The Metropolitan Council (officially the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County) is the legislative body of the consolidated city-county government of Nashville, Tennessee and Davidson County.
Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | 2 consecutive four-year terms |
| Leadership | |
Vice Mayor and Metropolitan Council President | Angie Henderson |
President pro tempore | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 Seats: 5 At-Large Seats 35 District Seats |
| Committees | — Budget and Finance – Charter Revision – Codes, Fair, and Farmer's Market – Convention, Tourism, and Public Entertainment Facilities – Education – Health, Hospitals, and Social Services – Parks, Library, and Arts – Personnel, Public Information, Human Relations, and Veterans – Planning, Zoning, and Historical – Public Safety, Beer, and Regulated Beverages – Public Works – Rules, Confirmations, and Public Elections – Traffic, Parking, and Transportation |
Length of term | Four (4) Years |
| Elections | |
Last election | August 1, 2023 |
Next general election | August 1, 2027 |
| Website | |
| https://www.nashville.gov/Metro-Council.aspx | |
Membership
editThe Council has 40 members, 35 of which are district council representatives, and five of which are council members at-large. If an at-large member resigns or dies before serving a full four-year term, the member's seat remains vacant until the next election. If a district council members resigns or dies more than eight months before the end of their four-year term, a special election is held to fill the seat. At-large council members are elected by the entirety of the area the metropolitan government encompasses. The Metropolitan Council is the 3rd largest in the United States, behind the Chicago City Council and the New York City Council.[1] The Historic Metro Courthouse, 1 Public Square, is where the Council meets.
Under the Metropolitan Charter, members must be over the age of 25 and have lived within Davidson County for a year at the beginning of their terms. Members must also have lived in the district they represent for six months, and they must continue to reside in that district for the duration of their terms. In 2019, according to The Tennessean, annual salaries for council members increased for the first time since 2005 from $15,000 to $23,100.[2] The members elected by districts represent 15,000 to 17,000 residents each, and all Metro Council members serve part-time. According to the Charter as currently amended, members are elected to no more than two terms consecutively, not including any partial term to which they may have been elected. However, district member and at-large member are considered to be separate offices for the purposes of this provision.
In the 2015 municipal elections, two amendments to the Metropolitan Nashville Charter which would have increased term limits for members of the Council, both at large and district-wide to three consecutive terms, as well as reducing the size of the council to 27 members, were proposed. Both amendments failed with Davidson County voters.[citation needed]
President of the Council
editThe popularly elected vice mayor is the President of the Metropolitan Council and serves as its presiding officer, but is not a member of the Metro Council and does not vote except to break ties. The vice mayor, a part-time position, is paid $25,230 annually.[2]
Members elect a president pro tempore to serve in the absence of the Vice Mayor, and a deputy president pro tempore once the president pro tempore becomes presiding officer due to the Vice Mayor's death or resignation. Members of the Metro Council who act as presiding officer during the Vice Mayor's absence retain their right to vote on all resolutions and ordinances.
Angie Henderson is the incumbent vice mayor.[3] Zulfat Suara is the president pro tempore.
Operations
editTwo-thirds of the Metropolitan Council are required to constitute a quorum before the business of the council can be conducted. The council holds regular meetings each first and third Tuesday of each month. In addition, with 48 hours' written notice, a special meeting may be called by the mayor or the vice mayor. It may also be requested by the majority of the council, which would require 21 votes in favor of the meeting. Meetings are broadcast live on Metro 3 and are archived on the Nashville government website.
The mayor may veto resolutions and ordinances passed by the Metropolitan Council, but the veto can be overridden with a two-thirds majority of the Council. With three-fourths of the entire council in favor, and not subject to veto, investigations may be conducted by the whole council or its committees.
Committees
edit| Name | No. of Members | Chair | Vice Chair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordable Housing | |||
| Budget and Finance | 15 | Porterfield | Toombs |
| Charter Revision | 8 | Weiner | Johnston |
| Education | |||
| Human Services | |||
| Public Facilities, Arts, and Culture | 9 | Styles | Vo |
| Planning and Zoning | 13 | Gamble | Harrell |
| Public Health and Safety | 13 | Evans | Taylor |
| Rules, Confirmations, and Public Elections | 8 | Sepulveda | Preptit |
| Transportation and Infrastructure | 12 | Parker | Evans Segall |
| Ad Hoc East Bank | 7 | Parker | Kupin |
Size reduction
editIn 2005, mayor Bill Purcell called for cutting the number of legislators in the council down to 20 in a proposal in which fifteen seats would be elected by districts and five seats would remain at-large. In 2006 the Metro Charter Review Commission scheduled a public hearing on the council's size. In a poll by The Tennessean, 21 councillors favored keeping the council as it is, and nine favored a reduction in the size of the council.
Dissidents said that if the size of the council were to be reduced, being elected could become a matter of who can raise the most money, and special interests may get involved. Other concerns voiced included council members not being able to get in contact with their constituents, the council becoming less ethnically diverse, and council membership changing from a part-time to a full-time job. Councilwoman Amanda McClendon said a reduction in size may make it easier to pass legislation.
In 2023, the state government enacted a law reducing the size of the Metro Council from 40 members to 20.[5] The move was widely opposed by Nashville residents and leaders. In April 2023, a court issued an injunction against the change, indicating that it unconstitutionally changed election procedures during the campaign.[6]
Current membership, 2023–2027
edit| District | Name | Area(s)/Neighborhoods Represented |
|---|---|---|
| At-Large, Seat 1 | Zulfat Suara | Davidson County |
| At-Large, Seat 2 | Delishia Porterfield | Davidson County |
| At-Large, Seat 3 | Quin Evans Segall | Davidson County |
| At-Large, Seat 4 | Burkley Allen | Davidson County |
| At-Large, Seat 5 | Olivia Hill | Davidson County |
| 1 | Joy Kimbrough | Bordeaux, Joelton, Whites Creek, Scottsboro |
| 2 | Kyonztè Toombs | North Nashville, Bordeaux, Metro Center |
| 3 | Jennifer Gamble | Brick Church, Goodlettsville, Madison, Whites Creek |
| 4 | Mike Cortese | Brentwood, Nipper's Corner |
| 5 | Sean Parker | East Nashville, Cleveland Park, Maplewood, Madison |
| 6 | Clay Capp | East Nashville, Lockeland Springs, Rosebank |
| 7 | Emily Benedict | East Nashville, Inglewood, Madison |
| 8 | Deonte Harrell | Antioch |
| 9 | Tonya Hancock | Madison |
| 10 | Jennifer Frensley Webb | Goodlettsville, Madison |
| 11 | Jeff Eslick | Old Hickory, Hermitage |
| 12 | Erin Evans | Hermitage |
| 13 | Russ Bradford | Donelson, Airport |
| 14 | Jordan Huffman | Donelson, Hermitage |
| 15 | Jeff Gregg | Donelson, Opryland |
| 16 | Ginny Welsch | South Nashville, Woodbine |
| 17 | Terry Vo | South Nashville, Fairgrounds, Berry Hill, 12 South |
| 18 | Tom Cash | South Nashville, Waverly-Belmont, Vanderbilt |
| 19 | Jacob Kupin | North Nashville, South Nashville, Downtown |
| 20 | Rollin Horton | West Nashville, The Nations, Cockrill Bend |
| 21 | Brandon Taylor | North Nashville, West End, Midtown, TSU |
| 22 | Sheri Weiner | West Nashville, Bellevue |
| 23 | Thom Druffel | West Nashville, Belle Meade |
| 24 | Brenda Gadd | West Nashville, Sylvan Park |
| 25 | Jeff Preptit | Oak Hill, Green Hills |
| 26 | Courtney Johnston | Crieve Hall, Paragon Mills |
| 27 | Robert Nash | Southeast Nashville, Tusculum |
| 28 | David Benton | Southeast Nashville, Antioch |
| 29 | Tasha Ellis | Priest Lake |
| 30 | Sandra Sepulveda | Southeast Nashville |
| 31 | John Rutherford | Antioch, Cane Ridge, Lenox Village |
| 32 | Joy Styles | Antioch |
| 33 | Antoinette Lee | Antioch, Cane Ridge |
| 34 | Sandy Ewing | City of Forest Hills, Green Hills, Bellevue |
| 35 | Jason Spain | Bellevue |
Historical membership
edit| District | 2019–2023 | 2015–2019 | 2011–2015 | 2007–2011 | 2003–2007 | 1999–2003 | 1995–1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice Mayor[a] | Jim Shulman[b] | David Briley[c] | Diane Neighbors | Howard Gentry Jr.[d] | Ronnie Steine[e] | Jay West | |
| AL 1 | Bob Mendes | John Cooper | Megan Barry | Tim Garrett | Buck Dozier | Chris Ferrell | Vic Varallo |
| AL 2 | Sharon Hurt | Erica Gilmore | Ronnie Steine | Megan Barry | Diane Neighbors | Leo Waters | George Armistead |
| AL 3 | Burkeley Allen | Bob Mendes | Tim Garrett | Charlie Tygard | Carolyn Baldwin Tucker | David Briley | Ronnie Steine |
| AL 4 | Steve Glover[f] | Sharon Hurt | Charlie Tygard | Ronnie Steine | David Briley | Carolyn Baldwin Tucker | Chris Ferrell |
| AL 5 | Zulfat Suara | Jim Shulman[g] | Jerry Maynard | Adam Dread[h] | Howard Gentry Jr.[i] | Leo Waters | |
| 1 | Jonathan Hall[j] | Lonnell Matthews Jr. | Brenda Gilmore | Regina Patton | |||
| 2 | Kyonztè Toombs | DeCosta Hastings | Frank Harrison | Jamie Isabel | Melvin Black | ||
| 3 | Jennifer Gamble | Brenda Haywood | Walter Hunt[k] | Chester Hughes[l] | Ron Nollner | ||
| 4 | Robert Swope | Brady Banks | Michael Craddock | Don Majors | |||
| 5 | Sean Parker | Scott Davis | Jamie Hollin[m] | Pam Murray | Lawrence Hall Jr. | Frank Harrison | |
| 6 | Brett Withers | Peter Westerholm | Mike Jameson | Eileen Beehan | |||
| 7 | Emily Benedict | Anthony Davis | Erik Cole | Earl Campbell | |||
| 8 | Nancy VanReece | Karen Bennett | Jason Hart | Lawrence Hart | |||
| 9 | Tonya Hancock | Bill Pridemore | Jim Forkum | James Dillard | |||
| 10 | Zach Young | Dough Pardue | Rip Ryman | Bettye Balthrop | Tim Garrett | ||
| 11 | Larry Hagar[n] | Darren Jernigan | Feller Brown | Mike Wooden | |||
| 12 | Erin Evans | Steve Glover | Jim Gotto | Tony Derryberry | Phil Ponder | ||
| 13 | Russ Bradford | Holly Huezo | Josh Stites | Carl Burch | Bruce Stanley | Charles O. French | |
| 14 | Kevin Rhoten | Bruce Stanley | Harold White | James Bruce Stanley | |||
| 15 | Jeff Syracuse | Phil Claiborne | J.B. Loring | Roy Dale | |||
| 16 | Ginny Welsch | Mike Freeman | Tony Tenpenny | Anna Page | Armanda McClendon | Jerry Wayne Graves | |
| 17 | Colby Sledge | Sandra Moore | Ronnie Greer | Mansfield Douglas | |||
| 18 | Tom Cash | Burkeley Allen | Kristine LaLonde[o] | Ginger Hausser | Stewart Clifton | ||
| 19 | Freddie O'Connell | Erica Gilmore | Ludye Wallace | Julius Sloss | |||
| 20 | Mary Carolyn Roberts | Buddy Baker | Billy Joe Walls | Morris Haddox | |||
| 21 | Brandon Taylor | Ed Kindall | Edith Langster | Edward Whitmore | Willis McCallister | ||
| 22 | Gloria Hausser | Sheri Weiner | Eric Crafton | Norma Hand | John Aaron Holt | ||
| 23 | Thom Druffel | Mina Johnson | Emily Evans[p] | Chris Whitson | Bob Bogen | Eric Crafton | |
| 24 | Kathleen Murphy | Jason Holleman | John Summers | Horace Johns | |||
| 25 | Russ Pulley | Sean McGuire | Jim Shulman | David Kleinfelter | |||
| 26 | Courtney Johnston | Jeremy Elrod | Chris Harmon | Greg Adkins | Michelle Arriola[q] | ||
| 27 | Robert Nash | Davette Blalock | Randy Foster | Janis Sontany | |||
| 28 | Tanaka Vercher | Duane Dominy | Jason Alexander[r] | Durward Hall | |||
| 29 | Delishia Porterfield[s] | Karen Johnson | Vivian Wilhoite | Saletta Holloway | |||
| 30 | Sandra Sepulveda | Jason Potts | Jim Hodge[t] | Michael Kerstetter | Leroy Hollis | ||
| 31 | John Rutherford | Fabian Bedne | Parker Toler | Don Knoch | Tom Alexander | ||
| 32 | Joy Styles | Jacobia Dowell | Sam Coleman | Craig Jenkins | |||
| 33 | Antoinette Lee[u] | Robert Duvall[v] | Tommy Bradley | Ron Turner | |||
| 34 | Angie Henderson | Carter Todd | Lynn Williams | Charles Fentress | |||
| 35 | Dave Rosenberg | Bo Mitchell | Charlie Tygard[w] | Vic Lineweaver[x] | |||
References
edit- ^ Johnson, J. Edward (2016). "Council sizes throughout the United States" (PDF). Columbus, Ohio: The City of Columbus Charter Review Committee.
- ^ a b Garrison, Joey (20 June 2017). "Nashville council passes $2.2B Metro budget, pay increase for council members". Tennessean. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ "Metropolitan Nashville Council Members".
- ^ "Nashville > Metro Council > Council Committees". www.nashville.gov. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ Brown, Melissa; Stephenson, Cassandra. "Gov. Lee signs bill to slash Nashville council in half". The Tennessean. Nashville. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
- ^ West, Emily (2023-04-10). "Judge temporarily halts plan to shrink Metro Council". News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF). Retrieved 2023-04-10.
- ^ The Vice Mayor is not a voting member of the Metro Council. They preside over the meetings and cast tie-breaking votes.
- ^ Shulman was first elected vice mayor in a special election on May 24, 2018
- ^ Briley resigned to become Mayor following Megan Barry's resignation on March 6, 2018. Pro tem Sheri Weiner and then Councilmember at-large Burkeley Allen served as interim vice mayor until Jim Shulman was elected on May 24, 2018.
- ^ Gentry was first elected in a special election on September 17, 2002, following Steine's resignation. Gentry served as interim vice mayor until his election.
- ^ Steine resigned on April 30, 2002
- ^ Glover resigned on March 1, 2022, leaving the seat vacant until the 2023 elections
- ^ Shulman was elected vice mayor on May 24, 2018
- ^ Dread was first elected to succeed Gentry on December 20, 2002
- ^ Gentry was elected Vice Mayor on September 17, 2002. Adam Dread was elected to succeed him on December 20, 2002.
- ^ Nick Leonardo was elected on August 4, 2016, to succeed Loniel Greene following his resignation. Hall was elected on June 18, 2018, to succeed Leonardo following his resignation.
- ^ Hunt was first elected in a special election on August 15, 2006, following the death of Chester Hughes on December 20, 2004.
- ^ Hughes died on December 20, 2004. The seat remained vacant until Walter Hunt was elected on August 15, 2006.
- ^ Hollin was first elected in a recall election to replace Pam Murray on November 16, 2009
- ^ Hagar was first elected in a special election in August 2014, following Darren Jernigan's resignation in January 2014
- ^ LaLonde was first elected in a special election on May 4, 2009, following Keith Durbin's resignation on January 5, 2009.
- ^ Evans was first elected in a special election on August 15, 2006, following Chris Whitson's resignation on August 15, 2005.
- ^ Arriola resigned on May 1, 2003
- ^ Alexander resigned on July 1, 2006
- ^ Porterfield was first elected in a special election on March 19, 2019, following Karen Johnson's resignation on August 31, 2018, to become Register of Deeds
- ^ Hodge was first elected in a special election on September 10, 2006, following Michael Kerstetter's resignation on April 6, 2006.
- ^ Lee was first elected in a special election on September 19, 2017
- ^ Duvall was first elected in a special election on September 19, 2006, following Tommy Bradley's resignation on March 15, 2006.
- ^ Tygard was first elected in a special election on November 19, 2002
- ^ Lineweaver resigned after being elected Juvenile Court Clerk on August 31, 2002. Charlie Tygard was elected to succeed him on November 19, 2002.
External links
edit- Metropolitan Council main page
- Metropolitan Council rules and procedures
- The Metro Charter
- A Nashville City Paper article on 2003 council member salary raises
- A The Tennessean article on the council meeting on council size changes
- Cass, Michael (16 April 2006). "Council shrinks on its own". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. pp. B1, B6 – via Newspapers.com. - An article from The Tennessean on member resignations
- Metro Council, 1999–2003
- Metro Council, 1995–1999