Council approves substitute to add nighttime property‑standards enforcement to Office of Nightlife MOU

The council approved a substitute to Bill 20 25 6 89 on a voice vote to add Title 16, Chapter 24 to a memorandum of understanding that extends cooperative enforcement of Title 7 and Chapter 9.20 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws to include nighttime property‑standards matters handled by the Office of Nightlife.

The substitute creates a pilot under which two compliance inspectors assigned to the Office of Nightlife will be trained by property‑standards staff to handle noise complaints and property‑standards violations that occur at night. The pilot will be based downtown initially, with the director of the Office of Nightlife overseeing the positions and coordination with precincts for officer support when inspectors operate in other neighborhoods.

The change was explained during the meeting by a speaker identified as Sally, who said, “The difference between what we had before us 2 weeks ago, we have added, title 16 chapter 24 to the MOU.” Director Beth McDonough of the Office of Nightlife said the office already coordinates with police precinct commanders and recently met with them to plan responses: “They’re all excited about the fact that we have a team that that will be able to to work with all the precincts and and address any of the needs that come up on a on a nightly basis.”

Multiple council members pressed for details about safety, supervision and geographic coverage. One council member questioned why the pilot would start downtown when downtown already receives noise enforcement and asked whether inspectors would be able to operate without police officers. McDonough said the Office of Nightlife meets regularly with precinct commanders and that commanders had given a commitment to provide safety and security for the pilot. Jacob Coopin, a council member representing downtown and surrounding areas, said the funding appears to be a reallocation and described the positions as citywide assets once trained: “my understanding is that this is a reallocation of dollars. So it’s not that these 2 codes people are bound by downtown and they can’t leave. It’s that they are … dollars with which director McDonough can go hire people, train them, and then have them have codes enforcement in Old Hickory, or wherever wherever he sends them.”

Council members and staff discussed operational details: the pilot will use the HUB reporting tool so callers can flag “nighttime violation,” the two positions will be housed downtown initially to collect data, and the city expects to increase the number of inspectors if the pilot justifies expansion. A speaker representing codes noted the distinction that daytime property‑standards enforcement is handled by codes staff while the Office of Nightlife will address evening and overnight incidents.

The substitute was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote; the meeting transcript records the outcome as approved but does not provide a numerical tally. The ordinance referenced in the motion was identified as Bill 20 25 6 89 and described as approving the MOU and adding Title 16, Chapter 24 to the agreement; specific ordinance language and effective dates were not specified in the public discussion.

Council members asked staff to return with more data and expressed an expectation the pilot would be expanded beyond downtown if successful. Several council members and staff emphasized that the program’s intent is to address late‑night property and public‑safety issues beyond routine noise enforcement rather than to target music volume at downtown bars.

Votes at a glance Bill 20 25 6 89 (substitute) — Approve amendment to MOU adding Title 16, Chapter 24 to allow Office of Nightlife compliance inspectors to handle nighttime property‑standards and noise enforcement. Motion moved and seconded; voice vote recorded as “Aye.” Exact tally not specified in the transcript. Outcome: approved.