The mayor called for investments in the Metro employees who served the
city through a year of crisis and pledged to implement every-other-week
recycling at his State of Metro address, delivered at the Music City Center in a
nod to Nashville’s rebound. That location - once eyed for 1,600 pandemic-time
beds - is now a bustling vaccination site as public health restrictions approach
a May 14 end.
“Last year’s budget was a crisis budget. This year’s budget is an
investment budget,” Mayor Cooper said. “Nashville is on the rise. A city on the
rise must rise to the occasion. And, for a city to really work, it must work for
everyone – and every neighborhood.”
Those neighborhood investments include
restoring funding for WeGo bus service and hiring 80 additional emergency
responders to serve the city.
“It’s a new day in Nashville,” Mayor Cooper said.
“We’ve weathered the storm. And we have a new opportunity to rise, together.”
A
“Golden Moment” for Education
Under Mayor Cooper’s plan, the average Metro
teacher’s salary will jump by $6,924. Educators with 8 to 15 years’ experience
will receive a $10,880 increase. “A city on the rise must give everyone the
opportunity to rise with it. Opportunity starts with education, and an excellent
education starts with well-funded schools,” Mayor Cooper said. “We owe it to
every child to make investments that match their potential.” Today’s proposed
$81 million marks Nashville’s largest operating investment in education. It
follows the mayor’s recent, record capital investment for schools and fully
funds the School Board’s request for the first time in years.
“Throughout my
career at Metro Schools, I’ve never seen such a strong commitment and support
from a Mayor for our public schools and the teaching profession,” said Director
of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle. “Mayor Cooper’s proposed record investment will
allow the district to retain and recruit great teachers who want to make a
difference in the lives and academic success of students and who simply want
their compensation to reflect the value they bring to our city and the residents
who call Nashville home,” she added.
Building Up Metro’s Transportation
Workforce Capacity
Four months after Metro Council adopted the mayor’s
transportation plan, Nashville has secured upward of $15 million in state and
federal funding to pay for it. With more potential funding on the way, a local
Department of Transportation (DoT) is now as essential in Nashville as it has
been in peer cities. A proposed $3.5 million will operationalize a local DoT –
including a new traffic management center – doubling the number of Metro
employees who are focused on calming traffic, timing traffic signals more
efficiently, building bike lanes and meeting the mayor’s directive to cut
sidewalk-construction times in half. Meanwhile, another $25 million will restore
funding for WeGo bus service, which Metro subsidized last year using one-time
federal relief dollars.
Sharpening Nashville’s Affordable Housing Tools
After
convening an Affordable Housing Task Force, the mayor today proposed immediate
action on five of their recommendations: His proposal triples the city’s
affordable housing dollars:
- $2.5 million more to the Barnes Fund
- $20 million in American Rescue Plan dollars to develop affordable units – including $10 million for the Barnes Fund and $10 million to seed a Catalyst Housing Fund
Mayor Cooper
also announced plans to build affordable housing on Metro-owned property located
on 24th Ave. N. in a process that will include robust community input.
Meanwhile, a payment in lieu of taxes program will encourage affordable housing
participation from the private sector in an increasingly expensive building
environment. And Courtney Pogue, named after a national search as the mayor’s
Economic Development chief, will chart a master plan for tying economic
development to affordable housing – as well as education, workforce development
and small business growth.
A Community Response to Community Safety
- After a year that proved how much Nashville relies on its first responders, Mayor Cooper proposed: $460,000 to increase the Office of Emergency Management’s operating budget by 49 percent
- $9.8 million to hire 40 new firefighters and 20 new emergency medical technicians (EMTs)
- $12.2 million to hire 48 new law enforcement officers for Nashville’s new Southeast police precinct, including 8 sergeants for body camera evaluation
Another $1.1 million will increase funding
for Metro’s Office of Family Safety by 62 percent. Nashville is one of only two
cities in the U.S. with its own, dedicated department to serve victims of
interpersonal violence. Last year, client visits to this office jumped by 29
percent. Meanwhile, Ron Johnson, Metro’s first community safety coordinator,
will oversee a recently allocated $2 million in community safety innovation and
partnership grants for neighborhood groups working to prevent gun and other
violent crimes. Johnson, known as a lifelong coalition builder, will support
these groups.
Meeting Nashville’s Growing Needs:
Investing in Metro’s Workforce
The mayor proposed funding Metro’s employee pay plan with an investment of more
than $30.4 million. As a percentage of Nashville’s population, Metro General
Government has fewer employees than it did a decade ago. Nonetheless, city
employees are efficiently delivering neighborhood services – for example,
speeding up 9-1-1 answer times by 26 percent, filling potholes in 3.3 days and
picking up 99.75 percent of the city’s trash and recycling on time.
Protecting
Our Climate and Environment
Mayor Cooper proposed increasing Metro’s residential
recycling from once to twice a month – another step toward cutting the city’s
carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, generating 35 percent of its energy from
renewable sources by 2025 and reaching 100 percent renewable energy in 20 years.
“Last year’s budget crisis prevented us from being able to act on this
initiative,” he said. “But it’s time to commit to more frequent recycling
service to divert waste from our landfills. Sustainability is more than a
priority for Metro – it is a promise to create a future that is worthy of our
children.”
Next Steps
The mayor will submit his operating budget plan for Fiscal
Year 2022 on Friday, April 30. It goes before Metro Council for consideration
and approval.
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