Nashville’s council signed off on $567 million in one-time spending Tuesday.
The council unanimously approved Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s $478 million capital spending plan, nearly a third of which went to public education projects, including the construction of three new or fully renovated elementary schools. This vote allows the city to borrow money through general obligation bonds to fund capital projects, which typically take the form of construction, maintenance, equipment or other one-time initiatives.
Separately, council approved $88.9 million toward deferred maintenance and equipment expenses for Metro police, fire, parks and other departments. Of that total, $84.7 million will be drawn from the city’s general fund.
The last capital spending plan approved by council more than a year ago totaled $564 million.
$478 million for capital projects
A new $92 million juvenile justice campus with an expanded courthouse and space for family support services is the largest line item in the spending plan.
Nearly $79 million will go to the Nashville Department of Transportation for road resurfacing, traffic calming and infrastructure, including $13.8 million for sidewalks.
The plan allocates $11 million for a new Nashville Fire Department headquarters to be constructed atop a soon-to-be-built Fire Station #2, which will serve North Nashville and Germantown.
Council approved one amendment to Cooper’s proposal, specifying that $5 million toward East Bank infrastructure and studies cannot be used on stadium infrastructure planning or construction. The money can be used for:
- Modifications to the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge and James Robertson Bridge
- Resiliency planning
- Mobility engineering consulting
- Architectural planning
- Program management and coordination
Here is a breakdown of spending by department:
- Metro Nashville Public Schools: $139 million
- Juvenile Justice Center: $92 million
- Nashville Department of Transportation: $79 million
- Metropolitan Transit Authority: $24.9 million
- Nashville Fairgrounds: $19.3 million
- Parks: $41.2 million
- Library: $5.8 million
- General Services: $26.1 million
- Metro Fire: $11.3 million
- Metro Police: $5 million
- Planning Department: $7 million
- North Nashville Participatory Budgeting: $2 million
- Contingency: $26 million
$88.9 million toward maintenance, equipment
The majority of this funding, intended to fill gaps not covered by funds usually set aside in Metro’s annual budget for maintenance and replacement costs, will come from the general fund thanks to a funding surplus Cooper attributes to conservative projections and robust economic growth.
Council approved one amendment reducing a $13.5 million allocation for maintenance and roofing to $13 million, diverting the remaining $500,000 toward council office and committee room design and planning.
- $6.6 million for MNPD, including patrol car outfitting and a Motorola contract payment
- $600,000 for generators for Metro Fire
- $3.2 million for Metro Finance
- Nearly $14 million for information technology
- $18.5 million for parks maintenance and repairs, including $4.5 million for tennis and basketball courts and $1.3 million for athletic field lighting
- $2.5 million for NDOT equipment maintenance and repair
- $3.5 million for the buildout of MNPD’s Safety Center
- $22 million for fleet vehicles for MNPD and Metro Fire
- $13.5 million for building maintenance
- $315,300 for the Nashville General Hospital