The Budget Shuffle
🔎 MNPS scrutinized during budget work session · OPINION: To Keep Kids Safe, Close the App Store Gap · $54M in Nashville property values adjusted · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. CM Spain scrutinizes MNPS during wish list budget work session... OPINION: To Keep Kids Safe, Close the App Store Gap... $54M in Nashville property values adjusted... And much more!
New TN U.S. Congressional District lookup Use your address to find your new district here.
Like what we do? Forward us to a friend!
MNPS and OHS take some heat as council members present wish list items for this year's budget.
From Megan Podsiedlik
Yesterday, the Metro Council held a Budget and Finance work session where members presented “wish list” items they hope to incorporate into the mayor’s proposed budget. To keep the budget balanced, each member identified the new line items they hope to fund and specified where the money would be reallocated from.
Different services that directly and indirectly support housing instability dominated the wish list. It’s worth noting that quite a few proposals to increase funding for recurring programs dipped into inconsistent funding sources like reserves, contingency funds, and temporary savings.
Grocery tax cut+ Budget Chair Kyonzté Toombs is proposing to top the mayor’s 0.5 percent grocery sales tax cut by increasing it to a one percent cut. Toombs had to find approximately $9.9 million to make it happen and is proposing to take $2.5 million from self-insured liability, $2.5 million from judgments and losses, $2 million from property losses, $1 million from the revolving loan fund, and $2 million from parks.
Save the Entertainment Commission The mayor’s proposed budget eliminates funding for the Office of Entertainment and its Entertainment Commission, but several council members are hoping to salvage it. Each proposal set aside about $300,000 for the office, but it’s hard to tell where the council will ultimately decide to take the money from if they support the change. Suggestions included shaving off funding from the mayor’s office, the Small Business Incentive Fund, judgments and losses, and the sheriff’s office.
MNPS audit on the horizon? Councilmember Jason Spain is proposing to take a million dollars from MNPS' budget to conduct a comprehensive operational and performance audit of Metro Nashville Public Schools.
“The last time we did one of these was in 2015, and in that time our enrollment has dropped from around 86,000 students to around 81,000,” said Spain. “Our budget has doubled from $750 million to $1.5 billion, and I just feel like it's borderline negligent that we haven't taken a comprehensive look at the department that we send over a third of our budget to on an annual basis without just making sure that that money is being spent correctly and that those programs have any kind of outcomes we want to see."
Though a few council members rallied behind moving around funds to support MNPS’ wish list item to establish a composting/environmental stewardship program, Councilmember Zulfat Suara suggested that MNPS take the initiative to find the funding within their own budget.
OHS on the chopping block? Meanwhile, Councilmember Ginny Welsch’s wish list had a few interesting insinuations. The “no pass for fascism” member partially stuck to her defund the police songbook but proposed cuts to a few additional departments, including the Office of Homeless Services, the mayor’s office, and NDOT.
The axe Welsch took to the OHS in her proposals isn’t too surprising given her scrutiny of financial irregularities within the department, but she wasn’t the only one: Councilmembers Zulfat Suara and Terry Vo also raided the homeless service’s coffers to fund other proposals.
✹ SEVEN AUTHORS OF IMPACT
✹ OPINION: TO KEEP KIDS SAFE, CLOSE THE APP STORE GAP
From Walter Blanks, Jr.
Washington loves to talk about protecting kids and upholding family values, but here in Tennessee, we’re turning those commitments into real policy.
Tennessee has set the standard for promoting healthy digital habits. Just this session, lawmakers passed the Teen Social Media and Internet Safety Act, directing the Department of Education to create a comprehensive 6 to 12th grade internet safety curriculum and blocking kids’ access to social media platforms on school-provided Wi-Fi.
These policies reduce distractions, curb excessive screentime, and help address cyberbullying, something 54% of Tennessee youth report experiencing at least once. Just as importantly, they reflect a broader effort to make the online world safer for kids without undermining parents’ rights, family privacy, or free speech.
Tennessee lawmakers understand that raising capable, well-adjusted, and risk-aware kids in a digital world requires both education and supervision. The goal isn’t heavy-handed bans on apps and websites. It’s giving parents and educators the tools to guide kids’ digital lives on their own terms.
✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH
New Council Watch Features We've added additional features to Council Watch. In addition to who's funding your council member, you can now see how they vote and who they vote with most frequently. (Take a Look)
HEADLINES
- 🏡 $54M in Nashville property values adjusted; more appeals expected. Rising property taxes in Nashville prompted about 3,000 informal reviews of assessments. A value change was granted in nearly half of the reviews, resulting in a $54 million reduction that will lower some tax bills. Property owners can still file formal appeals through the Metro Board of Equalization by June 26. A new state law may also provide tax relief for businesses in the downtown Tourism Development Zone. (WPLN)
- 🗺 Three-judge panel upholds Tennessee redistricting. Tennessee’s special three-judge panel dismissed an NAACP-led lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s new congressional maps, which split Memphis into three districts. The court cited sovereign immunity and lack of standing for most plaintiffs. Multiple federal challenges to the maps remain ongoing, including allegations of racial discrimination. (Lookout)
- 🔎 Lee names 5 members to Memphis-Shelby County Schools oversight board. Governor Bill Lee appointed five Memphians to a new nine-member oversight board that will control the Memphis-Shelby County Schools' $1.7 billion budget and oversee education for about 100,000 students starting July 1. The board will collaborate with the elected school board amid ongoing concerns about low student proficiency and district performance. (Action News 5)
- 🚙 Waymo pauses driverless car service in Nashville after Atlanta flooding incident. Waymo temporarily suspended operations in Nashville, Atlanta, and parts of Texas after one of its vehicles became stranded in floodwaters in Atlanta, raising safety concerns among riders. The company cited an abundance of caution ahead of severe weather; critics and experts noted the incident highlights limitations of autonomous tech in handling rare or extreme scenarios like flooding. (WSMV)
- 💊 Former Metro councilman and pastor accused in 'fraud scheme' to steal $200M from drug company. Former Metro Nashville councilman and prominent pastor Jerry Maynard Jr., along with his father Bishop Jerry Maynard Sr. and sister Misha Maynard, are accused in a federal lawsuit by drug company Eli Lilly of participating in a massive rebate fraud scheme involving diabetes drugs. They are accused of being part of an operation that bought "enormous quantities" of the diabetes drug over at least the last five years and then turned in hundreds of thousands of drug rebate claims for "fictional" patients—supposedly members of the Church of God In Christ. Eli Lilly is seeking to recover over $200 million. (NewsChannel 5)
DEVELOPMENT
- Edley's Bar-B-Que plans Brentwood location (NBJ)
- Main Library outdoor space prepped for update (Post)
- Sho Pizza Bar Planned for West Side (Scene)
- Sylvan Park ex-restaurant building sells for $2.65M (Post)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Marcus King Band @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium, 8p, $27+, Info
🎸 Chicago @ Grand Ole Opry House, 7p, $73+, Info
🪕 Carolina Bluegrass Style @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
💀 Tennessee Dead @ Tennessee Brew Works, 6p, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.