Watch the video to see the moment Nashville leaders approved the budget, originally proposed by Mayor Freddie O'Connell.
It's millions of dollars for schools, police, fire and other city services you count on. Nashville's Metro Council approved the city's spending plan that begins next month, in a unanimous — and relatively quick — vote.
The new plan does not include a property tax increase.
Metro leaders say this is a challenging budget year, in part because federal COVID money the city has used for schools over the past few years is now coming to an end.
That federal money paid for things like textbooks, a free breakfast and lunch program, and nurses for every school.
Under the new plan, the city will be dipping into its savings accounts starting next month to keep those school programs going.
The new budget includes a 4% cost of living adjustment and implements a $20 minimum wage for general government employees.
The new budget also expands a program pairing up mental health professionals with paramedics as they go out on calls, to nights and weekends.
It also provides funding to make sidewalks to area schools safer with things like signage and crosswalk markings.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
