English-Only Will Be On Jan. Ballot

Must Receive 50 Percent Of Voter Turnout Plus One To Pass Channel 4 News POSTED: 11:12 am CDT October 10, 2008 UPDATED: 11:53 am CDT October 10, 2008 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- There will be a special election Jan. 22 to consider the controversial plan English-Only, which proposes making English the official language of Nashville. Councilman Eric Crafton, who is sponsoring the proposal, submitted a petition with more than 2,400 required signatures to hold the January special election. Crafton and his supporters want to require Metro government to do business in English only. The Metro council approved a similar measure in February 2007, but then-mayor Bill Purcell vetoed it.

Metro council may urge voters to reject English-only plan

By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (Tennessean)• July 29, 2008 The Metro Council could go on record next week against a proposal to make English the official language of Nashville. Under a non-binding resolution introduced by Councilman Ronnie Steine, the council would officially ask voters to reject the English-only push led by Councilman Eric Crafton, who is trying to gather enough voters' signatures to place the idea on the ballot in November. If a majority of council members agree with Steine, the council will urge voters not to sign Crafton's petition cards. The council also would ask voters to reject the proposed Metro Charter amendment supported by Crafton if a referendum is held this fall. The charter amendment would limit all government business, publications and meetings to English, with no exceptions for health or safety. It does include language indicating it should not be interpreted to conflict with state or federal law. Supporters say immigrants should learn English and shouldn't be able to demand services in other languages. Opponents say the proposal would make Nashville an unfriendly place and would face serious legal challenges, though Crafton disputed that. "It's important that the public understand that while one council member is supportive, not all of us are," Steine said Monday. "It's not in the best interests of the community." Council makeup changed The council approved an English-only ordinance in February 2007, but then-Mayor Bill Purcell vetoed it. Crafton said he decided to take the issue straight to the voters this year and has collected more than 9,000 signatures; he needs 10,103 registered voters to sign the petition cards by Aug. 16. "I kind of felt the council already spoke when it voted to pass my bill the last time," he said. Only 20 of the 40 council members from 18 months ago are still serving, however, because of term limits and elections last summer. Steine said he expects the council to vote on the resolution when it meets at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 7.

District 29 Families, Come One, Come All to

Mayor Karl Dean’s
Sunday, August 3 from 2 to 5 pm at the Sommet Center (formerly the Nashville Arena), 501 Broadway in Downtown Nashville. This is a great event and my sons truly enjoy this day tremendously. A day of fun that is filled to gear up for a successful school year! Don’t forget, Mayor Dean asks that you please bring one or more non-perishable food item to help feed the hungry in Nashville. Stop by the Metro Council members table for giveaways and to say hello to your favorite councilmember. I will be there for sure! What a great way for Davidson County families to start the school year! For more 1st Day activities information click here for Mayor Dean’s at http://www.nashville.gov/mocy/firstday/2008/index.htm

See you at the festival!

Vivian!

Metro Council OKs budget; schools get bulk of new money

By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • June 18, 2008 Metro Nashville will start a new fiscal year next month with an almost $1.58 billion budget that pumps new money into schools but makes it tougher to catch a bus or make a living as a city employee. The Metro Council voted unanimously Tuesday for the 2008-09 operating budget, which will take effect July 1, after considering Mayor Karl Dean's recommendations for almost three months. The available funds will be only slightly more than this year, reflecting conservative revenue estimates in a tight economy. Metro schools, Dean's top priority, will get $22 million more, an increase of more than 3.6 percent. But most other departments will receive less money, and almost 30 city employees will be laid off. While as many as 200 workers could have been laid off, "that's not a consolation to those 30 families and individuals," said Councilman Erik Cole, who led the council through the budget process. The remaining employees won't get an across-the-board pay raise to help cope with rising gas prices or grocery bills. And people who ride several Metro bus routes won't be able to anymore because of the city's own struggles to pay for diesel fuel. Councilwoman Vivian Wilhoite said she was disappointed that some Metro firefighters would see their jobs "rolled back," or reduced in stature and pay. She said council members were reneging on a commitment to public safety. "I can't see how we can live with this," Wilhoite said. Cole acknowledged that the budget reflects some "very painful" choices. But he said he was proud the council could put its stamp on the spending plan by shifting $1 million to the Metro Transit Authority so there will be fewer cuts in bus routes. Dean's proposal would have cut MTA by $400,000; now the authority will gain $600,000. "To be able to do one major priority was a real success," Cole said

Council may finalize budget next week

By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer • June 10, 2008 The Metro Council may approve Nashville's 2008-09 operating budget on June 17, a week ahead of schedule, the council's budget chairman said today. The council has been planning to take its third and final vote June 24, with the $1.576 billion budget taking effect July 1. But Erik Cole, chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, said there's no point in waiting an extra week if the council is ready before then. He said no decision has been made yet. Cole said the council might still try to find more money for the Metro Transit Authority, which is planning to cut seven bus routes and raise fares by 25 cents to help make up a $2.9 million budget gap. But doing so could add to the pain for other agencies that are already scheduled to see their funding reduced. "If there's a single priority that kind of cuts across the board, it's MTA," Cole said. "But there's not a lot of room." It would take more than $1.5 million to restore all seven bus routes, according to MTA calculations.

Metro Council urged to find the money to keep 7 targeted bus routes

Residents tell concerns at public hearing By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • June 4, 2008 Nashville bus riders and others urged the Metro Council on Tuesday to restore funding for seven bus routes that would be dropped as a result of the city's proposed budget for 2008-09. Most speakers at a public hearing on the budget said the city shouldn't remove some people's only transportation option. "Please don't take that away from us, and please don't leave us stranded," said Sheila Hansen, a legally blind woman who said the quality of the bus system was one reason she moved to Nashville from Florida in the 1980s. Mayor Karl Dean has proposed a $400,000 cut to the Metro Transit Authority's budget, but skyrocketing diesel prices caused MTA to ask the city for $2.5 million more than it received this year. The Transit Authority plans to cut its seven least-productive bus routes and raise fares July 1 to help make up the $2.9 million shortfall. Susan Duvenhage, president and CEO of the Adventure Science Center, said some of the museum's staff, volunteers and visitors could be affected by the cuts. "Eliminating routes could have an unintended impact on businesses and nonprofits whose customers rely on them," Duvenhage said. Residents also spoke out against proposed cuts to the Fire Department, reduced hours at some libraries and community centers, and a lack of raises for school support employees such as custodians. Some criticized the city's recent decision to amend the Nashville Predators' lease of Sommet Center and give the Predators' owners millions of additional dollars, though that money is not coming from property tax revenues, which fund most Metro services. Meanwhile, a handful of residents asked the council to approve Dean's proposal, saying it would be good for the arts. In other business, the council approved a change to the "capacity fees" new restaurant owners must pay to hook up to the water and sewer systems. Entrepreneurs now will be able to spread payments that can run as high as $42,000 over 36 months instead of putting the entire amount up at one

Hello District 29 Neighbors:Tomorrow is the Day!

It's that time of year again to get geared up for the Great American Clean-up 2008, hosted by the Alliance of District 29. The attachment has some detailed information about FREE Shredding services, the clothing drive, household furniture & appliances drop-off and much more all on May 24, 2008 from 8am to 1 pm with a food fun and fellowship from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Read on....see you Saturday, May 24, 2008. I would appreciate your help to share this worthwhile community event with other District 29 residents. Gratefully, Vivian Wilhoite Metro Council, District 29 Visit http://www.blogger.com/www.vivian-29.blogspot.com for up-to-date information in and around District 29. Committed to keeping you informed! Phone: (615)589-2003 Email Address: mailto:589-2003/vivianwilhoite@comcast.net . Please take a look at what is planned for this day on the link below. District_29_Clean_Up_2008.pdf

Metro Council to look at mayor's budget deadline again

By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • May 9, 2008 A proposal to give Nashville's mayor an extra two months to prepare the city's operating budget each year could go to the voters in a charter amendment referendum this summer, Metro Council members said today. The council will decide next month whether to put the proposal on the August ballot, said Councilman Rip Ryman, who is sponsoring the council bill. The idea is to change the deadline for the mayor's budget recommendations back to May 25, which was the original deadline until voters changed the Metro Charter in November 2006. The deadline is now March 25, giving the council an additional two months to review and tweak the mayor's proposal. But Ryman, who chaired the council's budget committee last year and serves on it this year, said the change has made the mayor's job more difficult and hasn't helped the council in a substantive way. "I just don't see that last year or this year we've accomplished anything," he said, adding that full revenue projections from the state aren't available by March 25. "We had it like that for 40 years." Councilman Jim Gotto said he was opposed to going all the way back to the earlier deadline, however. Five weeks isn't enough time for the council to digest the mayor's proposal, talk to all the Metro departments and make changes, he said. The council has to approve the operating budget by June 30."I'm not sure we need as long as we have, but we certainly don't need to go back to the way it was," Gotto said. "That's just ridiculous." Gotto said getting the mayor's budget proposal by May 1 "would probably be sufficient." Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling, Mayor Karl Dean's budget chief, said the extra time would be helpful, "but it's not something we're out there advocating or demanding." Ryman's charter amendment proposal would need to be approved by 27 of the 40 council members to be placed on the August ballot, where it would need approval from a simple majority of voters.

NES president tops Metro pay chart again

By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • May 7, 2008 While the Metro government prepares to lay off 200 people, another 200 sit at the top of the city's salary heap, each of them pulling in a six-figure salary. The list of Metro's best-paid employees is again led by Decosta Jenkins, president and CEO of Nashville Electric Service, the city's power utility. Jenkins is making more than $257,000 this year, according to data compiled by Metro Human Resources. But Raul Regalado, president of the Nashville Airport Authority, could make more than Jenkins if he meets performance goals. Regalado makes $232,000 but could earn a 20 percent bonus for an additional $46,400, said airport spokeswoman Emily Richard, who noted that Regalado's pay comes from airport revenues, not property tax dollars. Jenkins and other NES employees aren't eligible for bonuses. However, 49 of them are among the city's 200 best paid, including three of the top four and six of the top 10. No other Metro department or agency has more than 13 employees on the list. NES is run by an appointed board that doesn't answer to the mayor or Metro Council and doesn't receive tax dollars to pay its employees. Leo Waters, chairman of the NES board and a former councilman, said the salaries are often necessary to attract good people. "Compared to Metro government, the salaries are high," Waters said. "But most of those folks have very technical, specialized skills, and some of them have been there a long time." Waters also called Jenkins, NES's day-to-day leader since 2004, "one of the better administrators you'll find anywhere." Each of the 200 employees in the elite group makes at least $101,749. Two years ago, 160 employees made at least $100,000, and the lowest salary on the top-200 list was $95,971. There are more than 10,000 employees in Metro's central government. When NES, the airport, schools and several other agencies are included, the work force jumps to about 22,000. The salary list also shows that the mayor's salary doesn't go as far as it used to. Former Mayor Bill Purcell ranked 26th on the pay scale in 2006; his successor, Mayor Karl Dean, ranks 43rd. The mayor's salary is fixed by Metro statute at $136,500. Dean's deputy mayor, finance director and law director all make more, and Dean made more when he was Purcell's law director, earning $143,190 in 2006.