Nashville Mayor’s Budget Addresses Domestic Violence, Pre-K, Bus Service

Mayor Karl Dean delivers his State of Metro address on Wednesday. (Bobby Allyn/WPLN)

Delivering his plans for the next budget year overlooking the redeveloped trolley barns at Rolling Mill Hill, Mayor Karl Dean said Nashville is now “reaping the benefits” of keeping taxes low, investing in big projects and prioritizing education.

The new $1.8 billion budget, about half of that money coming from property taxes, will go toward operating the city and launching some new initiatives.

Dean said the city’s economy is on a tear from strong job growth, rising construction permits and ballooning sales tax revenue.

The cornerstone of Dean’s new budget is the launch of a Victim Resource Center (which will be housed in the Ben West building) with a staff of ten to help victims of domestic violence navigate the courts system and provide them with other support. Half of all violent crimes in Nashville, Dean said, are connected to domestic violence.

“For many domestic violence victims, they’re not just confronting their offender — which is a stressful and intimidating experience for any crime victim — they are also having to rest their life,” Dean said on Wednesday.

Funding schools is the biggest piece of the budget pie. Although the city will be giving public schools $5 million less than what they asked for, the $27.5 million is 4 percent increase over the last budget.

The funds will support the updating and expansion of crowded schools, and it will grow the free pre-kindergarten program that Jesse Register, director of schools, requested.

“Expanding early childhood learning opportunities for Nashville’s children is an untapped well of opportunity for improving education outcomes for our students,” Dean said.

Other notable programs:

• Dean says he’s planning to file legislation with the Metro Council to give domestic partners of city employees health insurance. He said it’s a sign that the city embraces individual dignity and personal choices. If it passes, Nashville will be the third Tennessee city to do so.

• Starting in the fall, Metro high school students will be able to ride MTA buses for free. In an interview after the speech, Metro Schools Director Jesse Register called this “a big assist for us,” since transporting students to, say, some Magnet schools is “a pretty big price tag for us.”

• While the Amp was scarely mentioned, Dean did announce extending new and improved bus services down Charlotte Avenue and down Nolensville Road – areas that have high concentrations of bus riders.

• The mayor has come under attack for focusing too much on big-ticket projects like the new convention city and the new ballpark. But this budget includes significant money dedicated to quality of life improvements, like new sidewalks, bike lanes, new road pavings and bus shelters

Even though the city’s new budget is balanced, it doesn’t necessarily mean the city’s financial house is without its share of critics.

School Board member Will Pinkston said drawing on the city’s reserve funds for reoccurring expenses (basically dipping into a savings account for a bill that comes up every year) is not the best way to stay on sure financial footing.

“Responsible budgeting dictates that we shouldn’t get into the habit of using those one-time funds to cover recurring expenses,” Pinkston said in a statement.

The city is currently $3.8 billion in debt, and about 10 percent of city’s operating budget is dedicated to paying that down.

In a briefing to city council members after Dean’s speech, Rich Riebling, the city’s finance director, said the city is winnowing it away at a good clip.