Mayoral Hopefuls Say No Property Tax Hike

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Both candidates for Nashville mayor said they are not going to raise property taxes, but that could seriously affect raises for thousands of Metro employees.

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“I'm not going to have a property tax increase the next four years, and I'm going to keep that pledge,” Bob Clement said.

“I have no intentions to increase property taxes. My plan is to live within the current revenues we're generating through property taxes,” Karl Dean said.

But can Metro afford to give its employees a pay raise without a property tax hike? It hasn't worked that way in the past.

Metro Finance Director David Manning said every time employee pay has gone up, so have property taxes.

The numbers support the theory: There has been a property tax hike in every one of the past seven mayoral terms.

But the candidates said they can satisfy both the taxpayers and the Metro employees.

Clement said Metro’s budget has ballooned over the past 10 years and said pay increases are possible as long as Metro government works more efficiently.

“Yes, the budget may be tight but I think that people of Nashville expect us to provide the services that they are demanding and requesting today, but I think they also expect Metro government to operate efficiently,” Clement said.

Dean said pay is important to retaining employees and attracting the best and brightest to come work for Metro.

“I will work hard to manage with the resources we have, and clearly there are some demands that we will have to confront and Metro pay increases are one of them, and we'll do whatever we can to meet that challenge,” he said.

Several unions who represent Metro employees said pay increases are very important.

Some said they will work with either candidate to make sure the employees are getting the pay and benefits they deserve.

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