Nashville Area Taxpayers On The Hook For Services Not Being Provided In Some Neighborhoods

Image Credit: Brent Moore / CC

The Tennessee Conservative Staff –

Residents of one Nashville neighborhood say they are being forced to pay twice for trash removal services.

Homeowners in the Madison area say they became a part of the Urban Services District in 2016 and have been paying the tax for that ever since, without receiving the full benefit.

Becoming a part of the USD was supposed to bring a number of services, including city trash pickup. 

A loophole in the law allowed the area to be annexed into Davidson County, but the privatized roads do not meet the requirements for Metro Trash Services. So, residents are still forced to pay the tax but the city will not send trash trucks down the roads.

Metro Councilwoman Jennifer Gamble says that neighborhood roads have to be updated to meet city standards before they will do so.

“First, it needs to have an adequate right-of-way of about 50 feet. And secondly, it needs to have a level street, a paved street, with a width of about 22 feet. The private roads in this subdivision do not meet either one of those criteria,” said Gamble.

She went on to note that residents would have to agree to give up a portion of their property to make those changes. 

Residents, however, believe this is just an excuse from the city because private trash services use the same size trucks and come down the roads without any issues. 

Gamble, who represents District 3, says she plans to continue the discussion with the city in the upcoming weeks.