Image Credit: Corey Seeman / CC
The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority will now have a new makeup with appointments from state leadership after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill to change the way board members are appointed.
The new structure will make it an eight-member board with two appointees each for the mayor, governor, House speaker and Senate speaker.
Kirk Schaffer, former associate administrator for airports for the Federal Aviation Administration, testified in committee the change could also create issues for the airport in terms of FAA funding grants if a legal battle occurred between the city and state.
The bill is one of several impacting Metro Nashville, including a bill to lower the number of Metro council members from 40 to 20 in 2027, a bill to change who appoints sports authority board members, a bill to eliminate a supermajority vote requirement for demolition at the fairgrounds and a bill to block Nashville from transferring excess funds in the Music City Center tax capture to Nashville’s general fund.
About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.
