RESOLUTION NO. RS2003-1474

A resolution providing amendments to the Charter of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, in accordance with Article 19, Section 19.01, and setting forth a brief description of each amendment to be placed on the ballot.

WHEREAS, Article 19.01 of the Charter of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, provides that the Metropolitan Government shall not adopt a resolution proposing amendments to the Charter more often than twice during the term of office of members of the Metropolitan Council; and

WHEREAS, Article 19, Section 19.01, also requires to be set forth in the adoption resolution a brief description of each amendment so worded so as to convey the meaning of said amendment; and

WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Metropolitan Council by adopting this resolution to fulfill these two Charter requirements.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 19.01 of the Charter of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, the proposed amendments to the Charter of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, attached hereto, are submitted to the people for approval in the manner provided by Section 19.01 of the Charter.

Section 2. The date prescribed for holding of the referendum election at which the electorate of the Metropolitan Government will vote to ratify or reject the amendments proposed in Section 1 of this Resolution shall be August 7, 2003.

Section 3. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Sponsored by: Jim Shulman, Bruce Stanley

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENTS
(WORDING FOR BALLOT. CLICK LINKS TO READ FULL TEXT)

Amendment #1 (Wallace) - Failed
This amendment would require that vacancies for an unexpired term in the offices of district councilmember, councilmember-at-large, and vice mayor be filled by an election held by the Metropolitan Council, rather than by an election of the voters.

Amendment #2 (Wallace) - Withdrawn
This amendment would require that vacancies for an unexpired term in the offices of mayor, vice mayor, district councilmember, and councilmember-at-large be filled by an election held by the Metropolitan Council, rather than by an election of the voters.

Amendment #3 (Jenkins) - Withdrawn
This amendment would require that when vacancies occur in the office of councilmember-at-large in which there is less than two (2) years remaining of the unexpired term, such office shall remain vacant for the duration of the council term.

Amendment #4 (Loring, Shulman) - Failed
This amendment would increase the membership of the Electric Power Board from the current five (5) members to nine (9) members serving four (4) year terms.

Amendment #5 (Loring, Shulman) - Failed
This amendment would require the Electric Power Board to submit its annual operating budget to the Metropolitan Council for approval.

Amendment #6 (Tygard) - Failed
This amendment would prohibit members of the Metropolitan Council from holding any other elective office in local, state, or federal governments effective August of 2007.

Amendment #7 (Shulman) - Failed
This amendment would increase the membership of the Metropolitan Transit Authority from the current five (5) members to seven (7) members with one member being a regular rider and one member representing the interests of persons with disabilities, and would increase the quorum required to conduct business by the authority from three (3) to four (4) members.

Amendment #8 (Waters) - Failed
This amendment would remove the Chief of Police from the Traffic and Parking Commission, and would provide that eight (8) members instead of seven (7) members be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Metropolitan Council.

Amendment #9 (Waters) - Failed
This amendment would allow the Mayor to designate a person as a member of the Planning Commission in place of the Mayor.

Amendment #10 (Waters) - Withdrawn
This amendment would reduce the size of the Metropolitan Council from forty (40) to fourteen (14) members effective as of the council term beginning in September of 2007, with five (5) councilmembers-at-large and nine (9) district councilmembers, and would provide that the nine (9) council districts be identical to the nine (9) school districts.

Amendment #11 (Dread) - Failed
This amendment would provide that a candidate receiving a plurality of the votes in a general election to fill a vacancy in the office of vice mayor, district councilmembers or in the office of councilmembers-at-large shall be elected and that a runoff election shall not be held.

Amendment #12 (Shulman) - Withdrawn
This amendment would implement an “instant runoff” method of electing the Mayor, Vice-mayor, District Councilmembers, and Councilmembers-at-large effective in the August 2007 general election whereby voters would rank a number of choices of candidates in order of preference for each office, thus eliminating the need for separate runoff elections.

Amendment #13 (Shulman) - Adopted
This amendment would permit the Council to provide for compensation for members of the metropolitan board of education.

Amendment #14 (Wallace) - Failed
This amendment would reduce the Metropolitan Council from forty (40) to twenty-five (25) members, would eliminate the positions of councilmember-at-large and the office of vice mayor, and would require that a vice mayor be elected by the Metropolitan Council from its membership effective as of the council term beginning September 2007.

Amendment #15 (Wallace) - Failed
This amendment would reduce the Metropolitan Council from forty (40) to twenty-one (21) members, would eliminate the positions of councilmember-at-large and the office of vice mayor, and would require that a vice mayor be elected by the Metropolitan Council from its membership effective as of the council term beginning September 2007.

Amendment #16 (Wallace) - Failed
This amendment would require that all employees and officers of the metropolitan government be residents of Davidson County.

Amendment #17 (Wallace) - Failed
This amendment would prohibit a member of an administrative board or commission from serving in any other public office or on any other administrative board or commission.

Amendment #18 (Wallace) - Adopted
This amendment would allow the council to adopt a redistricting plan for council districts and districts for members of the board of public education other than the plan submitted by the metropolitan planning commission without the necessity of submitting such plans for public referendum.

Amendment #19 (Tygard) - Failed
This amendment would reduce the Metropolitan Council from forty (40) to eighteen (18) members and would eliminate the position of councilmember-at-large effective as of the council term beginning September 1, 2011.

Amendment #20 (Tygard) - Withdrawn
This amendment would reduce the Metropolitan Council from forty (40) to twenty-one (21) members effective as of the council term beginning September 1, 2011, with three (3) councilmembers-at-large and eighteen (18) district councilmembers.

Amendment #21 (Wallace) - Failed
This amendment would amend Section 18.05 to allow the Council to change the salaries of the members of council and of the vice mayor by resolution adopted by the Council, rather than such changes being a part of the general pay plan for all metropolitan officers and employees approved by the Civil Service Commission and then adopted by the Council as is presently provided.