What to Watch

Council has, on the whole, been fairly quiet so far this term. Nonetheless, I am watching a few items as they move through Council.

• How we negotiate our technology fees. We have had two separate technology-based contracts come through Council since the term started. The first was a contract for website maintenance. The second is a bundled contract for software. While both contracts are terminable at will, they each lock Council out of effective oversight while being seemingly out of step with the market. They also potentially perpetuate our inability to be nimble and responsive to tech changes in real time. As we continue this term, we will need to work directly with Metro offices to make sure our technology procurement processes can be reexamined, brought into 2023, and work with our needs.

• Changes to subdivision regulations. The Planning Department has been working on updates to cluster subdivision regulations. I am generally in favor of compact developments, but I have some concerns about the open space requirements being proposed. One concern is that the text of the legislation contains considerable vagueness in its definition of “useable open space.” Another concern is that, though the amendment purports to rely on Plan to Play, there is no requirement that the useable open spaces be available for public use as suggested within Plan to Play. I am also concerned that Planning staff admits that this cluster development plan is not in line with Nashville Next but instead just a partial step. I will continue to watch this bill as it goes through Council and public hearings and will push for a bill that better reflects Nashvillians’ wants and needs, as reflected in both Plan to Play and Nashville Next.

East Bank Updates

East Bank negotiations are still in their early stages, but lots of folks have questions! I will be holding open offices coffee hours around the County after Thanksgiving so people can come and learn more about the state of all things East Bank. Stay tuned for more on that schedule.

In the meantime, if you’re a contractor looking to work on the Stadium, the Titans have set up an informational website. I encourage everyone to check it out.

News Around Town & Helpful Links

I am delighted that Council is able to support Safe Bar and am looking forward to the continued rollout of this program.

Public calendar notices can be found here.

Imagine Nashville is collecting survey responses from Nashvillians about the City we want to see. I hope you’ll complete one here.

Please consider mowing over your leaves and letting them do their work feeding your lawn. Also, where possible, it is best to leave twigs and brush to overwinter. The leaves, twigs, and brush are valuable habitats and nutrients for our environment, and they provide beautiful visual interest, too! But, should you need it, you can find the brush pickup schedule here.

For fastest repair and attention, please put all maintenance requests into Hub Nashville.

NES is working to replace old street lights with new ones. Until that process is complete, please report streetlight outages here.

Something to Leave You With

70 years ago as of November 29, ABC started broadcasting in Nashville.

I’m currently reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I just finished The Vaster Wilds, and Roman Stories is next in my queue. I hope you’re reading something enjoyable right now. If you’re having trouble finding a good book, I encourage you to download the Library’s Libby app!

The coldest ever recorded temperature in Nashville on Thanksgiving was -1^o F  in 1950. I am thankful we won’t be nearly that cold this year!