Committee approves changes to Nashville Music, Entertainment and Film Commission code

The Rules, Confirmations & Public Elections Committee voted 6-0 on May 20 to approve BL2025-818, an ordinance amending Chapter 2.147 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws that governs the Nashville Music, Entertainment and Film Commission.

Committee members and the bill’s backers said the changes were the result of compromise among council members, staff and the commission. Pro Tem Sepulveda described the negotiated provisions and thanked staff and former council members who assisted in drafting the amendment.

Pro Tem Sepulveda said the new language preserves the mayor’s authority to hire and fire the commission director but requires greater consultation and notice to the commission. “The hiring is still done by the mayor, but it is in a consultation with, the board itself and the firing, is still done by the mayor. But notice would be given to, the board,” Sepulveda said during discussion.

Committee members also agreed to limit standing subcommittees created by the commission. Sepulveda said the compromise permits three subcommittees, each authorized for one year, and allows those panels to include noncommission members so long as a commission member serves on each subcommittee and the subcommittee reports back to the full commission. “Either 3. 3 subcommittees were allowed, and they would last a year at Alliance,” Sepulveda said in committee remarks.

Director Darby, a Metro staff member who assisted drafting the ordinance, was present for questions; the committee did not identify additional changes in committee debate. The bill passed on a recorded voice vote with six in favor, zero opposed and zero not voting.

BL2025-818 moves forward to the next required steps for final enactment under the city’s ordinance process. Committee members said they considered the negotiated language a workable balance between mayoral authority and commission input.