An historic transit referendum will be on the ballot for Nashville residents in May after some final political maneuvering over the matter of the plan's cost.
"Following action Tuesday by the Metro Council, Nashville voters will decide May 1 whether to raise four taxes, including the sales tax, to pay for a sweeping mass transit plan, anchored by light rail and a massive downtown tunnel," reports Joey Garrison.
The transit program proposed by the ballot vote "is headlined by a combination of 26 miles of new light rail, more robust bus service, and a 1.8-mile tunnel below downtown," explains Garrison.
The City Council made some 11th hour changes to the transit referendum proposed by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, by deciding "to list both the transit proposal's present-day cost of $5.4 billion as well as the estimated amount of long-term revenue needed for the project, $8.95 billion." Mayor Barry wanted only to list the lower total. The article details the current political dynamics of the vote—which political leaders and advocacy groups have coalesced around the pending vote.
FULL STORY: Nashville council votes to add transit referendum with two dollar amounts to May ballot
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Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
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Journal of the American Planning Association