Image Credit: wegotransit.com
The Tennessee Conservative Staff-
New ballot language was approved by the Metro Council for the $3.1 billion transit plan that has been proposed by Democrat Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
If the Davidson County Election Commission approves it in their procedural vote, then Nashville voters will get the chance to have their say on the issue on the November 5th ballot.
O’Connell’s plan aims to double the number of bus routes, as well as extend their hours of service. Bus transit centers will also be more easily connected to eliminate the need for riders to go downtown in order to travel to other locations in the city.
The project will also include the renovation and addition of sidewalks and traffic signals, as well as corridor improvements.
Mayor O’Connell previously released a statement saying, “This is about the sustainability of our workforce and this community, and how we bring the cost of living down so that our residents can afford to live here.”
The improvements, however, will not come without a price for Nashville residents. The proposal includes a 0.5% increase in sales tax.
The current tax rate in Davidson County is 6.25% for groceries and 9.25% for other items. If the new proposal passes, those would increase to 6.75% and 9.75%.
The sales tax increase is estimated to cover about 40% of the total cost of the project. The remained is expected to be covered with state and federal funding, transit fares, and bonds.
If approved, work would begin immediately and continue for the next fifteen years. The tax increase would go into effect on February 1, 2025.
3 Responses
Hey TCN Staff – Feel free to use the info below – I’ve studied this and it will be a Financial Disaster for Nashville – they’re surprisingly dumb. You know me – David H. from Williamson County – Ben Cunningham also has a great analysis at https://sites.google.com/view/transitreality
# 1 – Davidson County already has BY FAR the greatest debt of any TN county > $3.8 Billion – 3 times more than Memphis and Knoxville
https://www.comptroller.tn.gov/office-functions/la/e-services/tag-tableau/tag-overview.html
# 2 – In 3 months the cost increased from $3.26 Billion to $6.9 Billion, of which $3.6 Billion is UNFUNDED >> from a Tennessean article on 5-3-24 >>
“An independent audit released in mid-May put the plan’s total cost (including construction, operating, financing and reserves) at $6.93 billion over 15 years. The proposed sales tax surcharge would cover $3.26 billion of that cost, with revenue bond proceeds, federal and state grants, and farebox revenue making up the rest.”
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/davidson/2024/05/30/what-nashville-can-learn-from-phoenixs-transit-funding-journey/73674555007/?for-guid=41bbb02c-25ba-41f6-b1dd-eeadf0c95bdd&utm
# 3 – The proposed plan will let anyone earning less than $48,000 a year ride FREE > when the Homeless ride, other people do NOT ride, for obvious reasons. The Homeless tend to spend a great deal of time on the transit, and who can blame them. Ask the Libs if they ride the bus now – they don’t. The Nashville Mayor called a meeting of 200 supporters and ZERO rode the bus. Ask them if they will pledge to ride the bus with the Homeless people 5 days a week. They won’t – they think someone else will. It’s Liberal Virtue Signalling and is the reason most of the Dem cities get in financial trouble.
# 4 – 90% of the current “farebox revenue” will go away. The reason is because 90% of the current paying riders earn less than $48,000 a year, but people making less than $48,000 will ride for FREE. So, there won’t be much “farebox revenue” and that means Nashville can’t issue “revenue bonds”, and they can’t count on “federal and state grants”.
# 5 – The Libs are saying the Bus System is an “essential service”, like the police, and “It doesn’t matter how much money it loses.” (I’m not kidding – Lib Stupidity). Do you think a bus system is as important as the police? They will probably come begging to the State. By the way – the Star train to Lebanon loses over $1 million a year and is subsidized by the State – it has dropped to about 200 Average Daily Riders (not 100,000 “Riders”, as they claim). MESSAGE TO State > Please stop wasting money!!!
We are watching a typical idiotic fail of libs more concerned with their ideology than doing their real job, and as such, make stupid decisions. We are also watching what happens when the masses of people do not pay attention to what their government is doing. These are people who refused the GOP convention to the detriment of hundreds of small businesses. Shame on them all.
Nashville is soon to become another Los Angeles and NYC. Bloomberg must be running Nashville.
Wonder if there are any Bloomberg Straw Purchase of firearms yet?