Mayor O'Connell celebrates approval of Metro's $3.8B

Driving the news: O'Connell was joined by top Metro officials, including council budget and finance committee chair Delishia Porterfield, at the courthouse for a ceremonial signing of the budget ordinance.

• He touted the plan for its investments in education, affordable housing, employee pay raises and public safety, especially youth safety initiatives.
• The budget includes funding for after school programs, more school resource officers and school safety technology.

What he's saying: "This budget is a community improvement program that focuses on quality schools, reliable services and safety we all deserve," O'Connell said at a press conference.

Yes, but: O'Connell also addressed criticisms that come with the property tax increase.

• At its meeting on Tuesday, council approved Porterfield's substitute budget instead of a competing proposal that would have reduced the combined property tax increase to 19%.
• "Last year, we asked across the board for reduced spending from our Metro departments. You could tell they were starting to feel pinches," O'Connell said. "This rate reflects effectively the five-year impact of inflationary pressure on the cost of governing."

The bottom line: Metro finance director Jenneen Reed touted the city's overall financial health, including recent news that its high credit rating was recently renewed by rating agencies.