What to Watch

Here are the items before Council that are at the top of my “watch list.” If there is anything on your watch list that you want to share with me, please reach out.

• Taser purchase contract. MNPD is requesting that we increase a sole source taser purchase contract by $18,305,200 (i.e., increasing a contract valued at $6,500,000 to one for $24,805,200) and allow for an additional 5 year renewal term under that contract. This is a substantial increase in expense and term. I have requested that MNPD provide more information to support need for this substantial increase in a sole source expenditure, including whether this revised expenditure was previously approved in the budget process, current age of taser stock, replacement schedule for taser stock, and support for the sole source nature of the contract.

• How we negotiate our technology fees. Last council meeting we deferred two bills related to technology expenses. The first was a contract for website maintenance. The second is a bundled contract for software. I, as well as other council members, continue to question the size and length of these no bid contracts. Both contracts will be back before council on December 19, 2023. I am submitting a list of questions to our Metro departments regarding these contracts and hope to have more answers and potential paths forward over the next two weeks.

• Changes to subdivision regulations. As mentioned in my last newsletter, the Planning Department has been working on updates to cluster subdivision regulations. In the proposed ordinance, the Planning Department has set forth numerous requirements for “useable open space.” I have yet to receive a good explanation for why we are setting out specific uses for private amenities when those requirements necessarily will increase the cost of home building. 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. I would encourage anyone who has concerns about this bill to plan to speak at the public hearing, which is likely to be set for the January 16, 2024 council meeting.

East Bank Updates

East Bank negotiations are still in their early stages, but lots of folks have questions! I was in District 14 over the weekend and enjoyed meeting residents to discuss the current the East Bank development status. I’ll be holding more open office coffee hours around the County over the next two months so people can come and learn more about the state of all things East Bank. Stay tuned to my social media feeds 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

Public calendar notices can be found here.

Imagine Nashville is still 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

Hanukkah starts on December 7 this year. Nashville will be holding a public menorah lighting on December 11 to celebrate. Once details are finalized, I will share information on my social media accounts.

I just finished reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I am currently reading An Everlasting Meal. Roman Stories is next in my queue, and I am eagerly awaiting notice its availability on my Library’s Libby app!

I grew up ice skating at Centennial Sportsplex and have fond memories of the feeling of being on skates. When the time came in 2021 for my older kids to learn to skate, they did a holiday break edition of Learn to Skate at Centennial Sportsplex. They had so much fun that all three of us took Learn to Skate together for the rest of that winter. Skating is great exercise, and if you’re looking for something for you or your kids to do over the holidays, check out Learn to Skate!