NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell touted his achievements and laid out his vision for the future, in this year's State of Metro Address, held at the current Nissan Stadum on the East Bank of the Cumberland River.
"The state of Metro is strong and I will continue to lead the progress of what gives it its strength," said O'Connell.
He claims crime rates are down, funding for affordable housing options are up and laid out a few new efforts to tackle affordability issues in general.
Grocery Sales Tax Cut
O'Connell told assembled Metro Council members that he will ask them to cut the local portion of the Grocery Sales Tax for Nashville shoppers. If it passes Metro Council, the half-cent reduction in the grocery sales tax would put some money back in shoppers pockets. But the mayor acknowledged it comes at a cost. "Returning this money to Nashville does mean that Metro must tighten its belt. This is revenue we won’t get," he said.
Helping Small Businesses
Mayor O'Connell also spoke to the small business community, calling them "cornerstones of neighborhoods" and claims the city has their back. He announced two new programs to support small businesses.
One is a legacy business fund pilot program. It will give longtime local business owners the opportunity to apply for grant money. The mayor said on top of property investment incentives, the program gives small grants to business owners to improve their buildings. "Our new legacy business program will help recognize our longtime Nashville businesses, and their enduring imprint on our neighborhoods and the people who love them," said O'Connell.
The mayor's also proposing a new workforce advancement grant for small businesses to provide employees with the opportunity to enhance their skills, reducing the cost of tuition or needed materials.
State Takeover Bills
And while you couldn't see it specifically in the skyline behind the mayor, the Tennessee Capitol certainly loomed over the speech. "They can’t and won’t stop us from standing up and pushing back," said Mayor O'Connell.
If a judge doesn't intervene, the state will officially take over the governing board for Nashville International Airport, currently controlled by Nashville appointees. The mayor also addressed a new state law that would allow Nashville's tourism zone to be controlled by the state and permit Tennessee Highway Patrol to police the area. "Our political environment requires us to be as strategic as we are principled. We pick the fights we can win, build coalitions we need, and never let perfect be the enemy of real progress for real people," O'Connell said during his remarks.
I directly asked Mayor O'Connell if he feels like he did enough to protect Nashville's interests up at the state legislature. " We did all kinds of things -- in fact that final election bill died towards the end of session. We got improvements to a number of bills, from school to immigration to LGBTQ issues. We saw things get far less bad than they would have been," O'Connell replied.
That election bill was a bid to move all local elections to the state calendar of elections, which would have made tremendous changes to Metro-Nashville's election schedule. That bill failed before it made it to the Senate floor.
O'Connell made it clear, they will continue to push back against the state, especially when it impacts the state of Metro. "I told you last year, if you violated the constitutional rights of Nashvilians, we’d see you in court. And since then, we’ve fought the expansion of unconstitutional Presidential power with six lawsuits and we remain undefeated," said O'Connell during his remarks.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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