built a country music hall of fame, and they brought in dozens of new workers like me.

I'm not from here, I'm from upstate New York.

Um I was just blown away by a city that was doing all this, and I was so um blessed by you to have a good job and good pay with benefits like health insurance, and uh I had to pay that I could afford to make a rent, and mostly I was blown away because Nashville is such a friendly city that you welcomed me out of state people, newcomers, and um you offered me all these things, and you offered these cost of living adjustments every year so I could keep up with inflation.

Uh and it made it a very livable place to live and work.

And now I'm a Nashville, and just like you, and Nashville is still welcoming people from out of state and out of the country, and I hope we will offer the same welcome to help me build a life here to all of my fellow union members and new employees who I see every couple weeks that come in.

I want them to have the same opportunity I had.

So I want you to support the mayor's cost of living adjustment at 1.7%.

Include my uni family at public schools, and gives them some paid time off when the schools are closed.

Well, they've been not left out of some earlier budgets?

And I just want you to be generous to them.

Thank you.

Go ahead, come on forward.

Good evening.

Um I'm Nicole, and I live in District 17.

Who loves to swim?

anybody in this room loves to swim?

Okay, hands raised.

I learned to slam at the Napier Community Center pool.

And last year, Terry and I, with the support of Unicycle and other Nashville's, um collected swimwear for my neighbors.

And I mentioned that because last week I took some of my neighbors to the pool.

We just um walked right over, and um there were about 50 people in the pool.

And the pool was renovated uh five years ago when then council member council member Freddie and Dr.

Lawless and some folks said we don't want this pool closed.

Um I was there at the community center last week.

Um, most of the students came when the community when the pool opened for evening uh engagement, and that was at two o'clock.

Prior to that, there was not much engagement.

And so I am asking, and I know Delisha and some others have said this before in the past, Napier Community Center needs to be funded, y'all.

Right now, the pool is just the only engagement, which is great, but it needs to be funded.

So I just want to put that out there quickly.

Um also the Tennessee Justice Center.

I know last year got some funded funding.

Um, Tennessee Justice Center is the only organization that is advocating for people who lose health care and need SNAP assistance.

And I tell you, my neighbors, the neighbor community and all over Nashville go there, but uh particularly neighbor community walk there as well.

Of course, housing support and sons, I want you to stay investment.

Um, I see firsthand just how many of my neighbors uh just need housing assistance and eviction is facing many of them, so please please prioritize those.

Thank you all for all the work that you do.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you recognize.

Hi, thank you for your time.

Um, my name is Taylor.

I work in the music industry, and I'm a community member here with Stand Up Nashville.

Um tonight, hi.

Tonight I'm here to request that you put uh $500,000 in an admin account for staff that will catapult the self-sustaining housing model forward.

Lately, one image that keeps coming to mind when I think about housing in Nashville is a moving truck.

I graduated from Belmont in 2020 and I've watched a lot of people leave this city since then.

With every person leaving, Nashville is feeling less and less like the city I fell in love with.

I can't see a long-term future here because of our affordability crisis.

I've personally had to relocate within the city multiple times as rent prices are increasing, and it's deeply concerning and saddening to know that I'm actually part of a privileged minority.

More and more people are leaving simply because they can't afford to stay here.

Um they have to leave a place that still feels like home.

And every time Nashville loses something, not just a resident, but a relationship, a story, a piece of community, and our community is what makes our city so special.

The housing crisis is often discussed in statistics.

We talk about prices, units, and percentages, but every behind every statistic is a person trying to hold on to a life they've built.

That's why I support Stand Up Nashville's budget request because I believe Nashville should be a place where people can imagine a future.

And I believe this is achievable, but we need you to make a small but important investment in this moment.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

We recognize.

Hi, I'm Kay Bowers, and I live in District 25 with Jeff Prepti.

Thank you, Jeff.

Uh, it's a challenge to find words to speak to you tonight that have not already been spoken.

Um, we know that housing affordability is the number one concern according to the latest poll by Vanderbilt.

And at the same time that we have this housing affordability crisis.

We have thousands of vacant luxury housing units.

Yet the high rent levels remain.

That's the picture that we're facing.

Housing instability causes tremendous stress.

You've heard the stories on our fellow neighbors, and it spills over into our communities.

The community youth safety plan shows that housing instability is a top concern of our youth.

Quality, stable, and affordable housing is a key component of making our community safe.

Affordable homeownership opportunities make for neighbors who are invested in their neighborhoods.

Yet with our absence of the private market, the handful of nonprofits doing this work need our public investment.

We need $30 million invested into the Barnes Housing Trust Fund, as our housing plan calls for.

At the same time, let's catch up with other cities.

Let's follow their lead, their example and stand up a housing model that provides housing for a variety of incomes, is financially sustainable, that is permanently affordable, and provides for public ownership, and that means you don't have to pay shareholders or investments out of your profits.

These models can work, they're being done.

I ask for you to get behind them.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

My name's Shemika Kimbrough, and I work at Nashville General Hospital at Metro Center.

Today I came as this is my first time coming, and I didn't, I wasn't aware that you could speak during this conference.

So today, healthcare is a cornerstone of a thriving community.

Nashville General Hospital serves many of our city's most vulnerable residents, including uninsured, undeserved, and underprivileged population.

Our providers, nurses, technicians, and support staff work tirelessly every day to ensure that all patient care have access to quality health care regardless of their ability to pay.

Do however, the cost of living continues to rise.

Employees, our insurance premiums have gone up, dental insurance doubled, vision insurance tripled.

So today, to increase the health care workers for growing demands and challenges, despite being part of a Metro Nashville public service system.

Nashville General Hospital employees do not receive the same level of benefits and compensation growth that many other metro employees receive, including teachers, police officers, and firefighters.

Education, public safety, and health care are all essential public services.

Healthy students learn better.

Healthy families build stronger communities.

Healthy workers contribute to a stronger economic investment in health care as in an investment in Nashville's future.

We are not asking for special treatment.

We are asking for equitable treatment.

Nashville General Hospital employees deserves compensation and better benefits that reflect the value of their work and align with their support, support provided to other metro agencies.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

All right, my name is Zach Jenkins.

I am in District 21.

I'm an educator, which is probably why my energy is so low right now because I've been doing with kids all day.

But with that being said, I'm gonna be real quick.

So I come here today to say that I stand in fierce solidarity with SEIU, MEA, all the Nashville general hospital employees, and every single educator, nurse, and support staff worker who keeps our schools and hospitals running.

I'm gonna specifically speak on schools today.

Our schools are the heart of this community, but it's the people inside them who keep the heartbeat.

When we talk about the budget, we're talking about our values, and we cannot claim to value education if we don't fully value our educators.

That means ensuring that cost of living adjustments keep pace with the soaring cost of living here in Nashville right now.

A raise that doesn't match the inflation is not a raise at all.

It's actually a pay cut, truth be told.

Furthermore, we must also protect and honor our step raises for MMPS and Nashville General employees.

Step raises aren't a bonus or a luxury, truth be told, they are a fundamental promise.

They honor experience, dedication, and years of service to our teachers and to the people who visit our hospitals every single day.

So we protect cost of living adjustments and step raises.

We're not just supporting teachers, we're not just supporting Metro General Nashville General Employees.

We're investing in the stability of our classrooms and our hospitals.

We're investing in the future of our students.

We're investing in the future of people who need health care.

So finally, last thing I want to say is to the Nashville General Workers, to the nurses, to MNPA, MNEA, to the SEIU support staff workers in our school, exceptional educators, and to every educator.

We see you, I see you, we thank you, and I stand with you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Thank you.

Good evening, council members, and thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight.

My name is Rosemary Henkel Rieger.

I live in District 34.

I'm the co-director of the Southeast Center for Cooperative Development.

And together with some local partners, we are converting a 60-unit complex into Nashville's first limited equity housing cooperative.

And this was only possible with a seven million dollar commitment from the Barnes Fund.

And thank you again for that support.

This Barnes Fund support will turn renters into owners.

Residents will sit on the board and control their own housing costs and shape their own policies.

They are building modest what we call um pocket wealth.

And because we are pairing the cooperative with a community land trust, that affordability will never expire.

There is no covenant that lapses once the mortgage is paid off.

There are no resubsidizing the same units.

The land comes off the speculative market permanently.

That is what the Barnes Fund is making possible, and it is why I'm asking you to go further than the mayor's proposal.

We are grateful for the largest ever general fund allocation of 22 million, but Metro's own unified housing strategy calls for a minimum of 30 million a year.

So we're not asking for something new.

We are asking you to fully fund the Barnes Fund to the 30 million dollar level that your own strategy says Nashville needs.

We stand with our friends, many who have spoken tonight from NOAA, Stand Up Nashville, the Southern Movement Committee, and other Nashville People's Budget Coalition, and our neighbors who are working to create social housing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Good evening, Metro Council.

My name is Shatika Davis.

I'm the co-owner of Bridging the Gap Learning Center, founder of the Chris Foundation, and founder of the Bridge Network.

The Bridge Network is a statewide organization supporting home-based child care providers.

I'm speaking tonight as a provider, an advocate, and someone who has spent more than two decades serving Nashville's Nashville's children and families.

I want to be clear.

Nashville does not simply have a child care affordability crisis.

We have a child care access crisis.

Families cannot afford care because there is not enough care.

Last year I made the decision to create more child care opportunities for families by opening bridging the gap learning center.

We were investing I was investing in my community.

What followed was a maze of barriers, fees, approvals, inspections, zoning requirements, and delays that many small providers simply cannot survive.

The reality is that every time a child care provider gives up, closes their doors, or decides not to expand, families lose access.

Children lose opportunities, parents lose options, and our workforce loses workers.

The reason bridging the gap center exists today is because of organizations like the Equity Alliance, who stepped up and believed that child care matters.

The Equity Alliance stood by me as I navigated barriers that often keep small providers from opening doors.

But the truth is families and providers should not have to rely on luck, connections, or extraordinary persistence just to access or create child care.

The stories are heartbreaking and predictable.

Parents are working multiple jobs and still can't afford care.

It is the infrastructure that allows parents to work, businesses to operate and children to thrive.

If we are serious about economic development, workforce participation, family stability, we have to be serious about child care.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Hello, everyone.

Good evening.

Hope you are having a good night so far.

Thank you, by the way, for bearing with us in this meager form of democratic representation.

I know it's a long night.

I'm Zach.

I'm a member of the Democratic Socialists of America here in Middle Tennessee.

And I just wanted to talk to you about some preventative care that maybe we can do for our city.

I'm a big fan of preventative practices.

It's important to learn from your mistakes and prepare for what's gonna come next.

We all know about winter storm fern.

It knocked out power to nearly 230,000 Nashvilleans, thousands were without electricity for nearly weeks.

The total damage is estimated at 140 million dollars.

The budget increase proposed by the uh mayor does raise funding for the Office of Emergency Management, but most of that goes to warning sirens and response positions, not prevention for the next disaster.

We need to be proactive in investing in sustainable stormwater runoffs, hardened power infrastructure, and most consequentially dedicated funding to protect our most vulnerable neighborhoods.

These types of investments pay for themselves tenfold, both in cost reduction for disaster relief and in the lives that they save.

Climate resilience is not a luxury, it's life or death for the working people in this city.

Preventing the next disaster requires a comprehensive program, preparing for and preparing and planning for the future needs to be the highest priorities.

That means going beyond a disaster prep, solving issues at the root, creating better infrastructure, social housing, community-centered and led programs.

All of these things contribute to building a resilient city.

All these things have been talked about by the number of people who've spoken before.

How does this preserve the land of Tennessee?

Is there a way to make this program sustainable, equitable, and natural for the environment?

Nashville can be a model for a new future, and it can be a better future.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you recognize.

Go ahead and come on up.

Hello, council.

My name is Ariel Fears, and I am a resident of the 16th district for 12 years, and I'm a member of the Nashville People's Budget Coalition.

Um I'm here tonight to urge you to fully fund our housing and safety for all plan, which includes the 500,000 for staffing that you've been hearing about from so many people tonight.

Um, I am raising my family here, and since we've been here, many of our friends um have had to move away just due to the impossible housing situation and due to safety concerns for them or their children.

Um, and that's lonely, and it's an unrecognizable place in many ways.

Um, and it's getting harder and harder to stay here.

Not only because, of course, we're financially squeezed, as someone mentioned before.

My family sure as hell can't afford child care.

Um, my partner and I just trade our children off like this to each other all the time, which limits how much we can work anyway.

Um, I stay because I'm stubborn and because of people like this behind me, and because I can hang on a little bit longer.

Um, but it's increasingly hard to do that without extreme dissatisfaction at the fact that our city is funding punishment more than it funds prevention.

And I don't care what anyone says, I care about what we're actually funding.

Okay, okay?

We are watching that.

You've heard people say we want co-governance, I co-signed that.

You've heard lots of things tonight.

Um, and as someone who works in health care myself, but in private practice, it's abhorrent to me that our government health care workers have to come up here and plead every year just to have some kind of reasonable pay.

I it's insulting to me, it must be insulting to you to have to operate in that kind of system.

Um, we have to find a way to do better.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, come on forward.

You're recognized.

How y'all doing?

Uh, my name is Trevor Gwynn.

Uh, I live in District 32.

Um, a little bit of a confession.

This is my first public hearing.

Um, I kind of sit back and observed as I listen to everyone to the other stories.

Um, I'm here on behalf of Nashville's people budget coalition um to ask that you fully fund the housing and safety plan for all.

Um, that's an hold $25 million budget ads with $500,000 for social housing staff, nine million for social housing revolving loan fund, $13 million for community safety fund, two million for the Reach Non-Police Mental Health Program.

Um, so a bit off the cuff for me as I listen to each and every one of the citizens come up and talk about their issues.

They seem to all be rooted in the same thing of affordability of living in this city.

Um, and not.

I've been in Antioch for since 2014.

Um, and like my consist constituents, I'm gonna echo her saying as well.

Um, it's hard building a community here uh with people you love, working class people that are working hard to make this city um run and be a nice place to live.

But it's sad hearing that they have to leave because they cannot afford the city that they are living in.

Um it's frustrating.

I have two little boys now, and I'm trying to look for a new place to stay.

Um, and with the rise in uh the rise in the pricing of homes, um, it always seems like, well, I just can't afford to be here, the next place that I go.

Um, I'm asking that you please please fund this uh social housing program.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead and come on forward.

Good evening, council members.

Thank you so much for your time and attention today.

My name is Malik with a C.

I just moved from Councilman Coupons district into Councilman Cap's district with my fiance about two weekends ago in East Nashville.

So waiting on my government issue trucker hat, which is the East Nashville uniform.

Um, on behalf of the Nashville area chamber, I want to add to the chorus of voices speaking in support of housing advocacy, the 2,000 businesses we represent, and the tens of thousands of employers.

We know in Nashville that housing is one of the biggest challenges we're facing.

Last year, the average down payment for a house was over $50,000.

We now know that the majority of Nashville's public workers can't afford to live in the city, and the majority of working class Nashvilleans can't afford to buy a house inside of the city.

One thing I want to say though is as a public policy professional like each of you, we know that we're trying to pay for this budget by rubbing two nickels together.

The city doesn't have that much money, but we know that other cities were able to do these innovative financing models.

Our neighbors in Austin were able to pass $350 million in voter referendum past bond financing.

Our neighbors in Charlotte were able to do $250 million for similar things.

But we know that the $69 million in the housing budget today is a foundation of how we do this in the future.

So my request for each of you is that we've heard some pretty incredible things from all of our neighbors from all over Nashville.

They're each incredibly important.

My request is to make it additive and not remove anything from the current housing budget.

Because any dollar removed from the sixty-nine million dollars we have right now is just gonna make it harder to build affordable housing in the future.

Thank you, Beach, for all of your time.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Hello, everyone.

My name is Anton Christians and Galena, and I'm on the commission that oversees the Barnes Fund.

And I live in Terry Poe's district.

So today, the most effective tool that the city has to meet the affordable affordability crisis is the Barnes Fund.

Last year, with 35 million dollars, the Barnes Fund backed the construction of nearly 800 homes and attracted 274 million dollars of outside investment.

So here's how it all works: the Barnes Fund gives nonprofits money to build houses.

The nonprofits bring their proposals to a commission, which then grades projects and decides whether or not they'd be a good use of our city's money.

Last year we were only able to fund half of the projects that nonprofits brought to us.

And we said no to a lot of projects that I wish we'd been able to build.

But what we have been able to build has been spectacular.

The magic of the Barnes Fund is the creativity of the nonprofits.

They bring us projects that couldn't get done in other cities.

We've supported projects like homes built on church land.

We've funded a beautiful house on a flower farm for expecting mothers.

We funded a project that refurbished an old motel to give teens who's aged out of orphanages a place to call home instead of being left to the streets.

Across the country, people have been calling our housing office in Nashville to ask about the Barnes Fund.

Why?

Because we've successfully built a tool that helps nonprofits build homes for people.

We build policies and procedures that ensure those homes are built to high environmental accessibility and building standards.

We've built thousands of good homes for thousands of families.

As a city, we should be proud of the Barnes Fund.

I am, and Nashville needs it fully funded.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

So the vice mayor and a council.

My name is Melvin James.

I'm from Murray County.

Uh I'll be 61 July 3rd of next month.

Meg, I met this coalition two weeks ago knocking on my door about the housing thing.

I can be pointed at.

Whatever.

God has been good to me.

I raised one kid.

He's 42.

He's working in Nissan.

I'm divorced as of 2008.

I have bounced around from Murray County, Columbia, Tennessee housing, here, white bluff, white county.

Ugh.

It's all about the money.

I made a mistake of messing with chicks in 99.

So I really don't have no power to vote.

Uh I voice my opinion.

I can't get my voting right back, but I'm not switching over to the MAGA and all that to get it.

Say all that.

Help the people that need help.

I mean, I'm making it.

By the grace of God, I got assistance.

Even being a fella, I got assistance.

Uh the street I live on wise wise creek pike.

We don't even have a bus stand now.

Somebody hit it.

So we gotta stand out in the rain.

Uh sidewalk from Trinity Lane to the Haynes Garden while I live in.

Barely got a sidewalk, walk on.

That's enough for our cry.

Thank you for coming out.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you recognize.

Come on up.

Good evening, Council.

My name is Andrea Pemberton, and I'm in District 21.

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

And I'm here tonight to ask for two things.

One is to invest in social housing, including nine million for social housing revolving loan fund and 500,000 for dedicated social housing staff.

I'm also here to ask tonight for a council to create more opportunities for meaningful public engagement in the budget process.

Political strategist James Carville once famously said it's the economy, stupid.

But tonight, resident after resident has stepped up to make a similar statement painfully clear here.

It's housing dummies.

Housing is at the center of so many of the issues our city is trying to address.

Housing often determines whether someone can keep a job, recover from an illness, injury, or addiction, escape domestic violence, complete their education, start or expand their family, or age with dignity.

Housing is health care, it's economic development, it's public safety, and it's educational opportunity.

Without access to safe, secure, quality, affordable housing, every other problem becomes so much harder to solve.

Housing may not be every individual's personal issue right now, but it is our city's largest collective problem, and it's only going to get worse if we don't address it.

That's why I'm asking tonight for you to invest in social housing.

An investment in social housing demonstrates that Nashville has the political courage to try new innovative approaches to a problem that is growing faster than our existing solutions can address.

Secondly, the line of residents waiting to speak tonight makes one thing clear.

People want a meaningful voice in how public dollars are spent.

If this many Nashvilleans are taking time to come here and weigh in on the budget, we need a process that gives them more than two minutes at the microphone.

I'm also asking for council to expand opportunities for residents to participate in the budgetary process.

On the front end, we can require departments to hold public budget workshops before submitting requests to the mayor, require public responses explaining how community recommendations are addressed and bring back participatory budgeting programs where residents can propose projects, departments can review for feasibility, and the public can vote on final investments.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

No, come on up.

Just right after the next person.

Come on up.

Don't wait for the collapse, which should not be happening, but keep on coming.

You're you're good.

Go.

Hello, my name is Megan.

I live in district five.

One of my favorite things about living in Nashville is the community-mindedness of its residents.

I feel really proud to be a part of and inspired by the group of people here.

I'm here to support the ask of the funding of $500,000 to an administrative account for staff that will facilitate permanently affordable housing.

Treating homeownership as an investment rather than an expense sees returns in the form of residents who are deeply connected to their city and its long-term well-being, like the people you've heard from tonight.

They know Nashville the best because they are the best of Nashville.

It might seem that on the whole, some of the budget requests being made are in competition with one another.

That funding one and two could mean three and four won't be funded.

I want to point out that these requests are all being made by residents showing up and speaking up for their home and their neighbors, arranging work schedules, child care, transportation, preparation, research, and committing to speaking to their representatives directly.

It's an amazing thing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you recognize.

I'm Mason Caples.

Once again, I'm before you.

I've done work with the Equity Alliance, also stand up Nashville, most notably SEIU speaker today.

I'm just going to give you what I've been experiencing in the past year.

Uh in November, um Sheriff Nikki Taylor, she was touted for uh stopping and helping an individual who uh needed help on the side of the road.

He was incapacitated.

There's also uh Corporal Marvin Ramsey.

He's another uh sheriff who was recognized in February because he uh during those storms, he um offered his room to an individual or elderly uh couple who couldn't stay at the hotel because they were full.

These are stories about Nashville caring about Nashville.

We're asking you to care about Nashville as much as we do.

The people who live here who work here, not just uh the nurses against or the healthcare workers against the students against the doctors.

We all are asking for funding, and in the fundamental, I've went and said, and our students are at the highest level in Davison County.

They're peeking at the top level of history.

They're doing the best.

Our students have Grammy Tony awards.

Why are you not funding teachers?

They're the individuals who's teaching these kids to be this great.

It's all it's up to all of us to keep us going.

Housing is a fundamental right.

That's how I feel.

There is no reason that Bill Barnes' funding should ever be reducted from, reduced.

These are the things I'm a beneficiary of Bill Barnes.

These things are things that other individuals said and said, This is important.

I know you all will do the right thing.

Keep doing it.

Please do something about the minimum wage.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Go ahead and come on forward.

I'm Angus, but y'all know that.

This is my favorite meeting of the year because y'all don't get paid by the hour.

I'm tired.

I don't want to be here.

But once again, all of these neighbors inspired me to come down and speak truth to power.

I've listened to lots of folks tonight mention unfulfilled promises.

We do this every year because you continue to fail the people who call Nashville home.

It's Pride Month, and one of my closest friends, a trans woman, felt she had no choice but to flee Nashville days ago because it is no it is no longer a city where she could feel safe.

Not because she didn't have a robust community of support, but because elected officials don't have the courage to make bold decisions.

The mayor wanted us to stay, and yet every day this city feels like a place less like a place anyone would want to call home if they could even afford it.

I'm sick of begging for scraps.

I'm sick of catering to tourists and downtown bar owners.

I'm sick of having to annually ask you to even attempt to meet the basic needs of your constituents.

We do not want surveillance, we do not want police drones.

We do not believe that cops keep us safe.

We don't we do not want expanded business partnerships.

We have pretty humble requests for safe streets, affordable housing, accessible green space, fully funded schools, public transit accessibility, a robust library that doesn't have to close because special interests blew up an adjacent garage.

All we want is for you to serve the people of Nashville to prioritize the most basic needs of our neighbors.

I never thought I would do this, but I'm gonna quote Lamar freaking Alexander from a recent local podcast appearance.

My advice would be to use your word.

Focus on the soul of Nashville, on the music, on the parks, on the people, on the schools.

Focus on those things.

Thank you.

Go ahead and come on up.

You're recognized.

Uh I'm Jessica.

Uh I live in District 7.

Emily is my um council person.

Is she here?

That's a bummer.

Uh, I don't know how I'm supposed to follow Angus.

He kind of said it all.

Um, I would like to specifically ask that you uh fully fund the Nashville People's Budget Coalition's.

I mean, you know, the plan.

Everything, everybody's already said it tonight.

Um, I'm gonna make it quick.

Don't give public money um to people like the musica foundation, fountain party, whatever.

I mean, a fountain would be cool.

Alan Laquir, arguably like a Nashville treasure, but I mean, Virgin Hotels could sneeze 50,000.

You know what I mean?

Like, it's that's insane.

People are begging for their like lives and livelihoods.

So, yeah.

Ooh, that was quick.

Thank you.

Next, go ahead.

You recognized.

Uh hello, my name is Philip Kinzer, and I live in District 24.

I've lived in Nashville for almost 29 years, but my roots go back way further than that.

Uh, my family's been here for several generations.

I'm here tonight because I believe in the Nashville People's Budget Coalition's housing and safety for all plan.

And the time that I've been here, Nashville has become a city where workers struggle to afford rent, let alone to buy a home.

In the city where the median housing c outpaces the median income.

There's been very little done to balance that.

Like many of my peers, I've been applying for jobs in other cities, hoping to leave and find a place where my income is more suited to living.

I want to make Nashville a place where the people who work here can live.

My concerns are not just for my life, but for those around me.

I don't want just a city safe for myself, but for the strangers that I pass on the street.

I want to live in a city where everyone feels valued.

I believe that the value is expressed in many ways, but the way we spend our money is the most obvious one.

We need to be investing in long-term housing solutions to give people safe and dignified places to live.

I believe the People's Budget Coalition plan is just strong first step in showing Nashville citizens you actually want us to stay here.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're recognized.

Hello, my name is Neville Polanski.

I'm a resident of District 5, and I'm a member of the Nashville People's Budget Coalition.

I'd like to use my time to uplift our organization's safety and housing for all plan, specifically the importance of funding requested to hire staff, administrative service fees, fees dedicated to furthering social housing in Nashville, and funding for a revolving loan fund used to finance social housing development.

I believe that a budget is both a reflection of a community's values and a roadmap to address existing problems.

We all know that access to affordable housing is a problem in Nashville.

Similarly, I feel confident in saying that everyone wants to feel safe in their community, and we're looking for creative solutions to improve community safety.

One solution Nashville is working towards is creating 750 new beds in the form of a jail, which may cost up to 410 million dollars.

Separating people from their communities after harm has already happened.

I bring up the jail because the amount of money our organization is asking for just under 10 million dollars for new permanently affordable housing pales in comparison to the money we are ready to dedicate to that new jail.

Social housing offers an alternative that I would like to believe is more in line with our values as a community.

Additionally, as my peer Madeline noted, research shows that providing affordable housing reduces crime, especially violent crime.

When we have the option to make our communities more safe by addressing crime before it happens, I think we should take that option.

I would rather live in a community that values providing support to our neighbors in need instead of punishing people after they cause harm.

I would rather live in a community that focuses on proactive solutions to community safety instead of reactive punishments.

I'd rather live in a community where everyone has a home.

This budget is an opportunity to affirm the values that drive our community and decide what solutions we will prioritize to address the problems that face us.

Please support the social housing plan.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Go ahead, your reconnaissance.

Hey everyone.

Good evening, good night, whatever it is.

I don't even know if it's the next day yet.

Um we got two more hours till that.

So I was getting I was getting a little worried there.

Um my name is Kenneth Hanby.

Uh I work as a speciality pharmacy liaison at Nashville General.

I'm also a very proud member of District 3.

Thank you, Councilmember Gamble, for everything that you continue to do for us.

Um and all of you.

I mean, this is this is an insane thing to go through.

This is my first one, and I cannot imagine doing this as a part-time gig.

That's incredible.

Um, so as I said, I work at Nashville General, so that's what I'm here to talk about.

I've been with Nashville General for a year now, but I've been a player in the National Healthcare game much longer.

Even in my short time in Nashville General, I've quickly learned how important this hospital is to the people of Nashville.

I work closely with patients who often need assistance, accessing specialty medications, treatment coordination, and health care support they may not otherwise receive.

Many of our patients are already dealing with serious complex medical conditions while also facing financial hardships, housing.

Um Nashville General helps ensure that they are not forgotten.

Not to mention, we are one of the only healthcare um institutes in all of Nashville that even accepts a Medicaid patient, which is insane too.

Um, the hospital is a obviously a crucial part of our city.

This year, the majority of metro workers across many different departments, which thank all of them.

I mean, that's it.

The show of support is amazing across all the departments, um, have foregone a lot of their funding requests to make sure that we are compensated fairly for the things that we've done for years without, you know, getting that.

Um, so shout out to them.

They've really made us a priority and uh hope one day we can return the same favor.

Uh, the reality is health care costs continue to rise every single year, medication costs rise, operating costs rise, patient needs continue to grow, yet Nashville General continues to fight every budget season just to secure necessary funding, let alone a cost of living race.

Um, I will say we also can tend with much less important issues, quite frankly.

Um, I chose to go last as Nashville General often does, so I hope that that's taken into account.

Thank you.

Go ahead and come on forward.

You're recognized.

Okay.

Hi, I'm Lilia.

I'm from District 20.

Um, been here since 2013.

Family came up here from South Georgia.

Um, and I recently became an independent renter.

Um, shout out Nashville General and MNPS.

My mom was a public school teacher in Williamson County, so I get it.

Um, and I am also here expressing that I would love for you to fund the full Nashville People's Budget Coalition.

Uh housing and safety plan for all.

It's a mouthful.

Um, and while I have not faced housing and security myself, except for recently became this renter, and you know what?

I'm feeling it already.

Um I am familiar with the cycles of violence and how the two are often very connected.

Um I've had friends recently who have had to stay in unsafe housing situations because of violence, um, neighbors as well, and thinking about the Super Bowl coming up and the fact that people are living on the streets, which is no place to live.

Um, I don't want to be like the example of Atlanta where people are sweeping up homeless people from the street.

Um, there's a lot of people that you know are willing to help with this, and I think um the alternative of social housing in lieu of affordable housing is that affordable housing is subject to market fluctuations.

So social housing would be more permanently affordable.

And I think if you also look like me and your family or generations have benefited from um landowning in the South, now is the time to start turning the tides.

And if you vote against that, then I'm not saying anything, but you know, there might be something after, you know.

If you perish into the afterlife, I don't want to say anything, but um, you know, do the right thing.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Uh go ahead, come on forward.

You're wrecking us.

Go ahead.

Hi, my name's Trina Hewell, and I live in District 6.

Let us get real about what we need.

A people's retainer of jigsaws, Sam Reed.

Get the people listed as a billable client.

So on this one night a year, we're no longer reliant.

Sam works for the Titans and for the NDP, whose private police could replace MMPD, at least the central precinct.

We could sell it for parts, convert it to apartments or studios for the arts.

Maybe Sam could convince y'all to invest in the grid or to hide power lines like the unhoused y'all hid.

Maybe we could get Sam to restore our power if only we could afford Jigsaw's billable hour.

Instead of wondering why Freddy's staff wears jigsaw swag.

Let's get us on his roster and get Sam Reid his bag.

Until we do, we should refuse all taxation.

When Sam's the only one here with real representation.

The satire is over, but our housing crisis isn't.

Instead of answering any ask from MMPD, the least trusted department in the city, which keeps bypassing the people's will and this council's authority to deploy corporate surveillance technology like fuses and illegal drones.

I'm asking you to fund what the people actually need.

A permanent eviction diversion court, permanently affordable social housing, at least one percent of the budget dedicated to local arts, with half of that going directly to individual artists.

Fully fund the varsity spending plan and find the missing eight million for the Barnes Housing Trust Fund.

And lastly, fund the solidarity budget and make Nashville General whole.

Nashville boycott Aethan Roast.

Thank you.

All right.

Next, you're recognized.

Hi, my name is Claire Hennigan.

I am a community organizer with NOAA living in District 5.

Um, although I am going to have to move soon because Nashville is in a crisis.

Uh the people who keep the city running are being priced further and further out of it.

I'm sure many of you sitting in front of me are feeling this.

Your neighbors are changing, workers are disappearing, and homes in your district, maybe even your own, aren't affordable anymore.

We have a chance to build a better Nashville.

The unified housing strategy is extremely clear.

It states as Nashville's most significant and flexible source of affordable housing sus of local affordable housing subsidy.

The Barnes Fund often plays a pivotal role in the funding process of affordable housing by contributing the first grant funds to a capital stack.

Now that was a mouthful, and I hope I'm not alone saying I barely understood that when I first read it.

But then I listened to developers like Nelson Community Partners, First Horizon Bank, uh, and Clark Memorial United Methodist Church, even, who have used Barnes funds exactly that way to open a door to more money, or really to open doors and windows and skylights and whatever else, because every dollar we get from we put into the Barnes fund yields nine more elsewhere.

This is why 30 million dollars is so important.

When we invest in barns, people invest in Nashville.

The UHS is not a multiple choice quiz.

Noah stands strong with our allies in the people's budget and stand-up Nashville when we say this.

Your cost burden constituents don't deserve to be treated with scarcity thinking.

Not when downtown just received almost fifteen million dollars in a state grant.

Not when we've been sounding the alarm for decades, and definitely not when we have a Super Bowl coming to town in just four years.

Sixty-five percent of households in Nashville do not earn enough to buy a house, and over 50% of us are spending too much on rent.

As my friend Kenitha Patterson would say, these are not statistics, these are warnings.

Our educators, police officers, firefighters, city council staffers can't afford to stay here.

Do our city's employees want more tanks and cameras or real opportunities to actually own a home in the city that they serve.

Please fund the entire unified housing strategy and put 30 million dollars into the Barnes Fund.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you reckon us.

I'm Stacy Elliott, a resident of District 16, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a member of the National People's Budget Coalition, and a union member who supports the Solidarity budget and social housing.

Like most of us, I know we need investments that actually serve the people who live and work here instead of passing budgets that keep finding new ways to hand our money over to the capitalist Epstein class.

I don't have time to cover a comprehensive list of factors on how we got to this current housing crisis, but here's a brief recap.

As this country's housing policy moved farther and farther away from recognizing housing as a basic human need and right, it leaned more into technocratic policy that makes housing a commodity controlled by the greed and whims of an ever shrinking group of corporations and private firms, all the while being subsidized by our public tax dollars.

Decades of divesting from the public good of government housing and investing in neoliberal schemes driven by anti-blackness and anti-communism is largely how we got to the capitalist housekeeping housecape of economic violence we're currently enduring.

All that to say, we know that any market-based or neoliberal scheme for forcing the taxpaying public to split housing responsibilities with capitalist firms, ultimately only benefits the exploiter class of landlords, while the public foots the bill and becomes more precarious.

Working class winners in Nashville already pay an arm and a leg just to be able to barely scrape by in housing, where neglectful absentee landlords collect fact checks from our wages, subsidized by our tax dollars.

Well, landlords faced almost no recourse when they refused to make repairs or even provide basic accommodations.

We can't count on private actors and so-called public-private partnerships to responsibly steward public dollars because being a decent human being would cut into their profits too much.

We want what has been proven to be effective in countries all around the world, including the US, social housing, permanently affordable housing, where instead of having a slum lord and rising rent costs, residents have dignity and autonomy.

We want funding for social housing that allows working class people of Nashville to live in housing that is democratically held by the people and is permanently affordable for the people.

Free Tony Carruthers, free Palestine, free them all.

Thank you.

Woo!

Next, go ahead.

I am new to Nashville, uh, finally came back after 29 years.

Haven't been in Nashville since I was about a year old, and you guessed it is because of housing.

Uh, so now that I lived here this year, I thought it'd be really great to go to my first council meeting and talk to you about why you uh should put $500,000 in an admin account for staff that will catapult the self-sustaining housing model forward.