Nashville mayor makes nomination for airport authority board, proposes refinancing Music City Center

What This Story Is About

• The mayor has proposed multiple new policies and appointed a new member to the Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board.

Why It Matters

• The initiatives would shape who gets a say in BNA activities and could affect the future of local landmarks.

What Happens Next

• Metro Council will consider all four proposals next week.

Catch Up

• Last month, Nashville announced that they are suing to try to block a state takeover of the airport authority board.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s administration on Wednesday announced new initiatives that could shape the future of BNA, city funds and public spaces.

All of these initiatives, which were filed the week of July 10, will be reviewed by the Metro Council next week.

Why the mayor wants to refinance the Music City Center

In one, the mayor proposed refinancing the Music City Center’s 2010 bonds, which would also “retire Metro’s obligations related to the Omni Hotel incentive.”

“This enhances Metro’s credit and frees up non-tax revenues for other projects like affordable housing,” O’Connell said in announcing the proposal. “This will also authorize the Convention Center Authority to transfer up to $300 million to the East Bank Development Authority for critical infrastructure projects.”

Who is the Nashville mayor appointing to the Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board?

In another initiative, the mayor appointed the exiting Director of Law Wally Dietz to fill a vacancy on the Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board. O’Connell selected Dietz as the board navigates suing the state over a law attempting to seat boards for several state airport authorities, a press release said.

The mayor alleges this move by the state “is a revision of a previous state legislative attempt to take over the Nashville airport board.”

“Years ago, the state encouraged local governments to give up their land to an airport authority and made a promise that the state would never try to take it over. They broke that promise to us and to other Tennessee cities,” O’Connell said. “The Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board, which is appointed by Metro, has guided the unprecedented success of Nashville International Airport and John Tune Airport since its creation and I know the board, with Wally Dietz as its newest commissioner, will continue to ably lead the airports into the future.”

A new initiative to combat opioid use disorder

The mayor also wants to earmark $639,000 to the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center to go toward launching “an education campaign around opioid use disorder.”

O’Connell’s office says that funding would allow:

• implementation of a culturally tailored education campaign,  
• training of additional primary care providers in medications for opioid use disorder services 
• connection of medications for opioid use disorder patients to wrap-around services 
• formalization of partnerships with trusted community organizations to host events/activities to reduce the stigma of opioid use disorder

Expanding where diaper changing stations are required in Nashville

Lastly, the mayor is hoping to make diaper changing stations more common in Nashville. He’s proposing updating Metro Codes to require the resource in certain public bathrooms.

“In modifying the Metro building plumbing codes to require a diaper changing station in certain public restrooms, parents and other caretakers will be guaranteed greater access to meet their needs,” the press release said.