Committee adopts Porterfield budget substitute with several targeted amendments; cuts proposed to multiple departments

The Metro Nashville Council Budget & Finance Committee voted to approve Chair Sharon Porterfield’s substitute fiscal-year 2026 budget ordinance (BL 2025-833) with a set of committee amendments after an extended discussion that produced both additions and cuts across departments.

Key votes and outcome: The committee approved the chair substitute as amended by a recorded committee vote of 7 in favor, 2 opposed and 1 not voting. The final motion was presented and discussed in the committee meeting; the committee debated a sequence of amendments before taking the final vote.

Major changes in the chair substitute described on the record included: - An additional 1% across-the-board pay increase to match the civil service recommendation, bringing certain pay-plan increases in line with civil service guidance (the chair said the extra 1% cost was roughly $8.2 million). - Program and small-grant allocations added in the substitute included roughly $200,000 for social services food expansion (of which $175,000 was described as direct to social services and $25,000 to a Southeast Nashville branch emergency food program); $75,000 for juvenile court court-appointed special advocates (CASA); $60,000 for a city museum…