Mayor Freddie O'Connell's transit improvement plan has cleared another hurdle in the Metro Council.
The council passed the second reading of the ordinance on its consent agenda at its meeting Tuesday evening. Bills on second reading can be taken up on consent if all committees considering the item recommend approval unanimously. The transit plan was heard and approved unanimously in three committees: Budget and Finance, Planning and Zoning, and Transportation and Infrastructure.
Initial cost would fund new transit centers, bus service improvements and traffic signal upgrades
At the transportation committee meeting Monday, Michael Briggs — the mayor's director of transportation planning — highlighted that the plan approves a sales tax surcharge of $0.005 to fund four key areas: 86 miles of sidewalks, 600 signalized intersections, bus service improvements such as new 24/7 offerings and safety upgrades to bus stops and to 35 high-injury network intersections.
"We estimate 60 percent of the surcharge, the sales tax, being paid by visitors," Briggs said.
He also reminded the members that, after council approval, the plan will go to the election commission to be put on the ballot for voters in November. If approved, the tax will go into effect Feb. 1, 2025.
District 7 Councilmember Emily Benedict asked Briggs to explain how this will allow Metro to tap into new opportunities for federal transit funding. Briggs explained that because Nashville does not currently have its own dedicated transportation funding, it is behind some of its peer cities that are able to tap into federal funds from the bipartisan infrastructure law and other grant opportunities. He said Nashville is one of only four cities without that dedicated funding among 50 top cities.
"That infrastructure act money is money that the federal government is giving away every year to other places but it's our federal income tax dollars that are being used to fund that act," Benedict said. "This is a great way for us to get our income tax that we give to the federal government back right here instead of it going to other places around the country."
A few Metro citizens attended Tuesday's council meeting to share their support for the future transit referendum during the public comment portion of the meeting.
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"Transit presents us with a golden opportunity to re-envision, reengineer and reinvest in our community in a way that truly works for everyone," said Ashley Northington, chair of Moving Forward Middle Tennessee, a regional transit advocacy group supported by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.
"The plan before you tonight is a foundational first step to a better, more sustainable, more connected, more efficient future," Northington added.
Additionally, the transit program received support last week from both the Regional Transportation Authority and Greater Nashville Regional Council.
“The RTA is composed of county and city mayors from around Middle Tennessee who know that we can and should do better than our current transportation system,” O’Connell said in a release. “Their approval of this plan signals a future with regional coordination and cooperation to ensure Nashville and surrounding counties remain accessible to all residents.”
Franklin Mayor Ken Moore, chair of GNRC’s Mayors Caucus, said in a release that "a successful regional transit system relies on key investments in Nashville."
"We also recognize that addressing traffic congestion and enhancing transit services requires cooperation across county lines,” Moore added.
The third reading of the council bill should be held at the next regular meeting on July 16.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
