Breaking down the Metro Nashville budget

On June 21, the Nashville Metro Council passed its $2.9 billion budget for the 2023 fiscal year. 

Metro’s budget approval process can be difficult to navigate, and the citizen’s guide to the budget published by the city includes documents with more than 700 pages. For this episode of Citizen Nashville, we asked local experts listener-submitted questions about the budget.

Later in the show, we’re joined by community members who work in public schools, emergency services, and affordable housing to learn how the new budget will impact their lives, and the work they do for the city.

But first, host Khalil Ekulona and digital lead Anna Gallegos-Cannon respond to listener feedback as part of At Us.

Guests:

• Nicole Williams, columnist at the Nashville Scene and self-described local government obsessive
• Council Member Burkley Allen, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee
• Nina Stroud, paraprofessional with Metro Nashville Public Schools 
• Cyrenthia Arthur, 911 dispatcher and Metro Nashville Emergency Communications chief union steward
• Shirley Marks, co-chair of NOAH affordable housing taskforce

Previous coverage:

• Metro’s codes has struggled to keep up with the development boom. Now it’s getting 35 new hires to help.
• Nashville teachers and school support staff get a pay bump in Metro budget as inflation rises