(The Center Square) – Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell signed an executive order establishing an advisory committee for the city’s new half-cent transportation tax less than 24 hours after winning a legal challenge.
Nashville residents approved the sales tax surcharge in November. The $3.1 billion project dubbed “Choose How You Move” includes sidewalks, improved transit services and new technology.
The tax will go into effect Feb. 1.
A group called the Committee to Stop an Unfair Tax challenged it in court.
The group said the sales tax unfairly targeted lower-income residents who spend more money on basic groups. The city could look at other ways to fund the plan, including grants, according to a statement on its website.
Chancellor Anne C. Martin said the ballot language was correct and the tax was valid under the state’s laws.
“On November 5, Nashvillians made an overwhelming statement that it’s time to take action to improve our transit and related infrastructure,” O’Connell said. “I’m excited for all of us to be able to move past legal distractions and get to doing the work that people expect of us and asked us to do.”
The mayor’s executive order creates a board of no more than 15 members to review the work. The board’s meetings will be open to the public.
“Choose How You Move is a program built with more than a decade of input from Nashvillians, and this committee will help ensure our community voices remain at the center of this generational effort to improve our transit system,” O’Connell said. “Thousands of ideas from residents helped shape this program, and as we move into implementation, it’s important to keep Nashvillians engaged and informed about how we are investing in ourselves to shape our transportation future.”
The mayor also plans to hire a chief program officer.
