Brush Pick-Up

Brush pick-up this month is scheduled to start in the following areas:

• February 3 - Goodlettsville, Bellshire
• February 7 - Capital View, Douglas Park, Cleveland Park, McFerrin Park, Highland Heights
• February 14 - Inglewood, Neely’s Bend, Peeler Park, Maplewood Heights, Iverson, Maxwell Heights, Edgefield, Eastwood, and Lockland Springs
• February 27 – Old Hickory, Hermitage, Stones River, Shelby Bottoms, and Shelby Hills

Transportation Public Listening Sessions

Improving transportation options continues to be one of the major issues of livability in Nashville. The Mayor’s Office will continue hosting public listening sessions through February. The listening sessions will provide opportunities to residents throughout Davidson County to voice their ideas, priorities, and concerns regarding transit and transportation in Nashville. Most session will be in the evening from 6 to 8 pm except as noted. The dates and locations of the public listening sessions are:

• Thursday, February 6 - West Nashville - West Police Precinct Community Room
• Tuesday, February 11 - Bellevue - Bellevue Public Library
• Tuesday, February 18, 11:30 am -1 pm - Downtown - Downtown Public Library
• Thursday, February 20 - Green Hills/Hillsboro Pik - Church of Christ - Green Hills
• Monday, February 24 - Nolensville/South Nashville - Plaza Mariachi
• Thursday, February 27 - East Nashville/Madison - Studio 615

Additional transportation meetings with community leaders and other stakeholders will take place through March. The Mayor’s Office will issue initial recommendations in late spring and release a full transportation plan by the end of September. More information about the Mayor’s Office transportation plan listening sessions can be found at the following by clicking here.

Metro Budget

The Metro Budget process for fiscal 2021 is now fully underway. Kevin Crumbo, the Finance Director, has set an ambitious schedule to deliver the Mayor’s proposed budget to the Council at the beginning of April so that we can make our adjustments and have the final version ready for approval by the Metro Council at the end of May. At this point each department has prepared an operating budget to present to the Mayor. Bob Mendes, chairman of the Council’s Budget Committee, has scheduled six community meetings around the county to explain the budget process and gather citizen input. The schedule is as follows:

• Feb. 25, 6-7:30 p.m. - Northwest Family YMCA, 3700 Ashland City Highway
• Feb. 26, 6:30-8 p.m., Smith Springs Community Center, 2801 Smith Springs Road
• March 4, 6-7:30 p.m. - Studio 615, 272 Broadmoor Drive
• March 9, 6-7:30 p.m. - Church of Christ in Green Hills, 3805 Granny White Pike
• March 10, 6-7:30 p.m. - Bellevue Public Library, 720 Baugh Road
• March 12, 6-7:30 p.m - Hermitage Public Library, 3700 James Kay Lane

Public input is especially important this year, since we are looking to get the budget back into a healthy balance while continuing to offer important services like dependable public safety, utilities, infrastructure, and education. I’ll say more about this in my March update.

Election Day

Election Day is March 3, with early voting starting February 12. In addition to the presidential primary, Property Assessor, Metro Trustee, two judge elections, and party committee members will be on the ballot. Sample ballots can be viewed on the Nashville.gov website. The voter registration deadline for the presidential primary and metro special election was February 3; registration submitted after that will be processed for upcoming elections in August and November. To register visit GoVoteTN.com or download the form from the TN Secretary of State website at VOTER APPLICATION.

ISSUES

I-440 Lighting Concerns

Lighting along I-440 is being activated, and I’ve heard concerns from several neighbors about the brightness of the new lights and intrusion into back yards. This issue was discussed with TDOT last year, and many neighbors were helpful in writing to support a change of the type of lighting from super bright white light (4000K on the color spectrum) to more yellow (3000K). Because they are changing to LED, the lights are still more white than the old sodium lights that have been used in the past. We have contacted TDOT about possible light trespass issues and will work to address those. It would be helpful if neighbors would send addresses where the light is shining into back yards.

Curbside Recycling

Curbside recycling service is provided to single-family homes in the Urban Services District of Nashville that receive weekly trash cart collection from Metro Public Works. Residents must place recyclables in their green roll-out cart to be collected once a month. Residents may be issued one green department approved container for recycling. Additional carts may be requested at no cost. Long term plans are to increase to twice monthly, but this has been put on hold while Public Works focuses on reducing contamination in recycling bins. The biggest contaminant is plastic bags. Not only are plastic bags not recyclable through Metro’s program, they tangle up the machinery and frequently shut the entire operation down. Recyclables that are bagged in plastic frequently end up in the landfill. Recyclables should never be bagged but placed in the cart loosely. Acceptable recyclables are #1 and #2 plastic, steel and aluminum cans, and mixed paper. For more details on the residential recycling collection program, check out the Public Works website or call 615-862-5000. I’ve just been selected to chair the Public Works Sub-Committee on Recycling so expect to hear more on this topic.

In Conclusion

Please let me know what is on your mind. You can reach me at burkley.allen@nashville.gov or 615-383-6604.

Burkley Allen
Metro Council At-Large