The Nashville MTA board approved several staff recommendations during its December meeting.

Ground maintenance: Staff told the board a July 2022 ground maintenance contract with 5 Star Lawn Maintenance had a not-to-exceed value of $275,000 and was previously amended by $25,000 to $300,000. Late invoices and expanded maintenance use pushed expenditures above that cap. Patrick Hester asked the board to authorize $35,000 to increase the purchase order, bringing the contract to a $335,000 not-to-exceed amount. The board moved, seconded and approved the increase by voice vote; staff said the funds will close out outstanding invoices.

Vontas/Trapeze change order for bus equipment: Staff presented a sole-source, post-delivery installation change order (MA25056) to authorize Vontas/Trapeze to work alongside WeGo technicians to install after-market equipment on 19 small buses previously procured from Southern Bus with Turtle Top bodies. Staff said discrete technical connections — wheelchair lifts, door mechanisms, passenger counters and destination signs — required hands-on work not completed by the manufacturer and requested $529,865.60 to cover the aftermarket installation. Funding for the change order was identified from Metropolitan Nashville government grants previously approved as capital expenses. The board approved the sole-source authorization by voice vote.

Purchase-card (P-card) policy: Amanda Vandergrift presented a P-card policy and program proposal intended to streamline small-dollar purchases and improve controls. The policy, developed with input from peer agencies and the vendor (U.S. Bank), would initially limit cards to three administrative-assistant-managed cards tied to chiefs, require annual training and signed agreements, use vendor platform tools for reporting, and require prior written approval. Board members confirmed that the policy does not change individual purchasing authority limits. The board voted to adopt the policy.

Free New Year's Eve fares: The consent agenda included adoption of a free-fare program for New Year's Eve; after brief public comment in favor, the board approved the consent agenda by voice vote. Staff later noted TDOT will operate a dedicated bus lane on 4th Avenue from 08:00 on New Year's Eve to assist service reliability.

All approvals were recorded as motions with seconds and approved by voice vote; the meeting transcript did not record individual roll-call tallies or named movers for these motions.