Affordable housing, employee pay and youth safety: Nashvillians push to be included in a revised city budget

Nashville’s Metro Council is one step closer to finalizing the city budget.

After Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell released his spending proposal earlier this month, the responsibility fell to the council to begin drafting an alternative. Specifically, that task goes to Councilmember Delishia Porterfield, the council’s budget chair (although other members may also propose alternatives).

Before moving forward, the council heard from residents about items they would like to see prioritized. This year, the loudest calls involved affordable housing, youth safety and increased pay for Metro employees.

Many of these items — particularly employee pay — are top of mind for Porterfield.

“Cost of living in Nashville is very expensive, and our city’s been run by working people, and people deserve to be able to live in this county,” Porterfield told This Is Nashville on Thursday. “When we raise employee pay, it helps the city across the board. When our wages are higher, other industries have to raise their wages in order to be more competitive.”

Porterfield also pointed to education and alternatives to traditional policing as budget priorities. That’s largely in line with the most frequent requests made at the public hearing.

Residents swarmed city hall on Tuesday evening to vocalize their wishes. More than 120 speakers claimed their two minutes of airtime. Many were there with various organizing groups — like the Southern Movement Committee, Stand Up Nashville, Moms Demand Action and the People’s Budget Coalition — rallying residents around specific causes.

Youth Safety

Like last year, one of the top asks was the Southern Movement Committee’s Varsity Spending Plan, an effort to improve youth safety and reduce gun violence. Last year, after the public hearing, the substitute budget added $1 million toward opening an Office of Youth Safety, one element of the ask. The group is again asking for a full $10 million to fund restorative justice programming.

“Policing makes our communities, especially my fellow minority peers, feel unsafe and uneasy. It is a time for a different approach,” Mia Ellis said. “We have to complete the entire vision of a safer Nashville, not just partially.”

Pay increases

As is frequently the case during budget hearings, the Service Employees International Union had a significant presence in purple and yellow shirts. Metro employees across departments requested a higher cost-of-living-adjustment, or COLA.

The mayor’s proposal includes a 1% cost-of-living-adjustment for all Metro employees, with a 2% step increase for eligible employees. That’s significantly less than last year’s budget, which included a 4% pay increase for employees.

“Something like the 4% COLA would be extremely beneficial in raising the pay for people so that everyone can take part in our economy,” said Dion Floyd, a supervisor at the Department of Emergency Communications. “Help some of us maybe stay in the city. I, for one, had to leave. I now live over an hour away.”

Affordable housing

Across groups, affordable housing stood out as a top priority.

Stand Up Nashville advocates pushed for the “Campaign for Public Land” — an affordable housing and development platform. The People’s Budget Coalition pointed to their “Housing and Safety for All” plan. Some speakers advocated for support programs for homeless populations, while others asked for funding for the “Eviction Right to Counsel” program, which provides free legal services to people facing an eviction.

A number of affordable housing advocates and developers called for increased dollars for the Barnes Housing Trust Fund, Metro’s go-to tool for increasing affordable housing by offering grants to nonprofit developers. Currently, the Barnes Fund is allocated $6 million less than was last year.

“The Barnes Fund remains that crucial piece of financing that we can use to get across the finish line,” Carter Swayze, a development manager at The Clear Blue Company said. “If I can’t underwrite that grant money and that partnership with our nonprofits, it basically keeps us from proceeding with developing affordable housing.”

How will the city pay for it?

Cynthia Abrams WPLN News

Anti-tax protesters lined up at city hall before the budget hearing began, but none spoke at the hearing.

The mayor’s proposed budget is roughly 15% larger than last year’s. That’s an increase of $522 million and would be possible, in large part, because of a proposed property tax increase.

While anti-tax protesters did show up to city hall, their voices were notably absent from the budget public hearing.

Some councilmembers have expressed concern over the higher tax bills. And, Porterfield said she “will guarantee” that her substitute will not increase the property tax rate above what the mayor has set in his proposal.

“We all — constituents and council members — literally everyone wants more services, but no one wants to pay additional money for those additional services, which means that you have to make cuts to get there,” Porterfield said. “A big part of the conversation has been councilmembers want to see more things in the budget, but again, those things have a price tag on them.”

What’s next?

Porterfield says she will soon introduce her substitute budget, which will be up for consideration at the council meeting on June 17. Other members may introduce amendments, or their own substitute budgets.

The council must agree on one budget by the end of the month. If they do not, the mayor’s proposal will take effect.