Metro Nashville Budget Information Meetings

The following is from the email newsletter of Councilman Jeff Syracuse:

As part of the upcoming Metro budget season, CM Bob Mendes and CM Kyzonte Toombs (Chair and Vice Chair respectively of the Budget & Finance Committee) will host meetings across the county to get feedback about the challenges we face and options ahead of us. Thanks to CM Erin Evans for putting this graphic together. Here are all the meetings.

I suspect these meetings will focus on the need for new revenue and be short on calls for cutting waste and increasing efficiencies. At-large Councilmember Bob Mendes unsuccessfully sought to raise property taxes for each of the last two years.  In making committee assignments, Vice mayor Shulman passed over Budget and Finance Vice Chair Kevin Rhoten and instead gave the leadership position to Mendes. Rhoten had voted against the property tax increase proposals.  With Mendes in the driver's seat the chance to pass a tax hike is enhanced.

Despite anticipating that these meetings will be skewed to build a case for a tax hike, I encourage engaged citizens to attend in order to understand the budgetary issues facing our city and the arguments advocates of a tax increase will make.

There is a lot of information about the city budget on line and you can find it at this link.

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