NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Metro councilman Eric Crafton is still trying to make English the official language for the city with his English-Only proposal, and he is now proposing anyone who doesn't speak English and needs an interpreter should have to pay for one.

Related: Survey: In Favor Of Fee? | Watch This Story

“At some point,” Crafton said, “we have to say, ‘We don’t have the resources to do everything for everybody. People are going to have to be self-reliant.’”

Crafton said he eventually wants people who call 911 and need an interpreter to be charged a dollar a minute, which is the price Metro currently pays. He said for now, his proposal includes all non-emergency services, like getting a driver's license or a building permit.

“If you don’t have the same common language,” he said, “you're being divisive.”

Councilman Jerry Maynard disagrees.

“It’s mean-spirited, and it smells of racism,” he said.

Maynard said as the city is trying to compete on a global market, an interpreter fee only hurts that effort.

“Then what are we going to say to those French and German and Russian and Chinese people who are here either as tourists or for economic development,” said Maynard, “and they need an interpreter, and we say, ‘By the way, we’re charging you a fee’?”

Each year, Metro spends about $80,000 on interpreters, but Maynard said Metro will be out of a lot more money if this plan passes.

“You're going to talk about $250,000 to $500,000 to defend a lawsuit if somebody sues us for discrimination,” Maynard said.

“The first argument they tried out (was), ‘This is racist. This is bigoted,’” Crafton said. “The second argument in the same breath: ‘This is going to cause a lawsuit.’ Guess what? Let's have a lawsuit. Let’s fight it out in court, and let the chips fall where they may.”

Crafton said he will officially bring the proposal before the council in January after special election on the English-Only referendum.