EVENTS
Election Day is November 3. Make sure you vote, and everyone you know votes. The Metro Election Commission has created a very safe, socially distanced, touchless process. Polls will be open from 7am to 7pm. Click here to find your precinct location.
On election day WeGo will provide free bus rides all day for all trips within Davidson County to maximize opportunities for voter turnout. No special measures are needed for riders to take advantage of this opportunity: simply wear your mask, board the bus, and go. Some scooter companies are also offering free or reduced rate rides to the polls. Visit RollToThePolls.com for details.
The Metro Council will be meeting on November 5 because the election falls on our regular meeting night. To maintain the proper social distance, the Council meeting will be held in the Davidson Ballroom at the Metro City Center. The meeting is open to the public; everyone attending is subject to temperature screening and must wear a mask.
Trash Routes in the urban services district have changed, starting on Monday, November 2. To improve service Metro is moving to five-day-a-week collection, which will affect both trash and recycling. In weeks with holidays on a weekday, every pick-up including and following the holiday will shift one day. For example, Veteran’s Day is Wednesday, November 11, so Wednesday trash and recycling will be picked up on Thursday, and Thursday’s and Friday’s will be picked up on Friday and Saturday respectively. Metro Public Works has sent every household a letter with an explanation and a calendar for the next year. Residents can look up pick-up days by address at CollectionDay.Nashville.gov. That also brings up the brush pick-up schedule.
The Street Sweeping Schedule is published monthly on Metro’s Open Data website. Residents can filter by street to find out when each block will be swept so cars can be moved out of the way. Moving cars off the street on sweeping day will help Metro Water Services get debris and leaves off the street before they end up in the storm sewer system and clog it up. Now that we are at the height of Fall, please remember not to blow the leaves from your yard into the street. Metro will pick them up if they are bagged in compostable bags, which can be bought at most hardware stores.
Brush Pick-Up begins:
- November 5 - Area 12 (Goodlettesville, Bellshire, Dalemere,)
- November 13 - Area 1 (West Madison, Capital View, Douglas Park, Cleveland Park, McFerrin Park, Highland Heights)
- November 19 - Area 2 (East Madison, Inglewood, Neely’s Bend, Peeler Park, Maplewood Heights, Iverson, Maxwell Heights, Edgefield, Eastwood, Shelby Bottoms, Shelby Hills, and Lockland Springs)
- November 30 - Area 3 (Old Hickory, Lakewood, Hermitage, Stones River, Two Rivers, River Trace)
ISSUES
The Metro Director of Health has issued updated mandates to further refine Phase 3 requirements in the COVID-19 road map for re-opening. Restaurants can now seat up to 100 patrons per floor if they can maintain the required social distancing between parties. Maximum restaurant table group size remains at eight. Restaurants can apply for permits to extend seating out onto sidewalks to expand their capacity at the Nashville.gov website.
HUD has extended the deadline until December 31 for an initial FHA forbearance application. This document is focused on multifamily owners and their renters. The United Way of Nashville is also administering a number of rent and small business relief programs to help residents and businesses hang on until jobs and business return to normal. Information is available on the United Way Nashville website.
When the election is over, campaign signs can be recycled by separating the metal from the plastic and taking the metal to one of Metro’s recycling convenience centers at:
- East Center 943A Doctor Richard G. Adams Drive,
- Ezell Pike Center 3254 Ezell Pike behind the South Police Precinct 5113 Harding Place,
- Omohundro 1019 Omohundro Place (entrance on Freightliner Drive), or
- Anderson Lane Center 939A Anderson Lane, Madison.
All are open Tuesday through Saturday, and a few are open on Sunday afternoons. The rigid plastic signs (without the metal frames) can be taken to Turnip Green Creative Re-Use on Houston Street for re-use as a craft material. They asked to be called ahead of time so they can make space to accept any large loads of signs. Signs cannot be recycled in the curbside pick-up and could contaminate the load.
A ruling on the Tax Referendum is due on November 3. Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle will be deciding if the language of the referendum can legally be put on a ballot without violating state law or the Metro Charter. One possible outcome is that there will be a special election on December 15 to vote on the referendum. It is also possible that the judge’s ruling will be appealed, and the issue will be carried over to 2021.
Flu shots are available from Metro Public Health at the following locations:
- East Nashville Public Health Center, 1015 East Trinity Lane, (615) 862-7916
- Lentz Public Health Center, 2500 Charlotte Avenue, (615) 340-5607
- Woodbine Public Health Center, 224 Oriel Avenue, (615) 862-7940
Shots are $35, and many insurance policies cover the cost. Drugs stores also offer the vaccine, and some are offering free shots. This year it is especially important for everyone to get a flu shot to lower the chance that hospitals get overwhelmed by both flu and COVID-19 cases.
New Police Chief – Five finalists for the top position at MNPD were interviewed by the Policing Policy Commission and by the mayor at the end of October. All five candidates stated that they are committed to reform, particularly around use of force policies, racial equity, and mental health issues. The mayor will be making the final selection later this month. At the same time the Community Oversight Board has published a report concluding that the Metro Nashville Police Department already meets many of the use of force recommendations that are put forth by the Department of Justice in consent decrees from across the country. There were seven key recommendations regarding policies, procedures, training, and data analysis in the report.
- Ensure consistency between force prohibitions in MNPD Manual and training
- Implement annual supervisor training on use of force investigations
- Create a Crisis Intervention Team for mental health and drug addiction situations
- Categorize use of force incidents into discrete levels to guide reporting and investigation
- Create a Force Investigation Team with the Office of Professional Accountability
- Publish an annual use of force report
- Publish an interactive dashboard of use of force statistics
Property Tax bills have been mailed out. The packet includes a lot of information, including how to access tax relief and tax freeze programs for elderly, disabled, and veterans. There is also information on how tax dollars are spent, how our taxes compare to those of the other large cities in Tennessee, and how this year’s tax rate compares with Nashville’s historic tax rates. Payments can be made in installments with full payment due February 28, 2021.
Metro has over 75 different volunteer boards and commissions that help with the governance of the city taking full advantage of citizen engagement and expertise. Residents of Davidson County are encouraged to participate in everything from the Agricultural Extension Board to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Nominations can be submitted by Council Members to the Mayor’s Office for consideration. The Mayor’s Office whittles the list down and final approval is by Council vote. Descriptions of all the boards and commissions can be found at here. There are openings coming up on the Solid Waste Region Board and Greenways Commission. If you are interested in serving on either, please send me a resume with a brief explanation of your qualifications and why you would like to serve.
In Conclusion
I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween. Please let me know about your suggestions and concerns by contacting me at burkley.allen@nashville.gov or 615-383-6604.
Regards,
Burkley Allen
Metro Council At-Large