Happy Summer! Here’s the latest news
EVENTS
The Metro Budget has officially been proposed for FY2026. There are two parts – the Capital Improvements Budget (CIB) and the Operating Budget. The Capital Improvements Budget, Bill BL2025-835 is essentially a “wish list” of all the items that any department or council member has asked to be constructed in the next five years. Items have to be included in the CIB to get funded, but this legislation does not actually allocate any money. That happens later in the year through the Capital Spending Plan. Details of the CIB can be found on the Capital and Budget Planning page . The CIB will be voted on by the council at an adjourned meeting on June 10.
BL2025-833, the operating budget, was filed by the Mayor’s Office after holding hearings with all the Metro Departments about what they needed to provide basic services for the city. The proposed budget is $3.8 billion which includes a fully funded school budget and $45 million for affordable housing. The property tax rate has been lowered from 3.254 to 2.814. This takes into account reappraisal value increases averaging around 45% and what it will cost the city to maintain services. The budget also incorporates updates to the employee pay plans. These changes include market adjustments averaging 4.7% for most employees, a 1% across the board increase to all employees, and 2% step or merit increases to all eligible employees. The budget has new funding made possible by the transit referendum for Choose How You Move (CHYM) improving traffic signalization for cars and buses, improving bus stops, building more bike lanes, and ensuring all infrastructure is in good repair. This accelerates WeGo’s Better Bus plan to run buses more frequently and later into the night. The full operating budget can be reviewed on the Metro Finance website .
The council held a public hearing at our last regular meeting on June 4. The Mayor’s proposed budget is traditionally substituted with a Council version developed by the Budget Chair in collaboration with the Budget and Finance Committee members. This substitute process is currently under way based on Council department hearings and public input. These discussions can be watched on the Metro YouTube channel . Because Metro is required by charter to have a balanced budget, increases in one area will have to be accompanied by a reduction somewhere else. By charter the council must pass some version of the operating budget by June 30, or the mayor’s budget will stand as proposed. The council is on schedule to pass a substitute budget at our June 17 meeting. It could take longer if multiple substitute budgets are offered by council members in addition to the Budget Committee chair’s substitute budget. Information on the whole budget process is available on the Metro Finance website .
The Property Assessment Appeals process is underway. The assessor’s office has released the Informal Review decisions for the 19,225 property owners who filed an Informal Review request. Property owner who do not want to wait for the mailed decision can go on-line to the website at padctn.org, click on Real/Personal Property Search, access their property, then click on Historical Data to view the change in value or classification. If the property owner wishes to appeal the Informal Review decision, they may schedule a Formal Appeal to the independent Metropolitan Board of Equalization or to its Hearing Officers by calling (615) 862-6059 until June 27, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. This local appeal is required in order to appeal at the state level later in the year if that is necessary. More information is at (615) 862-6080 or on the Property Assessor’s website.
Metro Water Services (MWS) has issued its annual Consumer Confidence Report showing how the quality of Nashville’s drinking water compares to required health standards. There is a wealth of information on where our drinking water comes from, how it is treated before it comes to each home, and what is measured to ensure that it is always safe and healthy. This year’s report has added information on PFAS, a class of plastics that has become a new concern because of its prevalence and persistence. New regulations were issued in April of this year. MWS has been testing pro-actively since 2015. The latest tests in 2023 found no reportable levels. MWS is piloting new types of carbon filtration to further reduce the potential for PFAS Read the report at ccr.nashville.gov. There is also information on the lead pipe inventory that MWS has undertaken. Metro Water Services has collected material data for the public (water main to meter) and private (water meter to residence/building) portion of water service lines for the EPA required service line inventory. Compilation of this data included reviewing old records dating back to 1904 as well as new construction records, use of a metal analyzer, and customer reported service line surveys. The service line inventory is available in this interactive map. Please note that the materials shown are to the best of Metro Water Services knowledge. If your address shows unknown, please take this service line inventory survey to help MWS document the material of your service line.
Brush pick-up begins for
- Area 4 (Donelson, Airport, Percy Priest, Northeast Antioch) on June 5
- Area 5 (Antioch, Cane Ridge, Paragon Mills) on June 12
- Area 6 (Brentwood, Crieve Hall, Grassmere, Abbay Hall, Sidco, WeHo) on June 20
- Area 7 (Edgehill, 12th South, Battlemont, Green Hills) on June 25.
A map and schedule are available on the NDOT website.
Metro Parks is updating its Plan to Play and wants everyone’s input on Nashville’s Park System Master Plan. Neighbors are invited to complete the Plan to Play Survey . Play to Play 2025 will identify and prioritize Nashville’s park system needs for the next five years, included in the Master Plan. The survey includes sections on Land, Facilities, Programs, Operations, Funding and Greenways. The goals of engaging public input include: determining if new or different needs have emerged, and prioritizing projects and actions (both old and new) that reflect current values, preferences and financial constraints. Survey will be open through June 30th. You are also invited to join Metro Parks at a Plan to Play Public Meeting where you can share your ideas about the parks, facilities and experiences you would like to see in your neighborhoods and communities. You can help ensure that Metro Parks’ future actions are responsive to the current needs, values and priorities for you and your community. Plan to Play Public Meeting: Wednesday, June 11th at 5:30 p.m. Southeast Community Center in Rooms 1 & 2. Located at 5260 Hickory Hollow Pkwy, Antioch, TN 37013 Additional information about Metro Parks’ Plan to Play can be found HERE
Metro Parks Music and Creative Parks Nashville, with the support of Centennial Park Conservancy, are excited to return to the Centennial Park Event Shelter this summer for the 2025 Big Band Dance Series. The community is invited to dance and listen to over a dozen local swing and jazz Big Bands from June 1st to August 31st. Free dance lessons will be provided by Dynamic Ballroom and Performing Arts at 7:00pm. Dance styles covered include Rhumba, Cha-Cha, Swing, Waltz, Foxtrot, and Two-Step. The band show times start at 7:30pm. This is great for dancers from 1 to 99 years old. Bring a picnic or visit the vendors. There will be water and food trucks available along with Fratello’s Italian Ice and the Lemonade Lady! Find information on the Metro Parks website .
Metro Parks also hosts the Full Moon Pickin’ Party bluegrass music series at Percy Warner Park during the summer. Admission fees benefit Friends of Warner Park. In addition to a full line up of main stage blue grass entertainment, impromptu pickin’ circles pop up all around the perimeter. Bring banjo, fiddle, or guitar and take advantage of the chance to play with many of Nashville’s great blue grass musicians. The series continues June 13, July 11, August 8, and September. Get information and tickets here .
The Nashville Transit Citizen Leadership Academy is gearing up for another informative session. The TCLA is an eight-session program on regional transit issues led by industry experts and leading professionals. Participants synthesize vital information through presentations, panels, discussions, homework, and reports. Industry-leading experts lead compelling and fact-based conversations and give participants the knowledge and tools to become thought and policy leaders on the vital role of transit in the region today and into the future. TCLA participants learn about the following:
- the process of funding transit and infrastructure;
- the impact transit has on our economy, health, environment, and equity;
- the responsibilities of local, state, and federal players;
- the importance of regional, corridor, and other studies and plans; as well as
- the emerging mass transit options that can address our mobility needs today and well into the future.
Registration for TCLA is now open. Class sessions are held Wednesdays, 4-6:30 PM, August 13 through October 8. Classes are in-person at various locations, with some being experiential–meaning we WILL be riding the bus and the train. More information is available on the Transit Alliance website .
Trash and recycling will not be picked up on Juneteenth (June 19) or the July 4 holiday. The rest of the week will be shifted one day for both trash and recycling. Check your pick-up schedule here.
Openings on Metro Boards and Commissions. Metro has over 75 boards and commissions that help the government operate and interpret regulations fairly. These are composed of volunteer citizens with interest or expertise in the particular subject. Board members are nominated by the mayor or vice-mayor and confirmed by the Metro Council. When current members’ terms expire, and they decide not to continue, there is the opportunity to add new members to the board. Terms are expiring, and spots may be opening up on the Entertainment Commission, Metro Action Commission, Auditorium Commission, Employee Benefit Board, Electric Power Board, Procurement Standards Board, Tourism and Convention Commission, District Energy System Board, Stormwater Management Commission, Transit Authority Board, Fire and Building Codes Board, and Human Relations Commission. Anyone who is interested in serving can fill out a nomination form at the bottom of the web page for the specific board.
Summer is mosquito season. In addition to making you itch, mosquitos can also transmit disease, so it is good for your health to try to avoid them. To effectively control mosquitoes, it’s crucial to understand their life cycle, as each stage presents a unique opportunity for intervention. Mosquitoes breed in standing water, and regularly emptying out any water standing in flower pots, gutters, or toys and keeping bird baths clean, can eliminate options for reproducing. Mosquito larvacides like “dunks” use a natural microbe known as BTi to stop mosquitoes before they mature into adults. Putting dunks in bird baths or a “bucket of doom” can control mosquitoes naturally without harming bees, bugs, or butterflies. Find out how to create your own mosquito bait and kill station .
Happy Summer and Happy Father’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