Another local builder is challenging Metro’s practice of requiring infrastructure improvements before granting project permits.

In a complaint filed last month in Davidson County Chancery Court, Fair Lane Properties contends that Metro’s requirement that it pave two alleys and the street in front of its Edgehill-area residential project was unconstitutional. According to the complaint, the work cost more than $69,000, and the company is seeking a return of the costs and a court declaration that the permitting demands are unconstitutional.

The company built four million-dollar homes on Alloway Street.

The developer’s lawyer, Dominick Smith, has represented builders seeking to recoup sidewalk costs incurred under a policy since thrown out by a federal appeals court. The Alloway project already has recouped its sidewalk costs, he said.

The other permitting conditions are “unconstitutional for the exact same reasons,” he said.

“Metro is always trying to see what they can squeeze [and] get them to do,” Smith said, calling Metro’s permitting regime “the Wild West.”

The newly filed case echoes the complaints of another developer, which sued Metro in federal court in September. In that case, a company alleges that it was forced to replace a waterline as part of Metro’s “extortionate” permitting regime.

Though Metro has declined to comment on the cases, city lawyers filed a response in the federal case last week. In the filing, Metro denied that any of its requirements were unconstitutional and reiterated that the expanded waterline was necessary for modern fire protection needs.

“The conduct and actions of all Metro officials regarding the issuance of the building permit that is the subject of this complaint were objectively reasonable and justified under the circumstances,” Metro lawyers wrote.

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The main event at Tuesday night’s Metro Council meeting was continued discussion around Fusus, a software program that would have allowed the Metro Nashville Police Department to access security camera footage from willing private business owners. 

The legislation failed by a single vote, as the Metro Council voted 20-18 in favor of it. The resolution required 21 votes to pass, and two members (Jennifer Gamble and Sandy Ewing, who told the Banner she was planning on voting no) were absent.

Mayor Freddie O’Connell and interest groups applied pressure as the vote approached. Groups including the NAACP, Community Oversight Now and the Urban League urged councilmembers to vote no, citing concerns about privacy and federal or state misuse of the footage. Business groups and O’Connell were among those asking councilmembers to approve the contract. 

After a public hearing last month at which the vast majority of speakers opposed Fusus, Tuesday’s public comment period was split evenly between those in favor of and opposed to the legislation.  

The administration offered a substitute proposal this week that sought to assuage community and councilmember concerns. The new language would have established a “kill switch” that would end the contract if the tech were misused and explicitly prohibited the use of facial recognition. 

Metro Councilmember Bob Nash, a former police commander, said he supported the guardrails included in the substitute proposed by the administration.

“I know people are scared,” he said. “We have to move forward with doing things that are right for this city.”

Metro Councilmember Joy Kimbrough said no level of guardrails could make the proposal palatable. 

“I don’t think this is something we can play around with,” she said. “We can’t even entertain this.”

Supporters of Fusus have been warning in recent days that an adverse vote on this or the looming license plate reader contract would attract state intervention, with any state-level implementation lacking the guardrails instituted by local officials. House Majority Leader William Lamberth said as much last year, warning of state action on license plate readers if the Metro Council voted them down. 

The council held off on other pieces of public safety legislation on the agenda. A proposal from a local nonprofit police advocacy group to fund an MNPD subscription to a public survey tool was withdrawn. Some councilmembers had questioned whether the survey software should be overseen by an independent agency or whether the program would violate residents’ privacy. Police officials said the software mostly asks social media users their opinions about the police department. 

Councilmember Jeff Eslick moved to defer his resolution, calling on MNPD to ramp up its traffic enforcement for two meetings. He said he is continuing to discuss possible changes to the language and wanted to avoid the drama of the Fusus debate. Nashville traffic enforcement dropped 95 percent between 2012 and 2022. 

Everything else

• Funding for the mayor’s proposed capital spending plan was deferred by rule and will be considered further at an upcoming meeting. 
• As part of the consent agenda, the council approved legislation requesting the creation of a new advisory committee to oversee the implementation of Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s newly established dedicated funding stream for transit projects. 
• The council approved a resolution seeking funding for an environmental grant that includes funding for a study of possible uses for the closed Bordeaux landfill. Councilmember Joy Kimbrough, who represents the Bordeaux area, was the lone no vote. 
• The council voted to accept funding to study potential contamination of riverfront land on the East Bank.

The post Fusus Surveillance Proposal Fails by a Single Vote at Metro Council appeared first on Nashville Banner.

The Metro Council returns for its first December meeting on Tuesday. The highlight of the agenda, which can be reviewed here, is a police department request to deploy a software program that allows business owners to provide access to their security cameras.

Check out our full rundown of the meeting’s lineup:

On public hearing

The council will hold several zoning-related public hearings, including for legislation related to allowing a hotel near First Horizon Park, a 12South mixed-use proposal and a residential project in The Nations.

Resolutions

RS2024-791: An independent nonprofit is seeking to fund a Metro Nashville Police Department subscription to a public survey software aimed at gauging public opinion about safety and the police. The resolution has been deferred multiple times as some councilmembers have questioned whether the survey technology would invade people’s privacy or whether it’s appropriate for the police to conduct the study itself. The organization told councilmembers on Monday that it would withdraw its donation so city leaders could continue discussing the proposal or similar ones. 

RS2024-792: Likely the focal point of Tuesday’s meeting, the council will consider granting approval for MNPD’s use of Fusus’ surveillance camera collection software. Read the Banner’s full coverage of the proposal here.

RS2024-880: An early step toward the implementation of Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transportation improvement program, approved by Nashville voters last month. The resolution would request the establishment of a new advisory committee to oversee the work and prescribe regular updates on the program.

RS2025-882: This legislation would approve issuing more than $500 million in general obligation bonds to pay for the projects included in O’Connell’s capital spending plan. Read the Banner’s coverage of the plan here.

RS2024-890: The council is considering settlements for two Metro lawsuits. The first, for $50,000, is related to a retaliation complaint against former Metro Parks leadership. The second, for $155,000, is related to a motor vehicle wreck involving a garbage truck.

RS2024-905: Several councilmembers are asking MNPD to ramp up traffic enforcement after traffic stops plummeted 95 percent in a decade. The resolution also asks Nashville transportation officials to improve infrastructure protecting pedestrians. Read the Banner’s coverage of the request here.

On second reading

BL2024-626: This legislation would increase from $25,000 to $50,000 the threshold for competitive sealed bidding or requests for proposals. The change would follow state law and is in response to “inflation and reduced buying power of the previous limit.”

The post Your Guide to Nashville’s Metro Council Meeting: Dec. 3, 2024 appeared first on Nashville Banner.

The mayor’s office and the Metro Nashville Police Department are making what could be a final push to secure Metro Council’s support for a surveillance footage centralization system sought by police. 

Consideration of a resolution expanding MNPD’s use of Fusus has been delayed in recent weeks as councilmembers probe the necessity and safety of the program, but the legislation faces a vote on Tuesday night. At the council’s most recent meeting, several dozen residents spoke out about the contract during a public hearing, the vast majority of whom were opposed to Fusus. Some residents and councilmembers expressed concerns that the program could be co-opted by state or federal agencies to enforce laws related to immigration, abortion or gender-affirming care.  

If the legislation is approved, MNPD could use Fusus, a system operational in dozens of cities around the country, to access private surveillance footage from camera owners who volunteer for the program. Police could review the footage in prescribed scenarios, including in response to higher-level calls for service. 

The mayor’s office and MNPD have been seeking to assuage concerns in recent weeks, and a new amendment could help sway wavering councilmembers in what promises to be a narrow vote margin. 

According to Dave Rosenberg, Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s director of legislative affairs, the amendment does three things: It allows for the immediate termination of the contract if an entity (state or federal law enforcement, for example) seeks to use the system in a way that violates Metro policy; it prohibits the use of facial recognition or artificial intelligence; and it prohibits Fusus from unilaterally changing its terms of use. 

Raising questions

A coalition of more than two dozen community organizations including the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Open Table Nashville and the Nashville People’s Budget Coalition has also come out against Fusus on the grounds that the MNPD cannot be trusted with the technology. A letter sent to councilmembers last month pointed to the disproportionate effect of other policing strategies on marginalized communities. The initial rollout of license plate readers in Nashville, for instance, was found to focus primarily on areas with higher minority and low-income populations — although the MNPD’s proposal for a full LPR rollout would see cameras more equally distributed around the county.    

“Because of the nature of policing, FUSUS technology will be used in the same biased and unwarranted patterns against low-income and otherwise marginalized communities, including individuals seeking pregnancy care, gender-affirming care and the tracking of unhoused and alleged undocumented persons,” the coalition letter read. 

According to Rosenberg, the technology is not the panopticon its critics claim it is. Although anyone in Nashville can register a security camera with the MNPD — informing police that a camera is operating at a particular location — the proposal would only allow cameras on commercial properties to be integrated with the Fusus system. That means security cameras at single family homes would not be included. But cameras at multifamily housing properties — like apartment complexes, which are considered commercial properties — could be. 

The system allows business owners to offer up their surveillance camera footage to police under certain circumstances. For instance, camera owners could give MNPD permission to access live footage from a camera during an active call or restrict the department to viewing a certain amount of footage prior to an alleged incident. The footage is stored on a device at the business and can be accessed by police if an incident is taking place nearby. Businesses are notified when footage is accessed and can pull out of the program when they want. 

Police already seek that footage, but it is a time-consuming process that, given the storage and technical limitations on many business’ security systems, can critically delay investigations, according to MNPD Deputy Chief Greg Blair, who oversees the Crime Control Strategies Bureau that houses the Fusus system. Seeking the footage in person can also increase overtime costs, Blair said.

“It makes the job easier and doesn’t do anything we can’t already do,” Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg is an interesting person to lead the push. Prior to joining the administration, Rosenberg fought to establish protections against surveillance technology while a member of the Metro Council.

“I stand by that, and I’m thankful that this is an issue that the mayor and I have always aligned on,” Rosenberg said. “Fusus does not add tools for surveillance. It’s giving police access, when specifically authorized by business, to video under very specific circumstances that they could otherwise [get]. … Fusus is not built to be a real-time monitoring of video tool. First of all, MNPD is not equipped to be everyone’s security company for free. But second of all, it’s set up in such a way that when they activate a camera, it has to be in association with a call for service.”

“What we are doing is improving our service, providing a better service, a faster service, and saving our detectives time by having the video ahead of time so they don’t have to go get it,” Blair added.

At a meeting of the council’s Public Health and Safety Committee last month, Councilmember Jordan Huffman asked MNPD Deputy Chief Chris Gilder if the Fusus system would have been helpful to police in responding to a recent fatal shooting at a Hermitage bowling alley. 

“The responding officers … had to go in, had to find somebody who operated the camera system, look at the camera footage,” Gilder said. “If they’re a donor camera, that’s something that could have been done literally as the call came out as officers were still on their way to the call and possibly have intercepted the people who were involved on the way there.” 

The administration is proposing a “kill switch” that would end the contract if outside actors seek to use it. Even without that provision, Rosenberg and Blair contend that Fusus would be an impractical tool to achieve what critics warn it could be used for.

“Fusus would be a terribly ineffective way of doing terrible things,” Rosenberg said. “It can be tempting to attach to Fusus all of the unrelated possibilities out there, but that’s not what this product is. The products that were being described in public hearing were terrifying, and I’m thankful that those are not Fusus.”

Making the case

In recent weeks, MNPD has been inviting councilmembers and the community to its Family Safety Center to see the tech themselves. On a recent tour, Blair showed off the Fusus interface, currently deployed but without the donor camera feature enabled. The version of Fusus now in operation allows police command to see where each patrol car is located in the city as well as the locations of registered private cameras.

More than 1,000 private business and residential cameras are currently registered with police. That does not mean police have live access to footage. Instead, police can see where cameras are located, along with owner contact information, to speed up the process of seeking and collecting footage related to incidents.

Blair brushes off concerns about federal or state intrusion in the system.

“The feds don’t need our help to go do whatever their mission is,” Blair said. “They just don’t. We’ve been here for two years and no federal partners [have] called down here whatsoever.”

Additionally, he said he is skeptical that outside law enforcement could figure out what footage to look for, and how that footage alone could prove any crime related to, for example, travel out of state for abortions.

“I don’t know how the state is even going to prove that case,” Blair said. “People can drive. … They want to go to another state, they want to go to another country, they can go anywhere they want. They’re not breaking any laws.”

Blair said MNPD’s surveillance policy is pulled from Fusus policies in Orlando, Minneapolis and Lexington. It includes a “duty to intervene” if police employees observe colleagues misusing the product.

“If you don’t follow the rules, or you access information [you’re not supposed to], your job’s on the line,” he said.

“We need to be responsible,” Blair said. “I get that. But I think this is a great opportunity for council to give us the opportunity to earn this trust in the space.”

Business groups representing Nashville’s hospitality and corporate sectors are coming out to back the MNPD’s use of Fusus. 

“In this technology-dominant era, we owe it to the public to give first responders the most innovative solutions that best enable them to limit and contain violent incidents,” the groups, including the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp., wrote to councilmembers. “We can do this while simultaneously balancing privacy concerns and public safety while maintaining trust in our civic institutions.”

Prospects for passage

The amendment with new protections may be enough to convince some, but Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda was adamant at the previous meeting: “There are no amount of amendments that can be added to this legislation that can make people feel comfortable,” she said.

Sepulveda reiterated her opposition to the proposal in an interview with the Banner last week, highlighting the ways Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House changes the context into which Fusus would be introduced. 

“With the stance that they have taken when it comes to mass deportation, immigration in general … reproductive rights, trans issues and a number of other stances when it comes to marginalized communities,” she said, “I think that technology that centralizes camera footage is dangerous. And I don’t know what the future holds.” 

She also expressed a concern that the Republican supermajority in the state legislature could pass legislation preempting any restraints Metro puts on the Fusus program. She has heard the argument that the system will simply make the MNPD’s current process for obtaining surveillance footage more efficient. 

“If they’re already doing that then why don’t they just continue with that process?” she said. “Do the concerns of the community not give them pause?”

But concerns from the community are also fueling some support for Fusus expansion. Councilmember Erin Evans, who chairs the Public Health and Safety Committee, told the Banner that her constituents in the southeast area of the county saw the program as a helpful tool during the brief period it was online before being paused earlier this year. In particular, she pointed to a number of properties in her district that have seen frequent turnover in ownership — sometimes to out-of-state owners — making it all the more difficult for police to obtain footage they need to investigate alleged crimes.  

She said confirming that apartment complexes and other multifamily housing properties could be part of the Fusus program is key to her support. The participation of those properties, she said, could contribute to a faster and better police response. 

As for why she does not share the concerns expressed by community organizations and other councilmembers, Evans emphasized her trust in the mayor as well as people in his administration, like former councilmembers Rosenberg and Bob Mendes, who were skeptical of surveillance. 

“I know that they’re not going to set us up in a situation where their values are going to be compromised,” she said. “I’m electing to put my faith in our mayor, Metro Legal, that they understand the concerns residents brought forward, the concerns other councilmembers brought forward, and are going to be able to address those.”

The post Mayor’s Office, Nashville Police Make Case for Video Surveillance Program appeared first on Nashville Banner.

The group that unsuccessfully opposed Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transit referendum ahead of the November election is taking a new approach, filing suit in Davidson County Chancery Court on Wednesday seeking to declare the vote void.

Nearly two-thirds of Nashville voters backed the proposal, which establishes a half-cent sales tax surcharge to be dedicated to Nashville’s transit system, sidewalks adjacent to the transit system and traffic signal updates.

The plaintiffs in the suit are the Committee to Stop an Unfair Tax and Emily Evans, the group’s chair. They are represented by Nashville attorney Kirk Clements. Chancellor Anne Martin immediately rejected the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary injunction, citing their lack of compliance with court procedures. A temporary injunction could still be granted at a later date.

The challengers contend that the proposal violates state law by offering to pay for things that go beyond the scope of public transit, like sidewalks and signals.

“The Mayor used the term ‘transportation’ instead of ‘transit’ because he knows very few Nashvillians use Nashville’s mass transit system or ever will,” the complaint states. “The Plan contains multiple projects which clearly do not fall within the definition of a “Public Transit System.” … The Mayor’s Plan disingenuously attempts to inject ambiguity into the definition of a Public Transit System by expanding the natural and ordinary meaning of the term ‘connectivity’ as used in the Act.”

“Our only comment is that the complaint speaks for itself,” Evans said when reached for comment.

The Davidson County Election Commission certified the election last Friday. 

The state comptroller reviewed O’Connell’s proposal prior to it being placed on the ballot.

“The transportation improvement plan referendum fully complied with state law,” Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz told the Banner. “This lawsuit is a nuisance.”

The post Transit Plan Opponents Seek to Reverse Nashville Referendum Results appeared first on Nashville Banner.

Mayor Freddie O’Connell on Wednesday filed his second Capital Spending Plan since being elected last year, proposing $527 million in capital projects for Metro Council approval.

Highlights include:

• $103.6 million for bridges, roads, sidewalks and other infrastructure, including $42.7 million for ongoing maintenance, $6.8 million for Vision Zero and other safety projects, $6 million for sidewalks and $33.5 million for East Bank infrastructure work (and additional $6.5 million is earmarked for continued East Bank design work)
• $88 million for continued work on the new juvenile justice center
• $98.4 million for Metro Nashville Public Schools, including $10 million for the first phase of renovations at Glencliff High School and continued spending on solar projects and turf field installation
• $27.8 million for Metro Parks facilities, maintenance and other projects

Freda Player, chair of the Metro Nashville School Board, said she was excited to see funding for the Glencliff work and more than $40 million for general maintenance district-wide.

“If we can keep on top of the repairs, then that’s less need for major renovations and less need for new schools,” she said. “The students can feel whether we invest money in that, and they take it as them being seen and being cared for. The fact that we designate money and fix things helps morale with teachers, too. They’re not coming into a building that’s broken down.”

Spending on sidewalks and safety projects is down from the most recent two Capital Spending Plans, while spending on the East Bank is up.

Metro Councilmember Sean Parker, who chairs the council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the recent passage of the mayor’s transportation referendum, which established dedicated funding for transportation projects, helps explain that shift in the CSP.

“This allows us to invest more in parks and libraries and public safety, and I think that’s a great thing,” Parker said. “The voters of Nashville establishing that dedicated source of funding is going to continue to be really critical for Nashville.”

Though the overall CSP is up slightly from last year’s — $527 million this year compared to $514 million last year — proposed spending is down in several areas, including schools, libraries, parks and sidewalks. Spending for the Department of General Services, including general maintenance, safety upgrades at Metro buildings and vehicle replacement is up year-over-year in the proposed plan. The increased East Bank allocation follows the April approval of an East Bank development agreement with The Fallon Company, and infrastructure costs are being split by Fallon, Metro, the Tennessee Titans, Oracle and others.

“While each Capital Spending Plan reflects evolving needs, Mayor O’Connell’s priorities remain the same,” O’Connell spokesperson Alex Apple said. “Many elements represent large capital investments that take multiple years to complete. Comparing them by category, year-over-year, overlooks that major investments in other elements of the project have already been authorized.”

O’Connell’s proposal also includes $5 million for improvements at Nashville’s convenience centers, $5 million for construction of a new Hadley Park library branch and $14 million for the design and construction of a vehicle impound lot for the police department.

“I am thrilled to see Hadley Park receive this funding and to be able to move forward,” said Councilmember Brenda Gadd, who chairs the council committee overseeing parks and libraries. “I’m really looking forward to hearing about some of our other libraries, and specific to me is hearing about Richland Park and what the next stages are for that.”

The post Mayor’s Proposed Capital Spending Shifts in Wake of Transit Win appeared first on Nashville Banner.

Members of Nashville’s trans community gathered Wednesday night to grieve and ready themselves for anticipated adverse legislation and executive action at the federal and state level. 

The Transgender Day of Remembrance honored members of the trans community who died in the past year around the world, especially those who died by suicide or violence. 

“Each year, we gather with an uncomfortable mixture of gratitude and sorrow and trepidation, … uncertain and worried of where we will fall within this day’s ceremony next Nov. 20,” Dahron Johnson, one of the speakers, told the dozens gathered at a Nashville hotel.

But much of the event focused on the political environment facing the trans community, with references to Republican efforts to block the first transgender member of Congress, Sarah McBride of Delaware, from using the women’s bathroom; looming U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments over Tennessee’s law banning trans health care for minors; and the election at the federal and state level of Republican legislative majorities who campaigned on restricting trans rights. 

“I fear that things are about to get worse,” said Marisa Richmond, after highlighting a series of suicides in the transgender community. 

Alexandria Danner, representing mutual aid group Trans Aid Nashville, warned the crowd not to trust governmental or other institutions and instead to rally around one another. Danner urged the cisgender people in the room to more forcefully support the trans community. 

“No one is coming to save us,” Danner said. “I say all of those things not to scare you to put your head in the sand, not to scare you into despair, but to scare you into action.”

Metro Councilmember Olivia Hill, celebrated as the first trans elected official in Tennessee, joined members of the council’s LGBTQ caucus to present a resolution commemorating Transgender Day of Remembrance. 

“There are people that are packing up and moving,” Hill told the Banner. “It’s a scary time for the trans community.

“I can only imagine what’s coming our way in this state,” she continued. “I’m trying to stand tall and be, hopefully, a source of strength for a lot of people that reach out to me, try to not be ‘the sky is falling’ right now and just wait and see, and fight every battle that comes before us.”

One attendee declined to share her name out of fear of harassment. She said she brought her 11-year-old trans son to the event because “we’re in a city that’s very supportive, he’s in a school that’s very supportive, he’s in a community that’s very supportive. He’s almost like the 1 percent of 1 percent of transgender people who have been supported, to such a degree he doesn’t understand all this.”

The mother of a trans son said members of their local support group have fled the state due in particular to the law banning trans care for minors. That hasn’t been an issue for them, as her son has not sought medical care covered by the law.

“A lot of them just want acceptance and support,” she said. “We want our kids to be able to get older and not commit suicide or hurt themselves. It’s important to have those procedures.”

The post At Memorial, Nashville Trans Community Grieves, Gets Ready appeared first on Nashville Banner.

The Metro Council convened Tuesday for its second November meeting, with a series of bills related to public safety consuming the bulk of the night’s proceedings. 

Fusus

The Metro Council will take yet another two weeks to continue its consideration of Fusus, a software platform that the Metro Nashville Police Department wants to use as a central repository for property owners willing to share surveillance footage with police. 

Despite the deferral, a public hearing for the legislation went forward as scheduled, with a few speakers advocating for Fusus and many more speaking against the resolution. Prior to the deferral, the council’s budget committee approved the legislation in a 7-1-1 vote, while the public safety committee voted 7-3 in favor of the Fusus deployment. 

“I view the criminals as the enemy, not the police,” said David Steed, a member of the public supporting the resolution. “This is a good tool.”

Opponents expressed fear that an incoming Trump administration, or Republican leadership at the state level, could exploit the surveillance network, including as part of promised mass deportations or to track women seeking reproductive care. 

MNPD leadership said the tech would only be used in response to calls for service. Deputy Chief Chris Gilder said the department seeks out relevant footage from private cameras anyway, and that Fusus would just streamline the process. 

“No matter what kinds of guardrails and policies that might be added, state preemption leaves me concerned about how the system can be co-opted to target immigrant and Muslim and other communities of color,” Sabina Mohyuddin, executive director of the American Muslim Advisory Council, told the council during the public hearing. 

AMAC and other immigrant advocacy groups urged the council to oppose the legislation in a Monday letter, and the council’s immigrant caucus said it would cast a unified vote against the resolution. 

Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda and others moved to quash the deferral, arguing that the resolution should be killed immediately rather than waiting. Dave Rosenberg, representing Mayor Freddie O’Connell, said an amendment with additional safeguards is in the works. 

“There are no amount of amendments that can be added to this legislation that can make people feel comfortable,” Sepulveda said. 

The push to defer consideration of the resolution once again barely passed, with a 20-18 vote. It is next scheduled to be heard at the first Metro Council meeting of December. 

Police surveys

The Metro Council continued its consideration of a proposed survey software program sought by MNPD to gauge public sentiment about safety and the police. The one-year subscription would be paid for by the Nashville Police + Public Safety Alliance, a private-sector group supporting the police department. 

At a series of meetings in recent weeks, Metro Human Relations Commission Executive Director Davie Tucker has questioned the proposal and asked that his agency be included in the process. On Tuesday, he asked that the resolution be deferred again. 

The council granted his request after a brief debate. 

Councilmember Courtney Johnston urged her colleagues instead to vote the resolution up or down rather than waiting another two weeks. She reminded them that the alliance has offered to pay for this program, not pay for a survey program conducted outside of the police department as some councilmembers had suggested. 

“Having a little bit better insight into our communities is never a bad thing,” Councilmember Jordan Huffman, a supporter of the legislation, said. 

Councilmember Zulfat Suara echoed some of her concerns about Fusus in opposing the survey software. She referred to earlier concerns about the software, which according to police and administration officials is mostly a tool to collect public survey responses online. Suara said the information collected could be used against residents. 

SROs

The Metro Council approved a state grant application seeking more funding for school resource officers in Metro schools. The city currently has funding for SROs in middle and high schools, and the new grant application would add funding for officers at seven of the city’s elementary schools. 

During the public comment period of the meeting, Vanderbilt student Tala Saad opposed the effort. 

“School resource officers have often served as a barrier to student success,” Saad said, alleging “discriminatory punishment of marginalized students” by SROs. 

The council did not debate the legislation on the floor Tuesday night, though it received one no vote in both of its committee hearings prior to the full meeting. The resolution passed 28-6. 

The rest

One day after the Community Review Board approved a new agreement with MNPD governing the CRB’s investigations of Nashville police, the Metro Council approved two new mayoral appointments to the board, that of Heather Meshell and Walter Searcy. The council also greenlit Mayor O’Connell’s revival of the Community Correction Advisory Board, dormant since 2019, by confirming five of his appointments to that board. 

Sepulveda’s legislation seeking to streamline and reform Metro’s dozens of boards and commissions passed for the third and final time with no discussion. The bill would institute attendance tracking for board members, eliminate some dormant boards and strip voting power from councilmembers serving on certain boards as required by law. 

The post Metro Council Holds Off Again on Police Decisions appeared first on Nashville Banner.

The Metro Council is holding its second meeting of November on Tuesday night. The agenda includes confirmations, zoning bills and proposed reforms for the city’s boards and commissions.

Appointments and confirmations

Mayor Freddie O’Connell is reviving the Community Correction Advisory Board, which oversees local court diversion programs and last met in 2019. The council will consider five of his appointments to the board for confirmation. They are Joshua Brand, Donna Grayer, Marcus Shute Jr., Jarrell Summers and Joe Umberger.

O’Connell is also filling two vacancies on the Community Review Board as it nears the conclusion of its negotiations with the Metro Nashville Police Department over a memorandum of understanding governing the CRB’s work. The council will consider confirming the appointments of Heather Meshell and Walter Searcy to the CRB.

On public hearing

RS2024-792: MNPD is seeking to begin working with Fusus again. The company provides software that allows private security cameras to tie into a central hub, where police could review footage supplied by participating private property owners. The police department was already using the software without informing the Metro Council, because the contract value was beneath the monetary threshold necessary for council review. Still, separate Metro law requires surveillance technology to undergo further scrutiny.

A group of community advocacy groups — including the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, Open Table Nashville and the American Muslim Advisory Council — sent councilmembers an email on Monday urging them to oppose the legislation. The council’s Immigrant Caucus said in a release it would jointly vote no.

Resolutions

RS2024-791: MNPD is seeking to accept a grant from the newly formed Nashville Police + Public Safety Alliance, a group of business leaders and others established to support the police department. The grant would pay for a one-year subscription to the Zencity Blockwise platform, which collects public feedback about public safety and the police. The resolution has been twice deferred as some on Metro Council, led by Budget Chair Delishia Porterfield, have questioned whether the software would allow for inappropriate data collection.

RS2024-871: The Metro Council is considering approving an application for state funds to help pay for full-time school resource officers at Metro schools. Last year, the council approved accepting a grant for $3.38 million for the program. This year, Metro is seeking $3.9 million.

RS2024-873: Several Metro councilmembers are urging MNPD to ramp up its traffic enforcement after traffic stops in Nashville dropped 95 percent between 2012 and 2022. One of the sponsors, Councilmember Jeff Eslick, told the Banner last week that he is pulling the resolution so he can tweak its wording. Read more about the push for more traffic enforcement here.

Bills on third reading

BL2024-565: This rezoning would allow for the planned construction of an HCA-owned standalone emergency room on Dickerson Pike.

BL2024-574: Councilmember John Rutherford is pushing for a rezoning to allow for a 288-unit apartment project in his Antioch-area district. Neighboring Councilmembers Antoinette Lee and Joy Styles opposed the rezoning at the most recent Metro Council meeting. Rutherford has a proposed amendment to the bill that he said would address some community concerns.

BL2024-582: Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda’s bill is the culmination of a working group’s efforts to tighten Metro’s regulations for its dozens of boards and commissions. The legislation would create a mechanism for the council to review board members’ attendance, and strip voting power from Metro councilmembers serving on specific boards to comply with state law. The legislation also eliminates defunct boards.

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Bill Freeman — a Nashville real estate developer, political fundraiser and 2015 candidate for mayor — died Sunday at his Forest Hills home. He was 73.

The cause of death was an apparent suicide, according to Freeman’s media company, FW Publishing, through which he had owned the Nashville Scene, the Nashville Post and other local outlets since 2018. 

Freeman had suffered multiple strokes in recent years, and last year transferred leadership of Freeman Webb Company, the real estate firm he founded with the late Jimmy Webb, to his son, state Rep. Bob Freeman. Earlier this year, Bill Freeman stepped down from the Metro Nashville Airport Authority board.  

Bill Freeman is survived by his wife, Babs Tinsley Freeman, and sons, Bob, Harvey and Mike Freeman.

Bob Freeman told the Banner that he frequently encountered strangers who expressed their gratitude for his father’s generosity — whether it was a couple hundred bucks to pay a bill, a political donation or an early investment in their business. Bob Freeman said he never heard those stories from his father, but instead from the beneficiaries themselves.

“If you were to ask me how I want to honor his legacy, it’s that,” Bob Freeman told the Banner. “I want to continue to be a champion of our city and help those that need it.”

Freeman and Webb launched their real estate firm in 1979. The company specializes in multifamily housing and, according to its website, now owns or manages approximately 18,000 relatively low-cost apartment units and 11 million square feet of office and residential space. They later formed FW Publishing together in 2018, before Webb died in 2019. Freeman’s son Bob joined the real estate company after Webb’s death and now serves as its president.

Freeman grew up in Donelson and attended the Peabody Demonstration School (now the University School of Nashville) and the University of Tennessee, where he dropped out after his father’s death. He worked at the Metro Development and Housing Agency before meeting Webb and starting their business. Freeman served on the boards of Tennessee State University, the Nashville Area YMCA, the Nashville Public Television Council, the Nashville State Community College Foundation and in presidentially appointed roles on the Kennedy Center Advisory Committee on the Arts and the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Awards board.

Bill Freeman was a prolific donor to and fundraiser for Democratic candidates, including Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and Democrats in the state. His prowess as a bundler and relationship with Biden brought invitations to the White House, including an April state dinner honoring the Japanese prime minister. He also served as treasurer of the Tennessee Democratic Party. 

“I’m not a golfer,” Freeman said of politics in 2015. “That is my passion.”

He did have some hobbies, though, enjoying flying, hunting and racing at the Fairgrounds Speedway. He was a major supporter of the racetrack, sponsoring billboards and cars there for years. 

Former U.S. Rep. Bob Clement, a longtime friend of Freeman, told the Banner they were looking forward to hunting together in Arkansas this winter. 

In 2015, he ran for mayor of Nashville, falling just short of making the runoff, which Megan Barry eventually won over David Fox. 

“I know when I lay my head down tonight, I will be filled with gratitude for this experience and for each and every one of you,” Freeman told supporters in his 2015 concession speech. “I will say a prayer of thanks that I have had this opportunity and have been so blessed with the friendship of everybody in this room.”

Friends and colleagues remember Freeman

Clement said he saw Freeman last week and again in October, when Clement’s family honored Freeman with an award celebrating his contributions to the state. He recalled fishing and hunting excursions with Freeman and frequent meals together. Clement said Freeman “had a real sense of humor” and “never met a stranger.”

“He was always there for people,” Clement told the Banner. “His love was public service, no doubt about it. He wanted to make a difference, and he did.”

“He was a mentor, yes, but also he believed in me,” Jamie Hollin, an attorney who worked on the 2015 campaign, told the Banner. “He always said, ‘when it gets hard, I’m calling you,’ and that was powerful shit. … Mostly, he was my friend.”

Mayor Freddie O’Connell also called Freeman a friend: “Our city, state, and nation are better for his tenacity and commitment,” O’Connell said in a statement. “We will miss him dearly, and my heart is with his family.”

Jerry Maynard, a political operative and former Metro councilmember who worked on Freeman’s 2015 campaign, called him a mentor and a father figure. He recalled Freeman’s quiet but generous support for TSU and his support of small businesses and social justice issues.

“He put his money where his mouth was,” Maynard told the Banner. “When he said ‘I’ll do something,’ it got done. He was a true champion for equality and especially for opportunities for all. …  He was very generous with his time, his wisdom, his thoughts. This guy was a father in his own right. He didn’t have to take time for me, and he did.”

Former Vice President Al Gore called Freeman one of Nashville’s “kindest and most dedicated champions.”

“Bill Freeman was a giant in our city, known as much for his role in helping Nashville grow as he was for his commitment to ensuring that all of its residents could thrive,” Gore said in a statement. “Bill always sought out new ideas and knowledge in his pursuit of a better future for his community — one of the traits that made him such an important leader in our local media landscape.”

“Bill Freeman was a friend to all of Nashville,” District Attorney Glenn Funk said in a statement. “He worked hard to give the working men and women of this community better living standards from housing to wages. We are a better city because of Bill Freeman.”

“He will be remembered as a beacon of kindness, wisdom, and a stalwart community leader,” Tennessee Democratic Party chair Hendrell Remus said in a statement. “Bill was a generous soul who touched the lives of many.”

Bill Freeman was a donor to the Banner. The reporter, Stephen Elliott, worked for FW Publishing from 2018 until earlier this year.

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