State tempers bill stripping special taxes tied to Nashville’s convention center

State Republicans have dialed back an attempt to defund Nashville’s convention center. But there’s a catch. They’re talking about giving the state more control over the convention center’s spending.

Republican lawmakers had planned to strip Nashville’s ability to charge a special tax related to the convention center. That could have messed up the city’s credit and put other projects in jeopardy.

Lawmakers are no longer pursuing that. Instead, they want to have the final say over how convention center tax money is spent. Republicans now propose giving the commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration the power to review any project that costs more than $25 million.

Bill Bradley, the former state budget office director, took issue with that provision during a recent committee meeting at the legislature.

“In effect it gives the commissioner of finance of the state veto power over decisions of all nine members of the [Convention Center Authority] board. It’s unprecedented so far as I can see,” said Bradley. “It in effect, establishes a one-person state board for purposes of capital projects approval.”

State Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, sits on the committee. He says the finance commissioner shouldn’t be made into the czar of the convention center’s capital expenses.