What to know: Nashville’s $3.2B budget proposal ups school, public safety investments
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s newest $3.2 billion budget proposal includes a nearly $100 million increase in funding for public schools and funding to boost public safety staffing.
The proposal, which must still be vetted and approved by the Metro Council, reflects $188 million in new revenue, a 6.2% increase over the current year’s budget. More than half of that new revenue is expected to come from local sales taxes.
The draft operating budget also includes a $55 million spending increase to provide for 4% cost-of-living adjustments and 3% step raises for Metro employees, including Metro Nashville Public Schools employees.
Metro Finance Director Kelly Flannery presented details of the proposal to the Metro Council Budget and Finance Committee this week, kickstarting a weeks-long review process. Inflation, increasing interest rates and resulting economic uncertainty means Nashville’s overall growth is expected to slow over the next year, she said.
“The fiscal year 2024 revenue forecast reflects a cautious economic outlook with growth expected to be much more moderate,” Flannery told council members Monday.
State of Metro: Cooper proposes $100M more for schools, boosts for public safety
The mayor’s recommended budget maintains Nashville’s current combined property tax rate of $3.254 per $100 of assessed value.
About 12.74% of the proposed 2024 operating budget would be dedicated to paying debt service (compared to 13.85% in the fiscal year 2023 budget). The draft budget also meets newly minted rules for rainy day funds: two months of operating costs and half of the annual budgeted debt service in reserves.
Cooper’s proposal also recommends dedicating an additional $125.7 million in surplus funds into allocations for one-time projects and the creation of more reserves. Those funds won’t be available until the conclusion of Metro’s 2023 audit.
A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for June 6. The Council’s final consideration of the budget is slated for June 20.
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Here are some budget proposal highlights.
Schools spending claims nearly 40% of proposed budget
The fiscal year 2024 budget proposal includes nearly $100 million in new operating funding for Metro Nashville Public Schools, bringing the total recommended amount on education to $1.2 billion.
Proposed education spending includes:
$8 million for no-cost school lunches for every MNPS student
pay increases for principals and assistant principals
$10.8 million to expand the Classroom Associates pilot program to address issues with the substitute teacher system
Expansions for public safety staffing
Cooper’s 2024 budget proposal includes $15 million to increase police pay and $10.7 million to increase pay for Metro Nashville Fire Department employees.
Other items include:
funding for 49 new EMS staff and 39 additional firefighters
funding to fully staff Metro Nashville Police Department’s 9th precinct
the creation of a full-time Entertainment District unit
funding for 50 additional sworn police officers
the creation of a 21-person fleet overnight service program for vehicle maintenance and repairs
expanding Partners in Care to include the Midtown Hills and Madison precincts
funding for MNPS’ School Resource Officer program
increasing juror pay to $20 per day and continuing free parking
dedicating $50,000 to a program providing free gun locks to Davidson County residents via mail
$700,000 toward the Office of Family Safety
Transportation
Transportation-related recommendations include:
expansion of Metro’s litter program
street sweeping and streetscaping maintenance
road striping
a nearly $10 million increase to the Metro and Regional Transit Authorities
$2.6 million for Better Bus Enhancements
Housing, homelessness, health and neighborhood programs
Metro’s new Office of Homelessness is slated to open in early July. The draft budget includes funding for 29 employee positions and $750,000 toward a Community Partnership Fund and $500,000 toward a Housing and Support Services Fund.
Other items include:
$23.25 million toward the Barnes Fund for affordable housing
$7.3 million in capital funding for the Nashville General Hospital and an increase in operational funding
increased library and Financial Empowerment Center staffing
funding for Kurdish translation for closed captions of Metro Council meetings
increased funds for parking validation for Metro public meetings
funding to open all Parks Community Centers on Saturdays
Surplus spending proposals
Nashville is expected to have roughly $125 million in surplus funds that can be used toward one-time projects or additional reserve funds.
Cooper’s administration recommends the following allocations:
$6.75 million for the Barnes Fund
$2 million toward capital grants for cultural support
Roughly $5 million for large vehicle fleet purchases
$7.3 million for the Nashville General Hospital capital projects
$15 million toward planning for Bus Rapid Transit on Murfreesboro Pike
$12 million toward Vision Zero
$4 million toward traffic calming
$7.5 million toward sidewalks
$9.5 million toward an addition to Alex Green Elementary School
$25.6 million toward additions and renovations to pre-kindergarten classrooms
$750,000 toward fifth grade portable spaces and renovations
$18.3 million toward Metro Nashville Public Schools capital projects
nearly $11.8 million for additional MNPS reserves
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What to know about Nashville’s $3.2B budget proposal