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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Nashville. Written by Nate Rau and Adam Tamburin.

Axios Nashville

Axios Nashville Thought Bubble

To ensure that the new Geodis Park has an authentic Nashville vibe, the Nashville SC collaborated with local artists to fill the new stadium.

Driving the news: Among the artwork is a guitar built by luthier Manuel Delgado of East Nashville's Delgado Guitars.

Delgado has been asked to custom make guitars as artwork in the past. He made a guitar for Maker's Mark and another for Arrow McLaren Racing, which was built using parts from one of the company's race cars.

For the guitar at Geodis Park, Delgado used leftover materials from the stadium's construction. 

Why it matters: The collaboration with the SC is just the latest example of Delgado Guitars' inroads in Nashville's creative community. The company, which relocated to Nashville in 2005, counts band members from Old Crow Medicine Show and Los Lobos among its clients.

Delgado tells Axios the collaboration with the Nashville SC was especially meaningful because the team prioritized working with artists from diverse cross-sections of the city.

"As a small business owner — we've been in business 94 years — but you're always trying to figure out ways to stay relevant and to stay in business, to be quite frank," Delgado says.

Details: Delgado matched the colors used to paint the back of the guitar to the Nashville SC's proprietary uniform colors.

But the guitar at Geodis Park isn't just a pretty piece of art. The instrument, which is on display in a suite inside the stadium, can actually be played.

What he's saying: "I'm a luthier. I handmake musical instruments," Delgado says. "There's no machines — I'm making it. The instrument has to be the most important thing." 

"But if we can do something visually that brings in somebody who may not be in this [musical] pool that we're swimming in, and we can make a connection to whatever their interests are, I think that's really meaningful."

Delgado Guitars brings Nashville vibe to Geodis Park

Manuel Delgado used leftover materials from the stadium's construction to make the guitar.

Luthier Manuel Delgado and his family pose with the guitar he custom built for Geodis Park. 

Luthier Manuel Delgado and his family pose with the guitar he custom-built for Geodis Park. Photo: courtesy of Delgado Guitars

To ensure that the new Geodis Park has an authentic Nashville vibe, the Nashville SC collaborated with local artists to fill the new stadium.Driving the news: Among the artwork is a guitar built by luthier Manuel Delgado of East Nashville&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Delgado Guitars" data-vars-click-url="https://delgadoguitars.com/" data-vars-content-id="2221cadd-0d22-4ee2-9a8f-86c069dfcc56" data-vars-headline="Delgado Guitars brings Nashville vibe to Geodis Park" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://delgadoguitars.com/" target="_blank">Delgado Guitars</a>.

Business

Driving the news: Metro Council begins reviewing the city's $2.96 billion operating budget with hearings on Wednesday. 

The top officials from each city department will appear before the budget and finance committee to discuss their spending plans.

Why it matters: Mayor John Cooper proposed the largest increase in Metro Nashville Public Schools spending in city history as well as the first dedicated funding source for affordable housing initiatives.

Metro is also two years removed from the largest property tax increase in Nashville history. Combined with federal pandemic relief funds and a better-than-expected economic recovery, the city is positioned to both grow its reserves and increase spending this year.

Be smart: Watching these hearings is the best way to understand how the city budget comes together. A full schedule is on the council website and more resources — including detailed budget documents — can be found here.

Get involved: Your chance to weigh in on the proposed budget is 6:30pm on June 7 with a public hearing at the historic Metro courthouse.

What she's saying: Metro Councilmember Burkley Allen, who chairs the budget and finance committee, tells Axios the headlining issue in this year's budget is the increased spending on affordable housing and programs to combat homelessness.

"Now that's good," Allen tells Axios. "I think the devil's in the details for how that's distributed."

Allen also expects Metro Council to closely examine whether Cooper's proposed pay raises for Metro and MNPS workers are enough to keep up with inflation and the ever-rising cost of living in Nashville.

Why it matters: Cooper has proposed a 4% cost-of-living increase in addition to regularly scheduled pay raises.

Details: A recent report by the Metro Civil Service Commission concluded that 5% pay raises for government employees would be appropriate.

"Another thing I think we're going to be dealing with is how the salary increase ties into inflation and the HR Department's [Civil Service Commission] review," Allen says. "Four percent seems kind of generous, except they recommended 5%. I think that's a topic that's going to come up."

The intrigue: The Service Employees International Union is pushing to direct more funding to member employees who serve as bus drivers, sign language interpreters, bookkeepers and cafeteria workers. 

Cooper earmarked an additional $91.2 million for MNPS's budget, including pay raises and family medical leave for all district employees.

The school board debated allocating more funding for pay raises at its meeting earlier this month.

What he's saying: "We want a pay plan that is fair and equitable and lifts all support employees, and we are glad that the school board decided to take a closer look themselves before adopting their budget," SEIU Local 205 president Brad Rayson tells Axios.

Metro budget hearings begin this week

Mayor John Cooper proposed the largest increase in MNPS spending in city history.

Illustration of Nashville City Hall with lines radiating from it.

Local government

Welcome to Metro budget season!Driving the news: Metro Council begins reviewing the city&#x27;s $2.96 billion operating budget with hearings on Wednesday. <ul><li>The top officials from each city department will appear before the budget and finance committee to discuss their spending plans.</li></ul>

Politics

It would cost Metro $1.8 billion through 2039 to fulfill its obligations to the Tennessee Titans under the current lease agreement at Nissan Stadium, according to a report the team presented to the Sports Authority on Thursday.

Why it matters: The obligation of the current lease deal is a crucial comparison because the Titans and Mayor John Cooper are negotiating a deal to build a new enclosed stadium next to Nissan.

Cooper said last week the current lease deal is too burdensome for Metro and a new arrangement — one that removes the long-term financial obligation without tapping the city's general fund — is in order.

By the numbers: According to the Titans' report, Metro's total obligation is divided between $945 million — to renovate Nissan and reimburse the franchise for capital costs it has already incurred — and the $894 million it would owe to maintain the stadium through the end of the lease.

A provision of the lease requires the stadium to be kept in a condition similar to other sports venues built around the same time.

The report was produced by consultants for the Titans at the Sports Authority's request, a Titans spokesperson tells Axios.

Yes, but: Metro Councilmember Bob Mendes suggested the Cooper administration should consider funding its own study to determine if the Titans' estimate is accurate.

Cooper spokesperson TJ Ducklo said in a press release, "We have no plans to commission another study to tell us what we already know: renovating the stadium would cost Nashvillians hundreds of millions of dollars."

What he's saying: Titans CEO Burke Nihill tells Axios that the team is confident in the estimate.

Even if another study produced a different dollar figure, Nihill says the conclusion would be the same: "The Sports Authority is facing a large unfunded obligation under the current lease."

Details: Cooper's administration filed the capital improvement budget last week estimating a new stadium will cost up to $2.2 billion.

Cooper says the stadium will be paid for with sales tax revenue produced by fans attending the games and hotel taxes paid by tourists visiting Nashville.

By comparison, there is no funding stream to cover the vast majority of the current lease obligations, which are paid out of the city's general fund.

The Titans, along with the NFL, are expected to contribute in the neighborhood of $700 million. And Gov. Bill Lee's budget that passed this legislative session included $500 million in bonds toward a new stadium.

Report: Stadium lease would cost city $1.8B

It would cost Metro $1.8 billion through 2038 to fulfill its obligations to the Tennessee Titans.

Football

It would cost Metro $1.8 billion through 2039 to fulfill its obligations to the Tennessee Titans under the current lease agreement at Nissan Stadium, according to a report the team presented to the Sports Authority on Thursday.Why it matters: The obligation of the current lease deal is a crucial comparison because the Titans and Mayor John Cooper are negotiating a deal to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="build a new enclosed stadium" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/02/17/tennessee-titans-new-stadium" data-vars-content-id="7c6b9b6b-bd07-456f-a707-bbbae49f7825" data-vars-headline="Report: Stadium lease would cost city $1.8B" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/02/17/tennessee-titans-new-stadium" target="_self">build a new enclosed stadium</a> next to Nissan.

Sports

A federal judge struck down a Tennessee law Tuesday that would have required businesses to post a public notice for allowing transgender people to use restrooms aligned with their gender identity.

Why it matters: Tennessee has emerged as a leader in anti-trans legislation. LGBT+ advocates say the legislation, which passed into law last year, is offensive and transphobic.

Driving the news: Nashville restaurateur Bob Bernstein, who owns Fido and Bongo Java, is a plaintiff in the suit filed by the ACLU, which argued the law violated the First Amendment. Bernstein's businesses allow individuals to decide which bathroom is most appropriate for them.

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger blocked the law from taking effect while the lawsuit continued.

Between the lines: Under the law, businesses like Bernstein's would be required to post a sign saying they had "a policy of allowing the use of restrooms by either biological sex, regardless of the designation on the restroom."

Bernstein called the signs "discriminatory, inaccurate and divisive."

The latest: Trauger struck the law down in a blistering 40-page ruling criticizing the state's position that the required signage was "a simple truthful statement of fact."

Trauger described the law as "a brazen attempt to single out trans-inclusive establishments and force them to parrot a message that they reasonably believe would sow fear and misunderstanding."

Judge strikes bathroom law

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger blocked the law from taking effect while a lawsuit continues.

Illustration of a series of gavels, some of them transparent. 

A federal judge struck down a Tennessee law Tuesday that would have required businesses to post a public notice for allowing transgender people to use restrooms aligned with their gender identity.Why it matters: Tennessee has emerged as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a leader in anti-trans legislation" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/27749033.21/aHR0cHM6Ly9hcG5ld3MuY29tL2FydGljbGUvdGVubmVzc2VlLXRyYW5zZ2VuZGVyLWxhd3MtYjhkODFkNTYyODdkNmVkOWQ1NmM1ZGEyMjAzNTk2YjA_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/613b89d6ca76e632c69b8c4bBd43cdc7b" data-vars-content-id="a8e842f9-33e4-40ff-9b7d-5500411d0c0a" data-vars-headline="Judge strikes bathroom law" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/27749033.21/aHR0cHM6Ly9hcG5ld3MuY29tL2FydGljbGUvdGVubmVzc2VlLXRyYW5zZ2VuZGVyLWxhd3MtYjhkODFkNTYyODdkNmVkOWQ1NmM1ZGEyMjAzNTk2YjA_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/613b89d6ca76e632c69b8c4bBd43cdc7b" target="_blank">a leader in anti-trans legislation</a>. LGBT+ advocates say the legislation, which <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="passed into law last year" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/27749033.21/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGVubmVzc2Vhbi5jb20vc3RvcnkvbmV3cy9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDIxLzA1LzE5L3Rlbm5lc3NlZS1sYXctcmVxdWlyZXMtc2lnbnMtdHJhbnNnZW5kZXItYmF0aHJvb20tdXNlLWFsbG93ZWQvNTE2MTc2MTAwMS8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/613b89d6ca76e632c69b8c4bB73e3ce4d" data-vars-content-id="a8e842f9-33e4-40ff-9b7d-5500411d0c0a" data-vars-headline="Judge strikes bathroom law" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/27749033.21/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGVubmVzc2Vhbi5jb20vc3RvcnkvbmV3cy9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDIxLzA1LzE5L3Rlbm5lc3NlZS1sYXctcmVxdWlyZXMtc2lnbnMtdHJhbnNnZW5kZXItYmF0aHJvb20tdXNlLWFsbG93ZWQvNTE2MTc2MTAwMS8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/613b89d6ca76e632c69b8c4bB73e3ce4d" target="_blank">passed into law last year</a>, is offensive and transphobic.

Three days after Mayor John Cooper's administration filed the capital improvement budget showing a new Titans stadium project would cost $2 billion, officials told Metro Council the actual dollar figure was $2.2 billion.

Metro Council members were alerted to the clerical error during Monday's budget and finance committee meeting.

Why it matters: The capital improvement budget is a spending wish list. If the cost of a project exceeds what is budgeted, it must be amended.

It would take 27 council votes to pass such an amendment — a high bar to clear.

Yes, but: Metro Councilmember Bob Mendes tells Axios he believes the newly filed CIB needs to be amended regardless. 

Mendes takes issue with the description of how a new covered Titans stadium would be funded. 

The document says the stadium will be partially paid for with user-generated sales tax revenue, which Mendes contends is an incomplete description. But the actual amount of sales tax that would be used to pay for the stadium is substantially more than that, he says.

What he's saying: "It's not just people buying Cokes and hotdogs at the stadium," Mendes says. "It's sales tax collections from the massive [approximately 130-acre] development around the stadium."

"Clerical error" increases Titans stadium project estimate

Officials told Metro Council the actual dollar figure was $2.2 billion, not $2 billion.

Nissan Stadium. Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Three days after Mayor John Cooper&#x27;s administration filed the capital improvement budget showing a new Titans stadium project <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="would cost $2 billion" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/05/16/new-titans-stadium-2-billion-nashville" data-vars-content-id="edf1bdbc-494b-48a2-96cc-f0141f2dca25" data-vars-headline="&quot;Clerical error&quot; increases Titans stadium project estimate" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/05/16/new-titans-stadium-2-billion-nashville" target="_self">would cost $2 billion</a>, officials told Metro Council the actual dollar figure was $2.2 billion.<ul><li>Metro Council members were alerted to the clerical error during Monday&#x27;s budget and finance committee meeting.</li></ul>

Nate Rau

Featured stories

Report: Stadium lease would cost city $1.8B

Delgado Guitars brings Nashville vibe to Geodis Park

"Clerical error" increases Titans stadium project estimate

Judge strikes bathroom law

Metro budget hearings begin this week