Metro Nashville Will Receive More Than $200M In CARES Act Aid — But It Won’t Fix Budget Woes

Nashville’s government agencies will receive more than $229 million from the federal CARES Act.

Nearly half, or $121 million, goes to the city government. Additional chunks go to the school district, WeGo transit agency and federal housing programs.

The funds, though, mostly cannot be relied on to balance the budget. Mayor John Cooper said restrictions govern the relief aid.

“There is no cavalry coming to the rescue,” he said this week. “The federal funding that is available to Nashville, either directly or through the state, are subject to three rules: [it] has to be spent this year and in a COVID response, but it cannot replace anything that has been in your budget.”

That noted, Metro Finance leaders say they’ll seek the maximum flexibility for the funds.

Metro intends to audit its use of CARES Act dollars on a quarterly basis.

The following breakdown of recipients was published by Metro Finance.

Metro Finance Department

This table shows where CARES Act dollars flowing into Metro agencies.