Courtney Johnston for Nashville26

09/02/2026

Our trash collectors will begin their routes at 5am due to the extreme heat. Please set your cans out the night before your scheduled pickup day!

08/25/2026

What an immense loss for this world. But what an immense life full of light and love she created and shared with all of us. Her good works and memories will last forever, to be sure. Rest in peace, Dolly. We will always love you!

08/24/2026

It actually IS as easy as saying we increased
your property taxes. Your mayor is LYING to you. The appraisal has to be revenue neutral. Fact. What your lying mayor did (and the council voted in favor of - not me) was to raise the rate 27% OVER AND ABOVE the revenue neutral rate.

You are not stupid and you are not crazy. The mayor absolutely raised the rate and increased your tax liability. Fact. I DARE the mayor to have a conversation with me about this - on the record. He won’t do it. 1000000% not a chance.

08/24/2026

I got a text today. Many of you probably did too. I couldn’t say it more eloquently than my friend Bob Freeman. Look - I’m not arguing about what should or shouldn’t be at the fairgrounds. I’ll say that the racetrack is Nashville’s history. And I’ll say that means something to me. There are people that want that to go away. Ok. But don’t lie to people to get them to sign something they think will solve a problem that won’t be solved. Don’t lie. I can’t stand lying.

Signing doesn’t bring affordable housing - at all period end of story. The track is not scheduled to be demolished. At all - period end of story.

If you signed this believing what you were told - that it’s bringing affordable housing to an area that’s already set to me demolished. You signed in error. You can ask for your name to be removed here:
https://www.declinetosignnashville.com/

Here is a message from State Representative Bob Freeman:

"I've been asked where I stand on the petition that's going around. Paid canvassers have tried to get me to sign and I'll tell you what I told them. Their petition is not about affordable housing. It does not require any new affordable housing to be built. I think it is shameful to try to take advantage of our city's affordability problem as an excuse to tear down our 122-year old Fairgrounds Speedway. Our city's history is worth protecting and I refuse to sit quietly while a million-dollar campaign lies to voters."

Did you sign the petition after being lied to? You can ask for your name to be removed here:
https://www.declinetosignnashville.com/

A billionaire developer is sending paid canvassers to your neighborhood with a petition to demolish the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Here's what you need to know before you answer. Request to Remove YOUR Signature from the Fairgrounds Petition! WATCH THE FULL STORY THE PETITION IS A REAL ESTATE S...

08/24/2026

Soooo tax the hell out of you and then use some of those tax dollars for a grant program that you have to apply for to get some paltry grant? Got it. Question - what happens when the following year’s tax bill comes due? Asking for every single business owner…..

Nashville mayor Freddie O'Connell announced new programs aimed at helping local businesses grow, retain workers and invest in their properties.

The plans include grants for longtime businesses, incentives for workforce training and an expanded property improvement program that will be available to more buildings. https://bit.ly/4qGBHbl

08/21/2026

I’ve had several people ask me to explain the TDZ (Tourism Development Zone) since the council is voting on key aspects of its future as it relates to metro. It’s a complicated subject so I wrote an article explaining its history and evolution along with the current legislation to help folks understand. I hope it’s helpful!

08/20/2026

One of my favorite things about serving our great city and my district is meeting my neighbors, helping them and then becoming friends. After all, we’re neighbors! Just today I had a call about something truly unrelated to government. But I was able to help, thankfully. Even better was the message later thanking me with a thoughtful suggestion about something I shared with her. That’s COMMUNITY. That’s neighborly and kindness. I get more out of helping folks than they’ll ever get from me. I simply love it!

08/13/2026

There’s a pretty cool tool available that shows you what impacted your property taxes this past year - the tax rate increase above the equalization rate or the appraised value increase or both. In my opinion, metro does rate increases the same time as re-appraisal for the purpose of confusion, conflation and finger pointing. This tool answers the question with math.

See how your 2025 Nashville property tax bill was set — from the reappraisal to the certified rate reset to the budget vote — one step at a time. Enter your address.

08/13/2026

This teacher’s testimony is in line with so many other teachers, students and parents that have reached out to me. No comment from the board except to cut her off when her time ended. Why wouldn’t they want to hear her out? Why not discuss these issues for purposes of addressing these very serious issues/allegations? People are so upset about their property taxes and the largest line item in our budget is Metro Nashville Public Schools. Students deserve better than this. Teachers do, too.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db8o36Hypoy/?igsh=MTNzeHU3d3dzbjVsag==

08/04/2026

Actually, we’ve been “discussing” this for years and the source of funds has already been identified. This is the perfect example of - “makes sense so the government sits on it for years.”

The Tennessee Department of Transportation says it is discussing the possible installation of bollards on Broadway in downtown Nashville following the weekend crash that killed one pedestrian and injured three others. ➡ https://tinyurl.com/2nzs7k6x