Nashville mayor's $3.8 billion budget plan focused on "basics"
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell on Thursday pledged to focus on "the basics" in his proposed $3.8 billion budget, which would be funded in part by bigger property tax bills for homeowners.
Why it matters: O'Connell's budget is built around fundamental city services, such as building schools, patching potholes and picking up trash. But, he said, it reflects the tough reality that those things are getting more expensive.
What he's saying: "This is a challenging budget to prepare because there are so many financial variables," O'Connell said during his annual State of Metro speech, which touted many of his budget priorities.
- "Our national economic outlook is murky. We're phasing out hundreds of millions of dollars of one-time federal COVID relief funding. And we're experiencing an unpredictable overall federal funding outlook."
Yes, but: O'Connell strove to project an optimistic tone, saying his budget would continue positive momentum for Nashville on several fronts.
- "School performance is up," he said. "Crime is down. People want to be here. And we want to make it easier to stay."
Education: The biggest slice of the local budget proposal is education, which would account for more than a third of the city's spending.
- That includes $64.5 million to continue pandemic-era programs for mental health, college preparation and other initiatives that are running out of emergency COVID funds.
- There is also new funding for security upgrades, 23 new school resource officers and a $15 million infusion to put a nurse in every school.
Housing: O'Connell wants to follow a new report on the city's housing shortage with $45 million to fund housing projects.
- That total includes multiple efforts to chip away at homelessness and $1.7 million to help older residents pay for repairs needed so they can stay in their homes.
The big picture: President Trump's deep cuts to federal spending — and the way those cuts impact Nashville — were a prominent theme during O'Connell's speech, which took place at the downtown library.
- In addition to massive hits to local hospitals and nonprofits, $14 million in grants already allocated to the city were "ghosted," O'Connell said.
The audience cheered loudly when O'Connell vowed to fight back.
- "We're not standing idly by as the federal government tries to cut funding that's legally ours," he said. "We've told them, 'We'll see you in court.'"