What happened at the Jan. 21 Council meeting: Gay interest trumps religious freedom, Idling ban gutted and deferred, Parental leave benefit advocated, Scooter changes deferred.

If you are going to watch the meeting, follow this link to access the agenda, agenda analysis and my commentary on the agenda. You will get a lot more out of the meeting if you know what's going on.
Following Pat Nolan's introductory comments, the prayer and pledge of allegiance, the Council votes on confirmation of appointees to boards and commissions. Next is the public comment period and only one person speaks.  There are no surprises or drama.  The Council takes up consideration of resolutions at timestamp 23:53. Below is a summary of the legislation I found most interesting.

Resolutions:

Resolution RS2020-149 is withdrawn.  It would have appropriated $587,900 to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office so the sheriff's office could have the capacity to house federal prisoners. This would have earned the city about a half million dollars. Some members of the Council initially opposed this, thinking this would lead to the detaining of prisoners for violating national immigration laws but it has been clarified that that will not be the case.  I thought this solved the problem but apparently not.  No explanation is offered as to why this was withdrawn. This proposal was part of the deal with the Comptroller to approve Nashville's financial plan.

Resolution RS2020-172 passes on a recorded vote.  It commends "Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for Executive Order 11 regarding paid family leave, and calling for all areas of Metro Nashville government to implement paid family leave policies equal to or greater than the paid family leave outlined in the aforementioned executive order." If I  had a vote, I would oppose this. I would not support this without a provision that such paid family leave not cost the city any money. Governor Lee has not satisfactorily explained how the State will pay for this expanded employee benefit at the State level. Steve Glover was the only "no" vote and their were a couple of abstentions.

A Late Resolution that urges Governor Lee to not sign a bill which could allow faith-based adoption agencies to turn down adoptions by LGBTQ people based on their religious beliefs passes without discussion and no one voting against it. I am disappointed that none of the conservatives on the Council voted against this.

Second Reading:

Bill BL2019-109 makes changes in the city policy toward scooters or what is termed "shared urban mobility devices (SUMDs)." It is deferred two meetings. 

Bill BL2020-114 would limit the amount of time a vehicle could sit still with the engine idling. Currently the only restriction is a prohibition of a running motor vehicle from being left unattended unless the vehicle is on private residential property and is equipped with a remote start device that prohibits operation of the vehicle while unattended. This bill in its original form would prohibit a stopped or parked motor vehicle from idling for more than three minutes, or for longer than one minute if the vehicle is within a school zone. There are a few exceptions in the bill.  The bill is substituted.  The substitute pretty much guts the bill.  It becomes an education effort of the health department rather than a law enforced by the police.  The fine is removed also. The substitute is deferred two meetings.

Bill BL2020-115 requires a security plan prior to obtaining a building permit for a parking structure constructed near a stadium, arena, or racetrack. This is relevant to the proposed soccer stadium. As I understand it, this would be another obstacle that may help stop or delay the soccer stadium construction. It is deferred one meeting. 

Top Stories