The Metro Council’s finance committee approved Davidson County’s $1.5 billion budget last night. The revised version adds back 17 jobs to Metro Parks, Codes and Public Works.
With the revised version, Council members also want to send messages to particular departments by removing portions of their budgets—like the $25,000 removed from the General Sessions court. Charlie Tygard wants the environmental court judge, who deals with Codes violations, to hear all of those cases. Often a special referee is handling those instead.
“That’s a luxury we don’t have now in the bad times, so the intent of that $25,000 from the Budget and Finance committee is to restore a sitting judge, elected judge to that seat, rather than a special referee.”
Councilman Robert Duvall also tried to remove over $100,000 from the Metro Human Relations Commission. Some council members have taken issue with the department’s performance. That amendment did not pass the committee.
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