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Council recognizes Tom Palko for four decades leading Nashville stormwater programs
Summary
The Metropolitan Council read a resolution honoring Tom Palko of Metro Water Services for 40-plus years of stormwater work, noting his role in flood mapping, a home buyout program and a stormwater fee that now raises about $35 million annually.
The Metropolitan Council went on record recognizing Tom Palko of the Department of Water and Sewage Services for more than 40 years overseeing Nashville’s stormwater programs.
Council Member Berkeley Allen introduced RS 20 26-20 66, reading Palko’s career highlights: Palko joined the metropolitan public works stormwater unit in 1985, helped develop the city’s flood maps and later led implementation of the stormwater National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program. The resolution credits him with creating Nashville’s floodplain home buyout program, which the text says purchased and removed 485 houses and restored nearly 250 acres to natural floodplain and parkland.
The resolution also notes Palko’s role in establishing a stormwater user fee in 2009 that the text says now generates about $35,000,000 annually for maintenance and capital projects. It lists leadership roles and professional recognitions, including work on floodplain manager certification and coordination with federal and state agencies on compliance reviews.
Tom Palko responded briefly, thanking council members and saying, “As an engineer, all I wanted to do was give you all good information in a timely manner, and hopefully I did that.” The council’s reading framed the measure as an official recognition of his service; the transcript does not record a formal roll-call vote on the resolution.
The action closed with colleagues congratulating Palko and the council moving on to its next agenda items.
