The Thin Blue Budget
🚨 MNPD budget hearing · CVS pushes back against new state law· Mayor defunds the Entertainment Commission · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. A look at MNPD's budget hearing... CVS big mad about new TN law banning Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) from simultaneously owning or controlling pharmacies... Mayor O'Connell defunds the Entertainment Commission... And much more!
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MNPD budget hearing: license plate readers, understaffing, and funding cuts.
From Megan Podsiedlik
It felt like the same ol’ song and dance during last week’s budget hearing with the Metro Nashville Police Department. Mayor Freddie O’Connell has tightened the belt in his recommended budget, which includes a $5.27 million departmental efficiency cut that MNPD and other agencies are required to absorb.
O’Connell also proposed a $5 million budget increase for the department, but MNPD Chief John Drake explained that the increase is essentially "wiped away” by the proposed cuts. Though Drake believes “existing services can survive fiscal year 2027 so long as there's no further budget reduction,” he indicated that public safety could take a hit if MNPD's budget continues to shrink.
Nashville crime rates are on the decline, but so are MNPD retention numbers. The department is currently short 132 officers, and not every officer has a vehicle.
“If you're taking wish list requests, mine would be for $5 million to fund officers working in the Entertainment District Unit, Thursday through Sunday nights,” said Drake, who also emphasized the public safety infrastructure needed to host the Super Bowl in 2030. MNPD’s budget changes and impact highlights also included a $1.3 million ask for an overtime initiative to support Nashville’s 84 schools that don't have school resource officers (SROs).
“So it sounds like y'all have done a great job without the license plate readers,” said Councilmember Delishia Porterfield before pushing back on Chief Drake’s assertion that LPRs are a minimally intrusive way to fight crime.
It’s worth noting that traffic stops have increased 17 percent since last year.
“One of my complaints is random stops get you random results,” said Councilmember Bob Nash, a retired MNPD police commander. “I think that the LPR offers that chance to not be random and to be really successful.”
Though the council approved the permanent implementation of LPRs across Davidson County in 2023, the program has not been funded. During the hearing, Councilmember Jennifer Frensley Webb asked the mayor’s office about the status of the program. “As noted, it's not currently funded in the budget,” was the short reply from the administration.
That said, the delay on LPRs hasn’t held MNPD back from pursuing other law enforcement technology. Starting today, the department is launching a drone as first responder (DFR) limited trial program. According to the announcement, MNPD will have 30 to 45 flight days with three drones available to respond to emergency calls for service, calls regarding active criminal investigations, missing person calls, and significant traffic crashes within a two-mile radius of the Madison Precinct.
✹ 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
- 💊 Governor Lee signs PBM bill despite CVS warnings. The legislation aims to reform the practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) within the state’s health care system. CVS Health, which operates 134 retail pharmacy stores and 25 MinuteClinic locations in Tennessee, almost immediately marched into federal court in Nashville to try to block the law. (TNJ)
- 📽 Entertainment Commission scrapped in mayor's proposed budget. Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s proposed FY2027 budget eliminates funding for the Office of Entertainment and its Entertainment Commission, which has struggled with hiring, political disputes, and procedural issues since its creation. The move follows delays in hiring an executive director and reflects broader budget tightening; critics, including commission members and Councilmember Joy Styles, see it as a setback for promoting the city’s film and music industries. (Scene)
- ⚖️ An Obama-appointed judge dismisses human smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, ignoring evidence quashed by Biden-era FBI investigation in 2022. U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw dismissed federal human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, ruling that the Trump administration failed to overcome a presumption of vindictive prosecution. The Biden-era FBI reportedly ordered the release of Abrego Garcia despite suspicions of human trafficking. (Tennessee Star)
- 🚨 Teen charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication. An 18-year-old driver from Kentucky, Zachary Abbott, was charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication and ten counts of reckless endangerment after a multi-vehicle crash on I-24 West that killed his 18-year-old front-seat passenger. Abbott, who showed signs of impairment, lost control while trying to pass traffic, hitting an abandoned tow truck and other vehicles; several others were injured, but the driver and most passengers had minor injuries. (Nashville Gov)
- ✈️ Ground delay issued at Nashville airport due to staffing issues on Memorial Day. Yesterday’s delay lasted several hours, causing 30-minute wait times. This is not the first staffing-related delay at the airport this month. (WSMV)
- 🔵 Opinion: How Nashville foretold MAGA’s move against blue cities. Nashville’s congressional redistricting—in which Republicans split the heavily Democratic city into three GOP-held districts—serves as an early blueprint for broader Republican efforts to dilute urban Democratic voting power. The strategy of carving up blue cities and attaching urban neighborhoods to surrounding rural and suburban areas has since been replicated in states like Missouri and Indiana. The result in Nashville has been persistent tension between the city’s Democratic mayor and its Republican congressional delegation, mirroring a growing national trend in which major urban centers lose unified political representation. (Semafor)
- 🚌 Money raised for Clarksville bus crash victims was only given to four of 24 families. Local T-shirt business MollyBee's Tees & Embroidery raised over $15,000 for victims of a deadly Clarksville school bus crash. The owner distributed the funds to the families of the two deceased children and two severely injured students, citing input from callers and limited access to medical details. Other community fundraisers distributed aid equally to all 24 families; affected parents expressed frustration, while the business owner reported receiving threats afterward. (WSMV)
- 🗞 Press Forward Middle Tennessee launches regional media survey. The Sycamore Institute will conduct research for Press Forward's local chapter, which supports news access. The survey will be conducted through May 31 across 40 counties to understand how residents access news and information. (Post)
DEVELOPMENT
- U.S. Smokeless’ To Sale 30+ Acres Near Downtown Nashville (Now Next)
- Demure Cocktail Lounge opens in Germantown this July (NBJ)
- Music Row building listed for $1.7M (Post)
- Chestnut Hill commercial building offered for $1.65M (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
🎸 Classic Country Tonight @ Station Inn, 7p, $20, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Mondays with Kyle Tuttle @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info
🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.