Nashville council advances expansion of downtown business improvement district after heated public comments

The Metropolitan Council on second reading advanced an ordinance to expand the Downtown Central Business Improvement District and to appoint a district management corporation, after public comment and committee discussion focused on oversight, reporting and how outreach and safety programs are run.

Supporters and opponents clashed in public comments on the council chamber floor, with supporters saying the CBID funds services and street-level outreach and opponents warning that private management of public space can criminalize people experiencing homelessness.

The debate centered on how the downtown partnership — the nonprofit that manages the CBID — reports to Metro and to the council and on whether current practices have prioritized removal and enforcement over services. “Without oversight, protections, and accountability, bids facilitate the takeover of public space,” said Lindsey Krinx, cofounder of OpenTable Nashville, who testified in opposition. Kelly Ching, another public commenter, cited Metro code language and asked why annual budgets for the district had not been consistently reviewed by the Metropolitan Council as the code requires. “That is a vote. That is not Tom Turner emailing something to finance,” she said, referring to the Downtown Partnership CEO.

Advocates from the downtown partnership told the council the district’s work includes outreach and connections to services. “We work hard to make sure we build connections, make sure we build a rapport with our homeless population. We are not forcing them. We're not treating them mean. We're trying to find ways that we can help them,” said Antonio Tomlinson, outreach supervisor for the Nashville Downtown Partnership, who described reconnecting people to family and services.

On the floor, sponsor Councilmember Coopin moved approval as amended; budget and finance committee asked for a rereferral to ensure the council receives required budget documents and additional reporting. Chair comments at the second-reading debate emphasized that the amended ordinance adds reporting requirements and that the proposal remains amendable on third reading.

Council members who spoke in committee and on the floor said they wanted more detail about how CBID funds are spent downtown, how outreach teams operate in coordination with Metro Police and service providers, and how the district’s annual financial reports will be routed to the council for review. Councilmember Parker asked for clarity on three “buckets” of concern: budget transparency and council review of the district budget; CBID involvement in mobility and multimodal projects; and the district’s use of off‑duty law-enforcement personnel in outreach and enforcement actions.

The council approved the measure on second reading as amended and rereferred it to the Budget & Finance Committee for review of the corporation’s finances and reporting procedures. That committee will take up followup questions about reporting mechanics and enforcement data before the ordinance returns for third reading and a required public hearing.

Supporters of the expansion told the council the district enables property and business owners to invest in downtown services that they say benefit the entire city, while opponents warned that without clearer oversight and accountability the district’s programs risk privatizing public spaces and increasing enforcement against people experiencing homelessness.

The ordinance remains amendable on third reading and will return with additional documentation requested by Budget & Finance.