Recently, a mailpiece went out soliciting signatures for a petition to repeal Davidson County’s increased property tax.
The Transit Alliance is opposed to this action and we strongly urge you to decline to sign this petition.
This petition proclaims to help those who need it, but in fact, does quite the opposite. It is antithetical to its stated purpose as it would further impair the city’s ability to support neighborhoods by reducing revenues while deepening our budget deficits.
Reversing the tax increase would decimate Nashville’s ability to support and protect communities while impeding its own economic recovery. Repealing the recent property tax increase would gut Metro departmental budgets, including Public Education, Public Works, WeGo Public Transit, and Metro Parks.
Watch: WeGo Public Transit would be forced to make unprecedented cuts’ if this passed.
Some highlights of the current petition include:
It is quite similar to the one presented last fall, and that one was found to be legally questionable.
It’s a waste of resources and time regarding issues affecting our city and a distraction from our city’s recovery efforts from last year’s tornado, downtown explosion, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a recent independent study by the Chamber, the issue troubling the city’s budget is its revenues not its expenses. It was found that expenses were largely in line with peer cities, while the city’s revenue was insufficient–which is further exacerbated by COVID-19.
If the items on the petition are approved at referendum, the city will face a deficit of $332 million and will require cuts that impact our quality of life (specifically the city’s transit agency, educators, public health and safety, cuts to police officers, firefighters, first responders, and trash pickup).
We believe Nashville to be a great place to live, work, and play. Our top priority is to support, encourage, and sustain all of those options through access to enhanced public transportation. Cutting funding to city services moves us in the wrong direction.
This action would compound the fiscal problems of the city and there has been a large consensus that this is bad for the city (Nashville Post).
“Metro Councilmember Tanaka Vercher, a member and past chair of the Budget and Finance Committee: “If neighbors think response times now are long, it would be even worse. It would be catastrophic for the delivery of services. It would set the city back.”
“Brad Rayson, president of SEIU Local 205, which represents some Metro government, Metro Nashville Public Schools and Metro General Hospital workers: “Anyone who cares about the city of Nashville should not sign this petition.”
Remember: Decline to Sign.