Metro Pulse/Ear to the Ground

Comment
on this story

Beating the State to the Punch

Mayor Victor Ashe customarily presents his city budget around the end of April. But when he didn't schedule the city council budget retreat usually held in February, it began to look as if this year's might be delayed. Then cometh the notice that Ashe will make his presentation on March 28, sans any convening of council, and with it the question: Why the rush?

Best guess is that Ashe wants to get (and stay) a step ahead of the state Legislature in hitting up the taxpayers for more money. The word filtering back from City Council members who has been individually briefed by the mayor is that Ashe plans to recommend a 12 cent to 17 cent increase in the city's $2.85 property tax rate. In addition, he's expected to propose a new city hotel/motel tax that would also go toward financing the city's new convention center.

If he can get these adopted in April, Ashe could steer clear of the shock waves that figure to emanate from Nashville when the Legislature finally gets down to cases in dealing with the state's fiscal crunch, most probably in May. Along with various state tax increase possibilities, there's also the possibility the Legislature could try to balance its budget by whacking state funding to municipalities, which accounts for $22 million of the city's $172 million in revenues this fiscal year. The impact of shifting that burden to the city would make a 17 cent property tax increase look like peanuts.

UT's De-beautifying Project

Early this week, UT President Wade Gilley made his strongest statement to date on the controversial bridge issue he inherited. The daily quoted Gilley touting the four-lane highway bridge to connect UT's main campus with its ag campus, spanning Third Creek and the Norfolk Southern \

"There's a need for it," Gilley said. "The bridge has been informally a part of the university's master plan since 1960."

(We don't doubt that the informal plan likely does date to 1960. It certainly does look like something from 1960, when it was common to cut broad expressways through urban neighborhoods. Just think about it and you start humming "Volaré.")

We're at a disadvantage, though, because we haven't had a chance to see the informal Master Plan to which Gilley is referring. We've only seen the presumably current formal Master Plan of 1994, which suggests a pedestrian bridge with the possibility of emergency-vehicle access. It's a neat trick; behind the formal Master Plan which we're allowed to read is an informal Master Plan which has more clout.

Having given land for the Alcoa Highway expansion, which seems unnecessary to many who drive this stretch daily, all TDOT can offer UT in return is an on-campus four-lane highway bridge. (TDOT makes it clear it just doesn't do pedestrian bridges.) The thinking seems to be we're required to accept this "gift," just to square the deal. When we've just given in and accepted one big, ugly, expensive project we don't need, is it really necessary to accept another big, ugly, expensive project we don't need to pay for?

The meetings at the University Center this afternoon (March 16) promise to be lively. Bridge opponents will hold a rally on the UC plaza at 3 p.m.; the project's final design will be unveiled for review in the UC auditorium at 4.

Danny Update

Hallerin Hill and the crew at WNOX radio raised more than $47,000 for the family of Danny Mayfield last week. Mayfield, who is stricken with bone cancer, was hospitalized with an uncontrolled fever March 8—on his 31st birthday. He was released almost a week later, but still has a severely depressed immune system. His wife, Missy Mayfield, says the response to the WNOX effort was "amazing. I am just overwhelmed. That's the only way I can put into words what I am feeling." And Danny's reaction?

"He just kept saying 'Thank you God.'"

Despite being mostly confined to a wheelchair these days, Danny plans to take his place on the dais at City Council March 21.

"He'll be there," Missy said. "I'll be wheeling him in."