Critics of Nashville mayor’s transit plan say ballot costs don’t tell the whole story

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — As voters head to the polls, critics of Nashville’s mayor’s program to improve public transit say the city is downplaying the true cost, a difference that runs into the billions.

When you vote for or against the mayor’s transit plan, you’ll notice that the cost you see on the ballot is nearly $3.1 billion, but opponents say the total cost could be $6.9 billion.

“Choose How You Move” is Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s public transportation improvement program, which includes upgrading bus routes and increasing frequency, including 24-hour service, sidewalk improvements and more.

The transit expansion plan requires voters to decide whether it is worth pursuing. Metro Councilwoman Courtney Johnston opposes it.

“I just don’t like the fact that it’s not transparent,” she said. “When you say something is going to cost $3.1 billion, but that’s just the principal amount of the loan you’re taking out and the actual cost, once you add that in, your interest expense is $6.9 billion.”

We examined the referendum on a sample ballot measure and it indicated that capital costs would be about $3.1 billion out of $111 million in operating costs. An independent audit found that the actual cost of construction would be about $6.9 billion over 15 years.

When we asked the mayor’s office why this number was not indicated on the ballot, they told us: “

We only know one figure: $3.1 billion is the cost of implementing the program in today’s dollars.

Nashville residents can read the full financial audit of the plan here. We have posted the entire plan, the entire financial plan and interactive maps to make the entire process as transparent as possible.”

“We played by different rules in the 2018 referendum because they forced Megan Barry to put the entire amount of debt service on the ballot,” Johnston said.

According to the referendum, the program is funded by federal grants, toll revenue, debt and a 0.5% sales tax increase.

“There are 9 main sources, and this is actually a conservative estimate because the financial plan had to be reviewed by the state comptroller. It’s not just Metro saying it works and that it’s paying for the projects it says it’s doing,” said Alex Apple, a spokesman for the mayor.

“They assume sales tax revenue will grow over 30 years to pay off our debt obligations. What happens if we don’t grow? Metro is on the hook for this, and it’s the most consistent source of revenue.” for the metropolitan government, these are property taxes. So if sales tax doesn’t cover it, we’re going to have to raise property taxes,” Johnston said.

The mayor’s office believes that this will not happen and will ultimately save money.

“This will help us reduce the average household’s transportation costs,” Apple said.

Johnston reported that only 2.5% of Davidson County residents use the transit system, while Apple reported ridership of 9,000,000 in the past twelve months.

Johnston believes we need to get small transit projects done first before we rack up more debt and focus our priorities on issues like public safety.

The mayor’s office believes that this transit plan will help us catch up with other large cities.

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