Metro Council Dates: Council Meetings: 4/15/2025, 5/6/2025; Election Commission: 4/25/2025; Mayor's Office Update: 5/1/2025
VOTING / ELECTIONS
The new Election Commission Board met on April 25, 2025.
Butch Burns was elected Chair.
Jeanan Davis was elected Secretary.
The Election Commission has been meeting with architects to design a new office space in the Airways Building.
HEALTH / MEDICAL
The City of Nashville, along with other local governments, has filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the sudden termination of public health grants. These grants supported programs for vaccinating children, testing for infectious diseases, operating community clinics, and conducting outreach to unhoused individuals.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unlawfully terminated $11.4 billion in federal public health funding. The suit argues this action bypassed the authority of Congress, which originally appropriated the funds during the COVID-19 era for ongoing and future pandemic preparedness.
Grants to Nashville and other municipalities were canceled “for cause,” a designation that implies misconduct by the recipients and could jeopardize future funding opportunities.
(Source: Tennessee Lookout)
PUBLIC SAFETY / TRANSPORTATION / TRAFFIC / POLICE
Metro Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) Governance Dispute
An appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that part of the Tennessee General Assembly’s attempt to take over control of the Metro Nashville Airport Authority is unconstitutional. However, the court also reinstated some language from the legislation, giving the state a partial victory.
“The Court unanimously ruled in Metro’s favor on by far the most important argument: that the State’s hostile takeover of MNAA violated the Home Rule provisions of the Tennessee Constitution,” said Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz. “Metro will continue to maintain appointment authority for members of the Authority. Multiple courts have now ruled in our favor on Home Rule arguments from the legislature’s overreach from two years ago. We are digesting the other parts of the opinion.”
(Source: Nashville Scene)
Resolution: Domestic Violence Gun Dispossession Investigator
A resolution has been introduced requesting that either the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department or the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office establish a Domestic Violence Dispossession Investigator role. This position would help ensure compliance with gun dispossession laws for individuals subject to orders of protection.
Key findings from the Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Office of Family Safety in 2024:
Of 13,818 individuals reviewed, 6,090 (44%) had access to firearms.
212 cases were identified with incomplete Firearms Dispossession forms.
In 90 returned forms, there were concerns about continued firearm possession.
Although Tennessee law mandating firearm dispossession for individuals under protective orders has been in effect since 2009, enforcement has remained inconsistent due to a lack of clear statutory guidance.
In October 2024, the Metro Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee held a series of meetings to explore improvements in the criminal justice response to domestic violence. One key recommendation was to create a dedicated investigator position to work with the MNPD, the District Attorney’s Office, the courts, and the Office of Family Safety to enforce compliance and protect victims.
