Dear Nashville mayoral candidates:
First, congratulations on your decision to run for mayor. Nashville needs strong, decisive, effective leadership to continue the great momentum our city currently has. I look forward to learning more about the issues you feel are important and your identified priorities.
With the recent announcement from Mayor Dean not to pursue funding for the Amp in the last year of his term, I am interested in your thoughts on whether the city should continue expending dollars for planning, design and public relations on this project or if we should step back until new leadership is in place to review the entire mass transit plan.
Here is a brief history to get you up to date: First, in June 2013, the Metro Council authorized the appropriation of up to $7.5 million in funding (through capital funds, not general government day-to-day funding) for the preliminary design and public outreach on the Amp. Through April 2014, $644,231 of these funds had been expended, and through October 2014, $1,230,044 had been expended. So if my math is correct, over these last five months, we have spent $585,813, or an average of $117,163 per month. These funds cover the salaries of four staff administrators along with consultants, engineers, landscape architects, etc.
I would also note that the $1.23M already spent has been paid out of Metro’s commercial paper program, which means taxpayers will also be paying interest on recurring expenses like salaries. Long-term bonds will ultimately have to be issued to retire the commercial paper, resulting in further interest costs for the taxpayer. The $1.23 million expended to date does not include any interest costs.
So here’s the bottom-line question:
Would you support efforts from the Metro Council to halt future expenditures on the Amp until after the August 2015 elections? Please give me your simple “yes” or “no” answer. If you choose to make any comments or explain your answer, feel free to do so — please be as brief and concise as possible.
Once again, I am not interested in debating the merits/shortcomings of the Amp again. I am simply ascertaining your position of halting further expenditures until new leadership is in place. Thanks in advance for your response.
Sincerely,
Charlie Tygard
Councilman at-large
