"Nashville In Receivership? Wait, How?" -Forbes (Smyrna, Green Hill: lease, felony)

[MetropolitanTN]

Interesting read.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/timpagl.../#930f91d18310

[BirdieBelle]

Cooper has to play to role of a parent who makes you clean up the house you trashed during a wild party.

From the article:

The states bent toward fiscal restraint was initiated by then Governor Lamar Alexander in the 1970s. It is not a model that can easily accommodate the influx of thousands of families as a result of corporate incentives. Bound by these costly relocation agreements, it is virtually impossible to recover the revenue to fund good schools, roads, and the other infrastructure costs associated with accelerated growth.

The bottom line of this column: We can't continue corporate incentives given to Alliance Bernstein et al.

[mattec]

Cooper has a heavy hand in the creation of this mess.

Cooper voted against the Council's budget back in the summer that would have avoided all of this with a timely property tax increase. He also voted to block the long term lease of the on street parking. By opposing the council's budget, he was supporting Briley's budget that was adopted, which included the one time payments for parking and the steam system. He and the others against the council's tax raise proposal also failed to provide a solution to cover the gap created by the blocking of the parking deal. And that $41M gap is what we are dealing with today.

The tax incentives offered to Amazon and A-B generally come from a different pot of money, which includes state dollars and theoretical future dollars created from later investments generated by the initial investments from the incentive outlay. It would be a challenge (and a bit short sighted) to redirect those dollars from economic development to general obligations, such as maintenance and salaries. Not to mention those later dollars would likely never be generated without the initial investment.

[jjbradleynyc]

Yeah, I'm confused by this situation.

The mayor announces it in a news conference, and then the administration backs away from the statement later on.

Either way, it's a bit of a red flag with this new mayor's office, as one of Nashville's major strengths is branding/marketing and city image, and this is a bit of a head scratching situation, and doesn't help any of that.

Early on with this new mayor, and admittedly I'm not reading/watching it closely, but the loud news reports that make it out nationally seem to indicate that this mayor is not pumped about booming growth continuing and coming to Nashville, and is taming down development.

Is that the take away here...?

[Shakeesha]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

Yeah, I'm confused by this situation.

The mayor announces it in a news conference, and then the administration backs away from the statement later on.

Either way, it's a bit of a red flag with this new mayor's office, as one of Nashville's major strengths is branding/marketing and city image, and this is a bit of a head scratching situation, and doesn't help any of that.

Early on with this new mayor, and admittedly I'm not reading/watching it closely, but the loud news reports that make it out nationally seem to indicate that this mayor is not pumped about booming growth continuing and coming to Nashville, and is taming down development.

Is that the take away here...?

He is no Megan Barry or David Briley and that is starting to show as his weakness. He is not good at messaging and fails to realize Nashville is not some regional enclave but is being watched on the national stage. I do not dislike Mayor Cooper, but he needs to work with his team to clear up the confusion.

[Tomandjerry45]

Originally Posted by Shakeesha

He is no Megan Barry or David Briley and that is starting to show as his weakness.

Megan Berry was not a good mayor (as she made national news and ultimately stepped down as mayor for a large scandal). Briley was average.

[WakeMed]

Megan Berry wanted to build the new Hillwood-Bellevue High for 30million bucks near the Bellevue Middle School that started out as a high school and somehow somebody got the idea to build it out of a mega-church out past Bellevue for 90 million bucks and now people say it's going to end up costing over 200 million dollars if and when it ever gets built. Talk about somebody's eyes getting bigger than their billfold and I don't think it was her.

The most recent new high schools (BIG ones at that) which were built in Nolensville, Rockvale, and Smyrna/Almaville (Stew Creek)... were built from 40 to 50 million each and that includes an astroturf football field at Nolensville. And a recording studio and veterinary clinic in Stewarts Creek. And who knows what goodies in Rockvale.

[Tomandjerry45]

Originally Posted by WakeMed

Megan Berry wanted to build the new Hillwood-Bellevue High for 30million bucks near the Bellevue Middle School that started out as a high school and somehow somebody got the idea to build it out of a mega-church out past Bellevue for 90 million bucks and now people say it's going to end up costing over 200 million dollars if and when it ever gets built. Talk about somebody's eyes getting bigger than their billfold and I don't think it was her.

The most recent new high schools (BIG ones at that) which were built in Nolensville, Rockvale, and Smyrna/Almaville (Stew Creek)... were built from 40 to 50 million each and that includes an astroturf football field at Nolensville. And a recording studio and veterinary clinic in Stewarts Creek. And who knows what goodies in Rockvale.

Rockvale was built for 70 million + and the new Green Hill High School in Wilson County is at 102 million+. Nobody and I mean nobody in Middle Tennessee can build a large high school in Nashville Metro for the 30 million range or even close to that now. Thank what you want to about Megan Berry but she pleaded guilty to felony theft and was out of office the same day and could have been wrapped in even more scandles had she not resigned then She wasn't a good mayor.

[WakeMed]

Wik says Rockvale was 59mil, not 70. Green Hill High is selling off the extra land it won't be using and making big bucks off that extra land which should help offset the expenses involved. Have you seen how awesome it's going to be? Other than not boffing their security guard, has Briley or Cooper really been all that great as mayors either?

[Shakeesha]

Originally Posted by Tomandjerry45

Megan Berry was not a good mayor (as she made national news and ultimately stepped down as mayor for a large scandal). Briley was average.

I disagree. They both laid the groundwork for Nashville's current boom. Dean too. The current mayor has big shoes to fill. If the soccer stadium and MLB don't happen, it will be under his watch.