After Supreme Court ruling, Nashville officials grapple with reducing Metro Council size
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo illustration: Allie Carl/Axios. Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
Over the last three years, Metro Council members Rollin Horton and Brenda Gadd have proved to be two of the city's more consequential leaders.
- Yes, but: It's realistic that Horton and Gadd, whose West Nashville districts border each other, could be forced to run against each other in 2027.
Driving the news: The Supreme Court's ruling last week affirmed a state law that reduces the size of the council from 40 to no more than 20 members.
- Now it falls to Metro Council, Vice Mayor Angie Henderson and other city officials to implement the law.
Friction point: There are already murmurs out of the Metro Courthouse that there isn't enough time to have the reduced council in place for the August 2027 election.
- The line of logic is partly political. Incumbents probably preserve their jobs if council remains at 40 members until the next election in 2031.
- In the example of Horton and Gadd, their districts could remain the same if the count stays at 40, and they could collaborate on issues instead of becoming opponents for a hypothetical new district that spans the Nations, Sylvan Park and White Bridge Road.
- On the other hand, legitimately complicated legal and logistical questions have to be answered because the way Nashville's legislative branch functions will be completely overhauled.
What she's saying: "We've long understood there would be a wide variety of questions that would need to be addressed if we had to resize the council," Henderson tells Axios. "But at this juncture, we're in an analytical holding pattern."
Here are the issues that must be addressed before council is slashed and why some say there isn't enough time to pull it off before next year:
How many at-large
Council currently consists of 35 district members representing smaller parts of town and five at-large members who represent the entire county.
- It has to be determined whether to keep five at-large members or reduce to three, two or, perhaps, zero.
Drawing the lines
The district boundaries must be redrawn by Metro Planning, which already handles the once-a-decade redistricting process.
- Using data, the planning staff figures to present multiple options and to solicit public feedback.
- It's likely that some incumbents who intend to run for reelection next year could be drawn into the same district — which would bring into play the hypothetical scenario, as an example, of Horton and Gadd facing off.
Hiring more staff
Currently, the job of a council member is a part-time gig. But reducing the number of elected positions would increase the amount of constituent services and rezoning work each member must handle.
- To meet the demand, council could require more administrative staff.
Under Henderson, several reforms have already been implemented, including fewer council committees, longer consent agendas and new positions to handle public information requests and social media.
- At least some council members are intrigued by the idea of cutting down to even fewer than 20 members so the jobs could become full time with fully staffed offices.
Fixing the charter
The current charter has references to the number of council positions and specific vote thresholds required to pass certain kinds of legislation.
- With no more than 20 members, those references must be cleaned up, but only voters can approve charter amendments.
Zoom in: That leads to the question of whether the charter must be amended prior to the reduced council taking effect. If that's the case, then there may not be time to hold a special charter referendum before the regularly scheduled August Metro election.
The other side: Republican lawmakers are tracking how Metro responds. If they perceive Nashville elected officials are dragging their feet, they could intervene in the next legislative session.
- Since the Supreme Court has ruled the law is constitutional, the Legislature could pass specific legislation setting deadlines for when the reduction must take place.
What's next: A special charter revision committee meeting is planned for next week so council can ask Metro legal officials questions of about how to move forward.