New Nashville football stadium plan advances to final Metro Council vote

The ambitious proposal for a new Tennessee Titans football stadium in Nashville has advanced through its second vote and is now one meeting away from approval.

The margin was 25-11 in favor in a vote that took place after midnight, following nearly five hours of discussion. The stadium deal heads to its final vote at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, at a specially called Metro Council meeting that will begin with a public comment period.

The latest vote was crucial because it was the last chance for councilmembers to hammer out tweaks to the deal. That prompted the marathon discussion, as they haggled over more than 30 amendments — though most had little chance of passage and failed quickly.

“We’ve squeezed these negotiations,” said Councilmember Bob Nash. “I’ve never been in negotiations where everybody got every little morsel they wanted. It’s enough.”

The biggest change of the night was the council’s approval of a small ticket fee for events other than football games. Those dollars will go into the city’s general fund.

The council has previously approved an even larger fee structure. But that was narrowed in the latest meeting after significant pushback from the Titans, entertainment booking companies and Mayor John Cooper, whose administration described the higher fee as a “deal-killer.”

“The bottom line is, this is a compromise that has been negotiated with the Titans organization and other partners,” said Councilmember Jennifer Gamble.

Other critics of the deal, like Councilmember Ginny Welsch, say the entire plan has been moving too quickly.

“I don’t know why everybody keeps talking about this as if, ‘We have no choice, we have to do this now, if this goes away, it means the world comes to a halt,’ ” she said.

The Metro Council voted 25-11 to advance the stadium deal to its final consideration on April 25.

Ahead of the vote, opponents gathered outside the courthouse holding signs such as “don’t silence our voices” and “fund schools not stadiums.”

Community activist Odessa Kelly said that for a deal of this magnitude, the cost to Nashvillians is steep.

“So every time you run over a pothole, you think about the billions of dollars that your elected official gave to the Tennessee Titans,” she said.

The mayor struck a different tone in a statement following the vote, praising the council for “diligent and thoughtful consideration.”

“I’m also proud of the transparent and thorough process conducted to consider this proposal, which has included dozens of public meetings and extensive engagement with community and neighborhood groups throughout the city,” Cooper said.

Amid all of the debate, several councilmembers noted that residents had not been allowed to speak at an official public hearing in front of the council. Councilwoman Angie Henderson successfully pushed to make that happen before the final vote.

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Councilwoman Angie Henderson moved for a public hearing on the Titans stadium deal. The hearing is set for April 25.

“This is the biggest decision we will make as a body,” she said. “It just strikes me as inappropriate and tone-deaf that we would not have a public hearing on something of this magnitude.”