Craddock Pulls NES Charter Amendment

Councilman Michael Craddock has removed an amendment proposed for the Metro charter that would have given the city authority over the NES pay plan.

Craddock admits that the charter amendment was a threat to get Nashville Electric Service to hook up security cameras on utility poles. But it worked.

“That agreement has been signed, sealed and delivered and filed in the Metropolitan Clerk’s office. That was my only goal, to move NES off dead center.”

Council attorneys had already questioned whether the city could legally give itself more authority over NES.

Tonight the Metro Council will vote on other charter revisions that could be placed on the November ballot. One gives more clarity to term limits in the Metro Council, specifying the district and at-large seats as two separate offices.

Another would delay the budget process until later in the year. In 2006, voters approved a revision that pushed the budget deadline for the mayor up by two months. The Council asked voters for the extra time during the Purcell Administration. With Mayor Karl Dean at the helm, some Council members feel the office is now squeezed to prepare the budget. The charter amendment would move the mayor’s deadline for filing a budget from March 25th to May 1st.