What Homesharing Means to Me

Reposted from The Beacon Center:

Alece Ronzino

“I moved to Nashville in 2011 after launching and leading a nonprofit in South Africa for 13 years. I’ve continued my work in the nonprofit sector by providing consulting services to grassroots organizations. In 2013, I purchased my first home in East Nashville and began renting out my guest rooms on Airbnb to supplement my income. If it weren’t for my Airbnb business, I would be hard-pressed to continue my work with developing nonprofits that are doing great work with small budgets. I am thankful to live in a city that has an innovative entrepreneurial culture, enabling me to restart my life, serve nonprofits, earn a living, and support other local businesses.” 

 Rachel and P.J. Anderson

“My husband is a Christian singer-songwriter who frequently tours for his work. Since I am a graphic designer, my job enables me to travel with my husband along with our young children. It’s important for us that our young family is able to spend as much time together as possible. We rent out our home on Airbnb while we travel, enabling us to keep our family together and cover all of our expenses. It just seems unfair that Nashville decision makers are siding with the big hotel chains over small families like us who are just trying to achieve work-life balance.”



Shan Canfield

“My husband and I purchased the home next door to our own and opened an Airbnb to help us retire on time. This was a huge opportunity for us to get ahead financially, but it also allowed us to invest in the lives of people from all around the world. We have loved operating this business and sharing our lives with individuals and families whose paths we’d otherwise never have crossed. To us, Airbnb has meant financial security, the ability to invest in our community, and sharing our lives. We’re so grateful for what this business has brought to our lives.”

Bailey Neal

“I own and operate a business called Nestive that services 135 short-term rentals in the state. My business employs 24 full and part-time people making upwards of $15/hour who clean, perform maintenance, and provide upkeep on homes being used as short-term rental properties. I am passionate about ensuring that visitors to Nashville enjoy a quality experience in the city and truly experience our community. Operating this business allows me to positively impact the lives of so many of my fellow citizens from those I employ, to the Airbnb hosts and their guests that we serve, to the numerous shop and restaurant owners our guests visit while in town.” 

 

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Southeast Nashville Conservatives' Breakfast - April 22th. Guest Speaker Joe Carr/

From Robert Duvall:

Southeast Nashville Conservatives' Breakfast 

Please note - we have moved our Breakfast this month only to the 4th Saturday (April 22) because of Good Friday/Easter Celebrations on the 3rd weekend.

Shoney's 407 Thompson Lane (Nolensville Rd &Thompson Lane) Social/Dutch treat breakfast available beginning at 8:00 a.m. We have a full, very informative program this month so we will begin our program promptly at 9:00 am (and maybe even a few minutes before).

Guest Speaker (back by popular demand!) Joe Carr Former State Representative, U S Senate & Congressional Candidate Joe will discuss some of the "crazy shenanigans" going on in our current Legislative Session - Governor Haslam's proposed gas tax increase, State Senator Gardenhire's bill to give instate college tuition to illegal immigrants....and other controversial legislation, along with his insights on the next Gubernatorial Race and likely candidates (of which there does not seem to be a shortage!) We all know Joe "tells it like it is", so should be a great meeting. And I know many of us want to know "What's next for Joe Carr?" - We will ask!

Hosted by Robert Duvall &Pat Carl

 ~the end~

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Bill Freeman's company chosen to serve as administrator of Nashville's Housing Incentive Pilot Program.

HIPP will allow developers and apartment owners to seek grants from Metro to offer mixed-income workforce housing in new and existing developments

Metro Press release - At a networking reception hosted at Emma Bistro on Tuesday night, Mayor Megan Barry announced the start of the Housing Incentive Pilot Program. Created by the Mayor’s Office and approved by the Metro Council, HIPP was designed with feedback from the developer and housing advocate communities to help address the need for workforce housing in Nashville.

“In order to meet the unique housing needs of people of all economic strata, we need a diverse set of tools and policies that will result in more individuals and families finding the housing options they need to succeed,” said Mayor Megan Barry. “HIPP will help us to incentivize mixed-income housing developments that will preserve the option for teachers, construction workers, service employees, and others to live and work in Nashville.”

HIPP was developed to work in concert with the Metro Council’s Inclusionary Housing Policy, BL2016-133, while also operating as a stand-alone incentive program for apartment owners and developers in Nashville. The Freeman Webb Company, which has experience administering programs for MDHA and other affordable housing developments throughout the county, was recently awarded the contract to serve as the administrative agency for the program.

Under the program, developers wishing to take advantage of the incentive program would need to provide affordable or workforce housing at a rate that is equal to or less than 30% of an individual or family’s household income. For example, utilizing the 2015 figures, the maximum monthly rental for a family of four making 60% of MHI, or $35,882 would be $897. For a family of four at the workforce level making $71,764, or 120% of MHI, the maximum rent would be $1,794.

Developers who meet these terms can apply for a grant to cover the difference between the price of market-rate housing and the price of the affordable or workforce housing units. For example, a developer who has market-rate apartments at $1,500 a month and offers comparable below-market housing units for $1,200 would get a grant for the difference of $300 per unit. For new construction the total grant will not exceed the cap of 50% of the increase in property tax value. The program also allows for existing residential units to be converted with the total grant not exceeding the cap of 20% of the property tax value.

“Having diverse housing options is critical to Nashville’s continued success,” said Adriane Harris, Senior Advisor –Affordable Housing. “We’re excited to announce an additional tool for developers to assist in increasing the housing supply needed to retain our teachers, hospitality workers, recent college graduates, and other residents who simply need a place to call home.”

The Metro Council approved a supplemental appropriation of $500,000 that will allow the program to operate for the remainder of FY16-17. Mayor Barry has proposed $2 million in the FY17-18 budget to continue the pilot program into the next year. For housing managers and developers seeking more information or wishing to apply, please visit http://hipp.nashville.gov

My Comment:  While Nashville's Inclusionary Housing Policy is likely to be invalidated by legislation working its way through the State legislature, the Housing Incentive Pilot Program would not be affected. The two policies were designed to work together. The Inclusionary Housing Policy was the stick and the Housing Incentive Pilot Program was the carrot. For more on this issue see, State legislature to stop Nashville's rental price-fixing policy from taking effect.
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Councilman Robert Swope defends the Opryland Hotel water park deal.

Councilman Robert Swope writing in today's Tennessean explains the Opryland water park deal that many have criticizes as "corporate welfare."  He points out that no public funds are going toward the project but that instead Opryland Hotel is getting a limited tax abatement.  He contents it is good deal for the city. To read his article see, Water park won't cost local taxpayers.

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Senator Mark Green nominated to be Secretary of the Army. Homosexual activist throw a hissy fit.

Mark Green

It is  now official. President Donald Trump Donald Trump formally nominated Tennessean Senator Doctor Mark Green to be the new secretary of the Army. The announcement was made on  Friday (link).  As Secretary of the Army he will  be the top civilian leader for the U.S. Army, have oversight of the 140-plus Army reserve installations worldwide and administer a  $150 billion budget.


Green is a former Army lieutenant colonel and current Tennessee state Senator and a medical doctor.  He was running for Governor until tagged by President Trump for the position of Army Secretary.  At this early stage in the Governor's race, many considered him the front runner.

Green completed three combat tours in the Middle East as a special operation flight surgeon for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. and was the emergency physician during Operation Red Dawn in 2003, which captured Saddam Hussein. Green was the first person to interrogate Hussein following his capture. He had a distinguished military career and was awarded the  Bronze Star, among other honors. He is a 1986 West Point graduate.

After his service in the Army,  Green founded AlignMD, an emergency room staffing firm which provides staffing services at 47 hospitals in nine states.  Green was elected to the Senate in 2012.

As Secretary of the Army, Green will replace Eric Fanning who was confirmed for the job last May, Fanning is the first openly homosexual person to serve as Army secretary. Apparently, homosexual activist think this should be a homosexual position. Green has been critical of President Obama's policies that allowed transgender people to use whichever bathroom they want.  He has taken a position that men should use men's restrooms even if they identify as women. He has also said that transgender is an illness. Homosexual activist are calling on the Senate to reject his confirmation.

To read more about this issue see L.G.B.T. Advocates Criticize Nominee for Army Secretary and Trump makes it official: Nominates LGBTQ hater Mark Green for Army secretary post.

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What happened on the April 4th Council meeting: anti-Trump bill dies, sidewalk bill passes, controversy over honoring Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, water rates increase.

The meeting does not start until timestamp 33:50. The first part of the video is announcements which occur before the start of the meeting. If you are going to watch the meeting, you really need a copy of the agenda and the staff analysis. To access those documents as well as my commentary on the agenda, follow this link.

Following the pray and pledge of allegiance, there is a special presentation honoring Tommy Lynch a retiring long-time metro employee who served with the Parks Department.  Confirmation of appointees to Boards and Commissions pass without descent.

The Vice Mayor announces the vacancy of the seat on General Sessions Court due to the resignation of the disgraced Judge Casey Moreland. The Council will fill this seat and nominations must be submitted by the nominating Council member by Tuesday, April 11 at 4PM. At the May 16 meeting the Council will select the new judge.  Metro Council is often a stepping stone for service as a General Session Judge.  Do not be surprised if several of the lawyers on the council vie for this seat. Councilman Sam Coleman is one councilman running for this position. There can be a lot of intense politicking to win this coveted appointment.  Usually the Council has filled these vacancies with one of their own. For more on the process of filling this appointment see, Who will replace Judge Moreland?

Bills on Public Hearings. Much of the meeting is public hearings on zoning matters and I watched much of it in double speed and skipped over some of it.  Most zoning matters are only of interest to a few nearby neighbors.  I try to point out the bills on public hearing that are particularly controversial or are disapproved by the Planning Commission or have policy implications. If, you want to be sure I didn't miss something important to you may want to watch the meeting for yourself.  Here are the Public Hearing items of interest:

SECOND SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. BL2016-493  is the sidewalk bill which tightens up the requirements that developers build sidewalks. This makes it more difficult for a developer to pay money into a fund rather than build sidewalks.  This requires a developer to build a a sidewalk even when there are no other sidewalks on the street. One opponent of this bill points out that streets will have pieces of sidewalks to nowhere.  That is my understanding of what this bill would accomplish. It is also pointed out that due to grading slopes and drainage issues, that it is difficult to build sidewalks 50 feet at a time, that in the end all the pieces may not fit and that sidewalks need to be engineered corner to corner. This has been worked on for a long time and deferred about three times before. There is still another version of this bill pending. Several people speak on the bill. It passes by voice vote and is amendable on Third Reading. To view the discussion see timestamp 52:36-1:21:12.
BILL NO. BL2017-641   and BILL NO. BL2017-642  are two bills disapproved by the Planning Commission. The first one cancels a PUD on a property and second rezones the property for a self-storage facility. It appears the developer has done his homework and accommodated neighbors concerns, including setting aside part of the property as green space.  To pass a disapproved bill requires 26 votes on third reading whereas an approved bill only requires a majority of those voting. This passes on Second Reading. 

Resolutions. There are not any resolutions of particular interest, most are routine things. RESOLUTION NO. RS2017-640  which proposes several housekeeping amendments to the Metro Charter is deferred indefinitely and RESOLUTION NO. RS2017-642  which ask Judge Moreland to resign is withdrawn. Judge Moreland has already resigned.

Bills on First Reading pass by a single vote as is the norm.

Bills on Second Reading. There are 15 bills on Second Reading. Most of them are abandoning unneeded sewer easements and water easements and other routine business. These are the bill of interest.

BILL NO. BL2016-498   requires approval by the Metropolitan Council for obstructions or excavations which close or occupy any portion of the public right of way for a period in excess of one (1) year. This passes on a voice vote with no opposition and is deferred to the second meeting in may and made amendable on Third. 

 BILL NO. BL2017-643 by Councilman Cooper would set a standard for awarding economic incentive grants. It says, "the amount of the economic and community development incentive grant during any year will be determined by multiplying the average number of new full time equivalent employees of the qualified company within the boundaries of the metropolitan government during the preceding year by an amount up to five hundred dollars."   This is a good bill. It passes on a voice vote.

BILL NO. BL2017-644  is a bill aimed at President Trump. It would prohibit the use

Metro Council to the President: Do not come to Nashville without
three years income tax returns

of any public facility or property by a President or candidate unless that individual has made public their income tax returns for the three (3) most recent taxable years. The Council has no business getting involved in this controversy. At the request of the sponsor it is deferred indefinitely. There is no public discussion and I do not know what went on behind the scene.
BILL NO. BL2017-645   would allow passengers in horse-drawn carriages to drink and ride as long as the beverage was in a plastic or Styrofoam cup. This sounds reasonable to me. The brand name "Styrofoam" is changed to "foam"and the bills is deferred one meeting.
BILL NO. BL2017-646   would prohibit a company from installing surveillance equipment, such as cameras and 16 other types of technology that captured activity on a public sidewalk or street without prior Council approval.  This is deferred one meeting.BILL NO. BL2017-656 would name the bridge over I-40 / I-65 between 11th Avenue North & 12th Avenue North along the 1100 block of Jefferson Street in honor of Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III. Surprisingly this proves controversial. Metro has a policy of not naming streets after living persons but can name structures. It looks like there is some sort of petty jealousy among the Black members of the Council. There is a failed attempt to defer the bill and it then passes on a roll call vote of Council member Sharon Hurt voting "no," 29 voting "yes," four abstentions and six not voting. For the discussion see timestamp 2:47:30- 3:08:08.

Bills on Third Reading: These are 24 bills on Third Reading and not much that is of interest. Most are rezoning bill and they have all been approved by the Planning Commission. Here is this ones of interest.  

BILL NO. BL2016-483 requires the police department to provide a quarterly report to the Council on how many traffic stops were made and what happened as a result of the stops. such as how many pat downs and how many searches and the race of the person stopped. This has been deferred a couple times before. This information is already available upon request. This appears to serve no purpose other than to show sympathy for the concern of Black activist. It passes on a roll call vote of 26 yes, 6 no, and 2 abstentions.
BILL NO. BL2017-581   grants full investigative authority to the Metropolitan Auditor in order to allow for independent audits and reviews of all Metropolitan Government departments, boards and commissions as well as the performance of contracts by entities that contract with the Metropolitan Government. It passes on a voice vote.
SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. BL2017-585 and  BILL NO. BL2017-586 (as amended) expands animal protections. 585 adds protections for pregnant animals, nursing animals and young animals from extreme cold or hot weather. 586 expands existing protections for animals, county-wide where as now the protections only apply in the USD. They pass on a voice vote.
BILL NO. BL2017-588  raises water rates. It amends the graduated storm water user fee schedule. This fee is part of one's water bill and pays for the handling of storm water runoff. Those with larger homes or other impervious surfaces greater than 2,000 feet would pay more under this change. This passed on a voice vote on Second reading and no one speaking  against it. To read The Tennessean coverage of this issue, follow this link. It passes without discussion.

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Mayor Barry to Deliver State of Metro Address at Bridgestone Arena

Address will be open to the public Wednesday, April 26 at 10:00am

Press release, 4/5/2017- On Tuesday night, the Metro Council passed a resolution filed by the Mayor’s Office announcing that the 54th Annual State of Metro Address will be held at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, April 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

“Over the past year, Nashville has been celebrated as one of the most successful and promising cities in the United States—a diverse, forward-thinking, vibrant hub for culture, business and more,” said Mayor Megan Barry. “Yet, with new economic opportunity and growth comes a responsibility to ensure we continue to support the long-time residents and businesses that make up the heart of Nashville. At this year’s State of Metro, I look forward to sharing my vision for how we can harness this growth and ensure that we continue this momentum in an equitable and sustainable way that will improve the quality of life for all of Nashville.”

The State of Metro Address will include important details about the Mayor’s budget proposal, which will be presented to the Metro Council following the event. In addition to remarks from Mayor Barry, the event will include performances by the Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands Marching Band, the city’s youth poet laureate, and a special musical guest.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend. For counting purposes only, attendees can RSVP at 54som.eventbrite.com. Seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Anyone requesting accommodations due to disabilities should contact Jerry Hall, ADA Coordinator, at 615-862-8960 or Jerry.Hall@nashville.gov.
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State legislature to stop Nashville's rental price-fixing policy from taking effect.

Thanks to the State legislature, Nashville again is being stymied in becoming the beacon of liberalism it would like to be. It we are not yet the San Francisco of the South, it is thanks to the State legislature. In September of 2016 the Metro Council passed SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. BL2016-133  which  was a rental housing price-fixing measure often called "inclusionary zoning." The bill passed unanimously.  While there is a small handful of self-identified Republicans in the Council, they almost always vote just like everyone else.  This would have been an opportunity for those Republicans to take a principled stand against a very liberal proposal, but they did not. The "conservatives" in the metro council routinely vote for things like limousine price-fixing and rental price-fixing and corporate welfare and seldom take a stand against Nashville's liberal policies.

Proponents of the Council's inclusionary zoning bill will tell you that it is really not inclusionary zoning, because technically it does not mandate that a developer build affordable housing.  Before Nashville passed its version of inclusionary zoning, the State legislature had already passed a bill to prohibit cities from mandating that a portion of any new construction had to be set aside as "affordable."  The law tried to make it clear that a city could not mandate directly or indirectly that a portion of housing had to be set aside for work-force or affordable housing.

Nashville's mayor and metro council and planning bureaucrats thought they would work around the intend of the State legislature.  The plan devised by Nashville did not mandate directly but set conditions that made it almost impossible to develop rental housing without  sitting aside affordable units. Nashville's version of inclusionary zoning, scheduled to take effect in June of this year, said that any developer seeking to build five or more rental units and who requested a zoning variance of any kind would have to include a percentage of affordable housing.  A variance may allow greater height, for instance, than allowed by the standard zoning.  In order to make the math work and the development possible almost all developers of rental complexes have to get a variance.

Glen Casada is sponsoring a bill that would prohibit Nashville's version of inclusionary zoning. Below is the bill summary from the State legislative website.

Bill Summary

Present law:

(1) Prohibits a local governmental unit from enacting, maintaining, or enforcing any zoning regulation, requirement, or condition of development imposed by land use or zoning ordinances, resolutions, or regulations or pursuant to any special permit, special exception, or subdivision plan that requires the direct or indirect allocation of a percentage of existing or newly constructed private residential or commercial rental units for long-term retention as affordable or workforce housing; and
(2) Authorizes a local governmental unit to create or implement an incentive-based program designed to increase the construction and rehabilitation of moderate or lower-cost private residential or commercial rental units.

This bill rewrites (1) and (2) above as follows:

(1) Prohibits a local government unit, or any subdivision or instrumentality thereof, from enacting, maintaining, or enforcing any ordinance, resolution, regulation, rule, or other requirement that:

(A) Requires the direct or indirect allocation of existing or newly constructed private residential or commercial rental units to be sold or rented at below market rates;
(B) Conditions any zoning change, variance, building permit, or any change in land use restrictions or requirements, on the allocation of existing or newly constructed private residential or commercial rental units to be sold or rented at below market rates; or
(C) Requires a person to waive the person's constitutionally protected rights related to real property in order that the local government unit can increase the number of existing or newly constructed private residential or commercial rental units that would be available for purchase or lease at below market rates within the jurisdiction of the local government unit; and

(2) Authorizes a local government unit to create or implement a purely voluntary incentive-based program designed to increase the construction or rehabilitation of workforce or affordable private residential or commercial rental units, which may include providing local tax incentives, subsidization, real property or infrastructure assistance, or any other incentive that makes construction of affordable housing more economical, so long as no power or authority granted to the local government unit to regulate zoning or land use planning is used to incentivize or leverage a person to develop, build, sell, or rent housing at below market value.

This bill declares as void and unenforceable any local regulations that are in conflict with this bill.

I have spoken with Glen Casada about this issue from time to time and am pleased that he has taken the action he has taken.  If there is one person who gets the credit for keeping Nashville a relatively sane city, it is Glen Casada. 

I was never convinced that Nashville's version of inclusionary zoning would take effect.  Even before the Council passed the plan, Casada and other legislators where aware of what was happening.  Also, if the State would not have acted, a law suit would have likely been filed challenging the legality of the measure. State legislation is a much more certain way to resolve this than a lawsuit. Casada's bill seems likely to pass.  It has already passed the house and is scheduled for a Senate committee action tomorrow.

For everything I have posted reporting on this issue follow this link.

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What's on the Council agenda for April 4th, 2017? Anti-Trump bill, sidewalks, surveillance cameras, driving while Black, animal protections.

The Metro Council will meet Tuesday, April 4th, 2017 at 6:30 PM in the Council chamber at the Metro Courthouse.  Council meetings are really boring and I watch them so you can be a well-informed citizen of our city and still not have to watch them. If, however, you are going to watch the council meeting, you really need the agenda and  the Council staff analysis, otherwise you will be clueless about what is going on.  Follow the highlighted links above to view the agenda and staff analysis.

There are seven appointment to Boards and Commissions on the agenda and you can expect all to be approved unanimously.  There are 29 bills on First Reading but bills on First Reading are all lumped together and pass by a single vote except in rare cases. I usually do not read bills until they get to Second Reading. There is one bill on First that needs watching; BILL NO. BL2017-586 (as amended)  would curtain the rights of people to rent their home for Short Term Rental such as Airbnb.


There is one resolution and  20 bills on Public Hearing, and most of them are zoning bills.  Public Hearings are real boring unless the property under discussion is next door to you.  Opposition to rezoning usually boils down to (1) impact on the capacity of infrastructure such as roads and schools, (2) potential to cause flooding, or (3) negative impact on the quality and character of the neighborhood.  I don't even try to gain an understanding of every zoning bill or form an opinion of its merits. I try to point out those that have wider implication than one neighborhood or that I have reason to believe will be particularly controversial or has already been to the Planning Commission and been disapproved. Below are the Public Hearing items of interest.

SECOND SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. BL2016-493  is the sidewalk bill which tightens up the requirements that developers build sidewalks. This makes it more difficult for a developer to pay money into a fund rather than build sidewalks.  I am unsure if this requires a developer to build a a sidewalk when there are no other sidewalks on the street. This has been deferred about three times before. Since then more work as been done on the bill and it is expected that this substitute will be substituted yet again. If you are interested in this topic, I suggest you read the staff analysis. 
BILL NO. BL2017-641   and BILL NO. BL2017-642  are two bills disapproved by the Planning Commission. The first one cancels a PUD on a property and second rezones the property for a self-storage facility. I do not have an opinion on the merits of the bills but am simply pointing out that they are disapproved bills. To pass a disapproved bill requires 26 votes whereas an approved bill only requires a majority of those voting. The sponsor has to count votes to pass an unapproved bill. If a couple council members are not present and a couple are not in the room or paying attention, it can be difficult to pass a disapproved bill. The press generally and some community activist and some Council members take a view that a disapproved bill should never be approved.  Voting for a disapproved bill is often called "councilmanic courtesy," meaning the council follows the will of the council representative of a district when it comes to zoning issues in their district. While I think the recommendation of the Planning Commission should be taken very seriously, I do not think they should never be overridden. If the Council was to always just rubber stamp the Planning Commission, then why not just make the Planning Commission the final authority? 

There are 19 resolutions on the consent agenda. Resolutions on "consent" are passed by a single vote of the council instead of being voted on individually. If a resolution has any negative votes in committee it is taken off of consent.  Also any council member may ask to have an item taken off of consent or to have his abstention or dissenting vote recorded.  Most of the resolutions are routine things like accepting grants. Here are the couple resolutions of interest. 

RESOLUTION NO. RS2017-640  proposes several amendments to the Metro Charter.  If approved by the Council, the proposed charter amendments would go on the ballot to be voted on by the public in August 2019.  This would do nothing substantial. Anywhere were the term “tax assessor” is used in the Charter it would change it to “assessor of property.” This is to conform to a State change. The staff analysis says this should be deferred.
RESOLUTION NO. RS2017-642  ask Judge Moreland to resign. This is a little late;

he has already resigned.  If you have not kept up with the sordid scandal involving Judge Moreland, it involved having sex with women who was before his court for DWI, then dropping the charges, a suicide of one of the women, bribery attempts, planting of evidence, getting fines dismissed and more. For more, read Nashville Judge Casey Moreland resigns amid federal corruption charges and Judge Casey Moreland Arrested, Charged With Witness Tampering.

Bills on Second Reading. There are 15 bills on Second Reading. Most of them are abandoning unneeded sewer easements and water easements and other routine business. These are the bill of interest.

BILL NO. BL2016-498   requires approval by the Metropolitan Council for obstructions or excavations which close or occupy any portion of the public right of way for a period in excess of one (1) year. This seems reasonable to me.  I am all for accommodating growth, but the right of the public to use public streets needs to be balanced with that accommodation.
BILL NO. BL2017-643  would set a standard for awarding economic incentive grants. It says, "the amount of the economic and community development incentive grant during any year will be determined by multiplying the average number of new full time equivalent employees of the qualified company within the boundaries of the metropolitan government during the preceding year by an amount up to five hundred dollars."  I am tired of corporate welfare but the reality is that companies have got cities to engage in a bidding war and they will go to the city offering a good incentive. While  I do not like this way of doing business, it is hard to stop competing. We almost have to play the game.  However, their needs to be a standard as to when the incentive is worth it. This may not be a perfect standard but as of now, we have no standard. I support this.
BILL NO. BL2017-644  is a bill aimed at President Trump. It would prohibit the use

Metro Council to the President: Do not come to Nashville without
three years income tax returns

of any public facility or property by a President or candidate unless that individual has made public their income tax returns for the three (3) most recent taxable years. The Council has no business getting involved in this controversy. I oppose this bill.
BILL NO. BL2017-645   would allow passengers in horse-drawn carriages to drink and ride as long as the beverage was in a plastic or Styrofoam cup. This sounds reasonable to me.
BILL NO. BL2017-646   would prohibit a company from installing surveillance equipment, such as cameras and 16 other types of technology that captured activity on a public sidewalk or street without prior Council approval.  I understand the civil

liberties implication of constant surveillance.  On the other hand, a lot of crimes have been solved by private cameras that have captured illegal activity.  I do not see much difference between what a camera may capture and what a security guard may witness. However, this is one of those issues about which I am conflicted and as of now, I do not have firm position. 

Bills on Third Reading: These are 24 bills on Third Reading and not much that is of interest. Most are rezoning bill and they have all been approved by the Planning Commission. Here is this one of interest.  

BILL NO. BL2016-483 would require the police department to provide a quarterly report to the Council on how many traffic stops were made and what happened as a result of the stops. such as how many pat downs and how many searches and the race of the person stopped. This has been deferred a couple times before.
BILL NO. BL2017-581  would grant full investigative authority to the Metropolitan Auditor in order to allow for independent audits and reviews of all Metropolitan Government departments, boards and commissions as well as the performance of contracts by entities that contract with the Metropolitan Government.
SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. BL2017-585 and  BILL NO. BL2017-586 (as amended) expands animal protections. 585 adds protections for pregnant animals, nursing animals and young animals from extreme cold or hot weather. 586 expands existing protections for animals, county-wide where as now the protections only apply in the USD.
BILL NO. BL2017-588  would amend the graduated storm water user fee schedule. This fee is part of one's water bill and pays for the handling of storm water runoff. Those with larger homes or other impervious surfaces greater than 2,000 feet would pay more under this change. This passed on a voice vote on Second reading and no one speaking  against it. To read The Tennessean coverage of this issue, follow this link.

To watch the Council meeting, you can go to the courthouse and watch the meeting in person, or you can watch the broadcast live at Metro Nashville Network's Government TV on Nashville's Comcast Channel 3 and AT&T's U-verse 99 and it is streamed live at the Metro Nashville Network's livestream site. You can catch the meeting the next day (or the day after the next) on the Metro YouTube channel.   If can stand the suspense and just wait I will post the video here and provide commentary.

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Lamar Alexander proposes Obamacare patch

Senator Lamar Alexander has proposed a common sense piece of legislation that would provide a temporary fix to Obamacare for those who live in areas where there are no insurers selling policies on the Obamacare exchanges. The proposed legislative would do two things. First, it would let people who get subsidies use that subsidy to purchase any state-approved insurance plan.  The insurance plans not sold on the exchange may offer less coverage than those sold on the exchange.  As an example, a plan not sold on the exchange may not offer maternity coverage.

The second thing Alexander's plan would do is remove the tax penalty for failing to buy a policy when there is no policy offered on the exchange.  Currently 16 counties in Tennessee have no insurer for 2018.  Currently, one in three counties in the nation have just one insurer in the local market.  The number of counties with only one insurer and the counties with no insurer are expected to increase in 2018.  While Alexander's plan sounds like a very reasonable proposal to me, I expect it to be be met with opposition.

Liberals will see any accommodation as a retreat from Obamacare and will argue that instead of retreat that the government needs to poor more money into the system to entice more insurers to participate in the exchanges.  I also would suspect that some conservatives will hold out for a full collapse of Obamacare and will view any modification as propping it up. We will see. Action must take place soon to avoid a crisis. Insurers are now setting rates and designing plans to meet a June deadline.  Alexander is to be commended for being the adult in the room. (For more see this link and this one.)

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April 5th is deadline for property tax relief.

Nashville has experienced steady growth for a number of years but rapid growth in the last three years that continues.  Something like 30,000 people a year move to Nashville.  This is pushing up property values.  One may drive down a street that one haven't been on in a while and hardly recognize it.  As a home goes on the market, it is purchased, the existing house torn down and a larger very expensive home goes up in its place. I am shocked at some of the places they are building homes and the prices the sellers are getting.

Nashville is currently undergoing a reappraisal. Property is reappraised not to bring in more tax revenue but to equalize taxes so that those with more expensive property pay more taxes than those in more modest homes. Some people will get a shock when they discover what their property is worth.  Mayor Barry, to her credit, has said she will not raise taxes this year.  By law, a reappraisal can not increase revenue to the government. Following the reappraisal, the local government must approve a new lower certified tax rate that raises no more money than the old tax rate.  Often however, politicians see this as an opportunity to slip in a tax increase, and immediately after adopting the new certified tax rate, they adopt a tax increase tax rate.  Citizens often do not understand what has happened and blame the increase in property taxes on the reappraisal.

So, who will see a tax increase due to the property mass reappraisal?  If you live in an area that has had property values increase greater than the average increase in values, you can expect a property tax increase.  If property values increased at rate less that the average, you should expect a decrease in property taxes.  The already highly desirable areas to live saw increases but more modest increases in value than in the newly "gentrifying" neighborhoods, like The Nations, Woodbine, Englewood, and parts of East Nashville. If you live in a modest neighborhood but every time a house goes on the market it is torn down and replaced by a much larger expensive home, you are likely to have big tax increase.

I don't have much sympathy for those who recently purchased a $275,000 house in Woodbine; they can afford the taxes.  For those who paid $36,000 for their Woodbine home in 1990, they may have a whopper of an increase. I have sympathy for those whose income did not increase as property values were increasing. I especially have sympathy for those on a fixed income.  There is however relief for many of these people. Here are three programs that may help many of those people:

• Tax freeze: A tax "freeze" means the homeowner would continue to pay the same taxes they are paying now even if the reappraisal determines they should pay more. Any homeowner who is 65 or older and earns less than $41,660 may be eligible for a tax freeze. 
• Tax relief: Tax"relief" is reimbursement from the state for some or all of the property taxes a homeowner paid in a given year. Metro may match the state relief. Homeowners who are 65 and older or disabled and earn less than $29,180 a year may be eligible for tax relief. 
• Tax deferral: Homeowners may be able to defer payment on their taxes until they die or they sell their property. To be eligible, homeowners must be 65 or older or disabled and have a combined income of less than $25,000. 

The deadline for applying for these programs is April 5th. Apply in person at the office of the Metro Trustee, Charlie Caldwell. The office is located at 700 Second Avenue South, Suite 220,
Nashville, the old Howard School location.  Applications must be filed by April 5th each year. New applicants must go in person to the Trustees office  but no appointment is required. There are certain documents one must bring with them. Go the the website of  Office of the Trustee or call that office at (615) 862-6330 to know what to bring. The office is open from 8AM to 4:30PM but applicants need to arrive at the Trustee's office by 3:00PM. Charlie Cardwell is nice man and runs a good office and people in his office are very nice and helpful.

If you think you may be eligible, don't hesitate to apply.  If you have employees or friends or relatives who may be eligible, tell them about these programs.

In my other existence, when I am not a political blogger, I am a housing counselor with a non-profit, HUD-approved housing counseling agency.  If you are making house payments and worried you may not be able to afford your home and need advice about what to do, give me a call.  There are often solutions to avoiding foreclosure and sometimes there is a possibility of getting mortgage payments reduced to  lower payments. Call me for a phone consultation or an appointment. There is no cost to the client for the service I provide. Call Rod Williams 615-850-3453.

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1st Tuesday guest is Senator Mark Green

From Tim Skow:

1ST TUESDAY Members and friends,
A ''dream come true'' for a former college basketball player ... [even if was just on the Freshman

Senator Mark Green

team] is your school to become the next to team to win it all! [GO GONZAGA!]

A ''dream come true'' for a West Point graduate is to be nominated by the President to become the next Secretary-of-the-Army.

On Tuesday, April 4th our next 1ST TUESDAY speaker will be President Trump's choice for the next Secretary of the Army, TN State Senator MARK GREEN! [see link below] WHAT TIMING! This will be a historic day at 1ST TUESDAY. Need I saw more?

As usual, doors at Waller Law [511 Union Street -27th floor] open at 11am. Event lunch is at 11:30, $20 for Members -- $25 for Guests. Lunch must be pre-ordered Monday. A large crowd is expected. Soooo, if you too would like to ''JOIN US'' please DON'T hesitate. Secure seating at 1st Tuesday Nashville and click on ''JOIN US''.

Pass the word and share with those you know. See you on Tuesday, April 4th for 1ST TUESDAY with the Secretary-to-be !!

Thanks!
 Tim Skow Host of 1ST TUESDAY
PS -- 1] TN Senator Bob Corker is our next guest on Monday, April 24
2] Parking under the building is just $7 for 2 hours. Space is limited
3] article link is http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2017/04/01/trump-nominate-tennessees-mark-green-secretary-army/99897966/

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