Water Supply a Draw for Businesses

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean says the region’s drought has highlighted one of the city’s strengths-and he says businesses are taking notice.

As much of the South has watched its rivers run low and reservoirs drain, the Cumberland River has proved to be a reliable water source for Nashville. Dean told a meeting of the Downtown Exchange Club that the city is fortunate to have an ample supply. And he says it makes Nashville uniquely capable of handling growth.

“This water supply and our water department actually is one of our biggest aids in recruiting businesses. Unlike other cities in the Southeast, we are not facing a problem with water. We have enough water. But we need to make sure that we protect the infrastructure and we protect this resource. And that will be a discussion that we’re gonna have in the months coming up.”

Business relocations and expansions are always considered vital to a city’s tax base, but Dean emphasized that it in the current economy, it’s especially important to increase city revenue.

Along the same lines, he says the need for more city money makes it all the more important to build a new convention center. Dean says it will serve as a revenue source by bringing more visitors into Nashville. However, a portion of the taxes paid by out of towners-those on hotel rooms, rental cars and certain taxi rides-will go directly back into paying for the new center.