Organized opposition mounts against July 27 tax referendum in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A Nashville referendum on the ballot next month would limit how much your property tax could go up each year. Some say this will be detrimental to Nashville if it passes.
This comes after Metro Council voted to raise property taxes a whopping 34% after tornadoes and during a pandemic.
Now several organizations have all come together forming Save Nashville Now to try to defeat the July 27th referendum.
They say limiting the amount Metro Council could raise property tax would disproportionately hurt minority communities and working families as well as police, firefighters, first responders and teachers.
Realtor John Dotson, who also serves as Chairman of the Legislative Committee of the Greater Nashville Realtors, explains how this referendum could have unintended consequences.
He says, “The first and most destructive thing that would happen is from immediately this passing we would go from the 2021 budget to the 2019 budget.”
He says he understands the anger that came from Metro Council raising property taxes 34% after tornadoes and during a pandemic when many homeowners were out of work, but adds, “Of course we could not have possibly predicted a tornado, the pandemic any of the unfortunate things. The unfortunate situation we found ourselves in in 2019 is we were so inadequately funded that the state was about to take over our finances.”
The Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act is on the ballot July 27 following a second and successful attempt by 4 Good Government.
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