Nashville, Tenn. – Mayor John Cooper today announced plans to make Nashville’s teachers the state’s highest-paid, triple the city’s dollars for affordable housing and build up Metro’s transportation capacity.
The mayor called for investments in the Metro employees who served the city through a year of crisis and pledged to implement every-other-week recycling at his State of Metro address, delivered at the Music City Center in a nod to Nashville’s rebound.
“Last year’s budget was a crisis budget. This year’s budget is an investment budget,” Mayor Cooper said. “Nashville is on the rise. A city on the rise must rise to the occasion. And, for a city to really work, it must work for everyone – and every neighborhood.”
The mayor proposed $81 million for Metro Schools, marking Nashville’s largest operating investment in education. “Throughout my career at Metro Schools, I’ve never seen such a strong commitment and support from a Mayor for our public schools and the teaching profession,” said Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle.
Other highlights included:
- Metro’s largest employee pay plan, with $30.4 million investment
- $37.5 million investment in affordable housing
- Infrastructure improvements in North Nashville
The mayor remained upbeat as he delivered his address to a city still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s tornadoes, and the Christmas Day bombing. “It’s a new day in Nashville,” Mayor Cooper said. “We’ve weathered the storm. And we have a new opportunity to rise, together.”
The mayor will submit his operating budget plan for Fiscal Year 2022 on Friday, April 30. It goes before Metro Council for consideration and approval.
You can watch the entire State of Metro Below:
You can download the entire State of Metro Transcript here: State of Metro Address
