Your Turn to Talk: The $3.8 billion dollar Metro Budget

Fifty-seven percent of the mayor’s recommended budget for next year comes from property taxes. Another almost twenty percent comes from local sales tax.

But what are the other funding sources? And what does the budget cover? On today’s episode we cover many of the details of the proposed $3.8 billion spending plan — how the money’s allocated, how metro departments request increases, and the difference between the operating budget and the Capital Improvements Budget. It’s your money, so join us!

Whenever it’s Your Turn to Talk, call 615-760-2000 between noon and 1pm to join the conversation.

Guests

• Councilmember Delishia Porterfield, Chair, Nashville Metro Council’s Budget and Finance Committee
• Mary Jo Wiggins, Assistant Director, Metro Finance Department
• Austin Hornbostel, Metro Reporter, Tennessean
• Dr. Murat Arik, Director, Business and Economic Research Center (BERC), Middle Tennessee State University

Further reading

• Citizens’ Guide to the Metro Budget
• Nashville mayor outlines priorities — and a tax increase — in State of Metro speech (WPLN)
• Mayor O’Connell explains 26% tax increase, spending priorities as budget season gets going (Tennessean)
• With Nashville budget debate looming, some on council may lobby for lower property taxes(Tennessean)
• Judge orders Trump administration to release frozen grants, including $14M for Nashville(Tennessean)