Happy May Day! Here’s the latest news
EVENTS
The Metro Budget for the next fiscal year (FY26) is available on the Metro Finance website starting May 1. The Mayor presented highlights of his proposed operating budget to the public at the State of Metro Address on May 1. By law Metro is required to have a balanced budget, so operating expenses will have to be matched to the Finance Director’s revenue projections for the upcoming year. Metro’s Budget is over $3 billion, and the largest expense is education followed by public safety. Last year’s budget was flat asking departments to reduce costs, and this year is similar. The largest source of revenue is property taxes, followed by sales taxes.. The Mayor’s budget presentation will be taped and can be viewed on the Metro YouTube channel.
The budget ordinance will be on the council agenda for the May 20 council meeting for first of three readings. The council will begin budget hearings from key departments on May 12 through May 22. The Council will then hold several workshops to work through department and community requests to consider incorporating requests into the Council’s Substitute Budget. The public hearing at the June 3 council meeting will provide the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed budget. Based on findings from a budget/non-profit work group that I chaired, the council will ask any non-profit groups seeking funding to provide services for Metro to identify and work with a specific Metro Department or agency to define their work scope and targeted outcomes. The final vote on the Substitute Budget will be on June 17 (or June 24 if we need more time). Information on the whole budget process is available on the Metro Finance website.
Beaman Park is hosting a star party with Barnard Seyfert Astronomical Society (BSAS) on May 3. Everyone is invited to one of the darkest parts of our county to learn about constellations, galaxies, and the wonders of the night sky. May is a major month for bird migration, and city lights can disrupt the birds’ navigation systems. Learn more on the Beaman Park website.
The deadline to get a Real ID , which will be required to travel by airplane, after repeated deferrals, is finally arriving on May 7. ID’s can be obtained at Davidson County’s full-service driver service centers on Hart Lane or Hickory Hollow Parkway and downtown at the Express Center. At least four pieces of identification are required - proof to establish citizenship or legal presence, proof of your full Social Security Number, two proofs of Tennessee residency. You should also be prepared to provide documentation of any name changes that may have occurred. You can go on-line and see where wait times are not long before choosing where to make your appointment. More information is available on the State of Tennessee website .
Brush Pick-up begins in
- Area 12 (Goodlettsville, Dalemere, Bellshire) on May 1.
- Area 1 - West Madison, Capital View, Douglas Park, Cleveland Park, McFerrin Park, Highland Heights on May 8
- Area 2: East Madison, Inglewood, Neely’s Bend, Peeler Park, Maplewood Heights, Iverson, Maxwell Heights, Edgefield, Eastwood, Shelby Bottoms, Shelby Hills, and Lockland Springs on May 15
- Area 3 Old Hickory, Lakewood, Hermitage, Stones River, Two Rivers, River Trace) on May 29
A map and schedule are available on the NDOT website.
Student Move-out – many of Nashville’s universities will have students moving out during the month of May. By planning ahead, there are ways to minimize waste to the landfill. Mattresses can go to Thrift Smart or Spring Back Recycling. Hard furniture can be taken to the Habitat ReStore or Good Will. This year Vanderbilt will be partnering with American Veterans, America’s Thrift & Make-A-Wish, Cheeves Flea Market, ENP / The Freestore, Monroe Harding, Operation Stand Down, The Arc, ThriftSmart Charities. Belmont is also partnering with Thriftsmart.
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is actively working to recruit and train new officers who reflect the full diversity of Nashville. Classes run several times a year and include both new recruits and transfers from other cities. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED and at least 2 years of university, military, or work experience. Applications are being accepted on the MNPD website now for the recruit training starting in August.
The annual National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive campaign takes place Saturday, May 10. Neighbors can participate by placing a bag of unopened, nonperishable food next to their mailbox before the letter carrier delivers their mail on Saturday, May 10, and the letter carrier will do the rest. Food goes to help families in need of this assistance. Participating in this year’s Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive is simple. Just leave non-perishable food donations in a bag by your mailbox Saturday, May 10, 2025, and your letter carrier will do the rest. With your help, letter carriers and the U.S. Postal Service have collected over 1.9 billion pounds of food in the United States over the 30 plus years as a national food drive. Please help us in our fight to Stamp Out Hunger. Verify food collections with your letter carrier or enter your ZIP Code at local NALC Branch .
Walk Bike Nashville’s 20th Annual Tour de Nash is May 17th. This is Nashville’s largest urban bike ride, with 4 riding distances to choose from. The Family Ride (5-mile), Local Tour (25-mile), and Grand Tour (45-mile) rides highlight some of Nashville’s best bicycle infrastructure, our scenic greenways, and local neighborhoods. It is a great way to discover new places to ride your bike. Register here.
The 49th annual Historic Preservation Awards program, honoring Davidson County’s best preservation projects will take place Thursday, May 22 at 4:30 pm in the auditorium of the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church Street. A reception will follow at the Customs House. The public is invited to celebrate the best of pre-1975 buildings or structures that have been restored, rehabilitated, or carefully maintained over time. The awards also recognize well-designed new “infill” construction built after 2022 that harmonizes with a historic environment. More information is available through the Metropolitan Historical Commission website or by calling the Historical Commission at 615-862-7970 or emailing scarlett.miles@nashville.gov.
NAZA-funded Summer Programs are currently open for enrollment for programming in June and July 2025. Nashville After Zone Alliance Summer programs are open to rising 5th-9th graders. Programs are offered at no cost to youth and their families in partnership with non-profit and community-based organizations. Online registration is now live at www.nashvillez.org/summer.
Trash and recycling pick-up will be delayed by one day during the week following Memorial Day. Residents can check the schedule on the Waste Services website.
ISSUES
Metro has over 75 Boards and Commissions that help implement the goals and policies of the Metro Departments. These are made up of citizens from all over the county who bring their diverse perspectives and expertise to ensure good decision making. Board members are appointed by the mayor or vice-mayor and approved by the Metro Council. The Mayor’s Office is always looking for good people to serve. Within the next few months, there will be openings on the Entertainment Board, Metro Action Commission, Auditorium Commission, Employee Benefits Board, Tourism Commission, District Energy System Board, Electric Power Board, Stormwater Management Board, Transit Authority, Procurement Standards Board, and Human Relations Commission. Anyone who is interested in being considered can go to the Boards and Commissions website and apply through the link at the bottom of the page.
Property owners are receiving their property reappraisal notices this month. The increases in property values range from 38% to 54% as shown in the heat map, but this does not mean that property taxes increase that amount. State law requires a reappraisal of all properties every 4 years to ensure each property is being taxed fairly. The reappraisal reflects what the real estate market is actually doing, but it is only a part of the tax determination.
There are 4 components to the actual tax payment calculation – the appraised value, the assessed value, the certified tax rat and the annual tax levy. The appraised value is based on the size of the property and what similar properties have sold for recently. This is the number that the assessor has just mailed out. Residential property is then assessed at 25% of its appraised value, and commercial property is assessed at 40% of its appraised value, so property that is used to earn money pays a higher tax proportionately than property that you own to live in. The reappraisal process is required by state law to be revenue neutral, so the certified tax rate is required to be lowered to keep the revenue to the city the same. So if property values go up 45% on average, then the tax rate will have to go down 45% to keep the overall property tax revenue the same. This rate is submitted to the State Comptroller and certified as revenue neutral. The Metro Finance Director then uses this rate to apply to the assessed values all over the county to determine projected revenues for the upcoming year. If the projected revenues are not enough to cover the proposed operating expenses, then the mayor may ask the council to adjust the tax rate to make up the difference.
As discussed above, the council has a process for creating a substitute budget, but our budget still has to be balanced in the end. The council will pass a tax levy as part of the budget process to ensure that the budget is balanced as required by law. The chart shows how the tax rate has varied since 2005.
There is a process for appealing reappraisal values. More information on the reappraisal is available on the Assessor’s website.
The Metro Planning Commission Division of Housing issued its Unified Housing Strategy (UHS) on May 1. Following and building upon the Planning Department’s Housing and Infrastructure Study, the UHS provides seven core strategies designed to unify and strengthen the capacity, resources, and programs across Nashville-Davidson County to meet Metro’s housing needs. These strategies aim to:
Create a housing ecosystem and market built to address the rising costs and housing needs of all Nashvillians by tackling demand and affordability pressures
Create new and preserve existing affordable housing that meets the needs of residents and promotes homeownership opportunities
Address residents’ – both renters’ and homeowners’ – concerns of losing their housing through forced loss or economic pressure by seeking to preserve housing security and streamline and bolster housing resources.
Details of the UHS will be explained at four upcoming presentations. The Unified Housing Strategy, Executive Summary, and Ten-Year Implementation Plan are available for review online at Nashville.gov/UHS. All residents are encouraged to provide feedback through an online feedback form by May 30, 2025, or at upcoming public events scheduled throughout May:
Planning Commission Presentation Thursday May 8 at 4 pm at Howard Office Building
Virtual Public Presentation Thursday, May 15, 2025 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Virtual Public PresentationWednesday, May 21, 202512:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Presentation to the Housing Trust Fund CommissionTuesday, May 27, 2025 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.at the Howard Office Building, Sonny West Conference Center.
Metro Water Services (MWS) will issue its annual Consumer Confidence Report during Drinking Water Week May 5-11. This report shows how the quality of our drinking water compares to required health standards. There is a wealth of information on where your drinking water comes from, how it is treated before it comes to you, and what is measured to ensure that it is always safe and healthy. The 2022 report added information on PFAS, a class of plastics that has become a new concern because of its prevalence. This has only recently become an EPA regulated compound, and MWS has been pro-active about measuring it. Levels are below action levels, and MWS is researching technology to lower levels even further. The 2024 report is available on-line. More information on PFAS is available on the MWS website.
Happy Spring, Happy Palindrome Day (5/2/25) and Happy Mother’s Day! Please let me hear from you about your ideas and concerns. Reach out to burkley.allen@nashville.gov or 615-383-6604. Sign up for my newsletter at www.burkley.org
Burkley Allen
Metro Council At-Large