In his State of the Metro Address, Mayor Freddie O’Connell described his vision for a Nashville that is affordable, safe, healthy, welcoming, and prosperous, a city for everyone, and emphasized that progress will be purposeful, even when it is not always loud or linear. He outlined steps his administration will take to make Nashville more affordable, including proposals to cut the grocery tax, expand access to childcare, support small businesses, create jobs, build more housing, and invest in children from birth.
Mayor O’Connell highlighted actions to lower costs and expand opportunity, including proposing a half-cent reduction in the grocery tax to ease the burden on families and launching new programs to support small businesses and their employees. He announced a legacy business fund pilot program to help long-time neighborhood businesses manage rising costs, as well as a Workforce Advancement Grant to expand access to skills training. The Mayor also pointed to major housing progress, with nearly 3,000 homes created or preserved through the Unified Housing Strategy, and committed to a 40% increase in investment alongside new financing tools to continue lowering housing and transportation costs.
He emphasized investments in children, education, and transportation, highlighting the success and expansion of the Nashville Strong Babies program and new efforts to make childcare more accessible and easier to operate. Mayor O’Connell pointed to historic gains in Metro Schools, new partnerships to expand college access, and initiatives such as Begin Bright that will place little libraries in every childcare center. He also shared transportation improvements through Choose How You Move, including expanded bus service, new sidewalks, smart signals, and the Journey Pass program, which has already provided more than one million rides.
Watch the Mayor’s full remarks here.
