How much will taxpayers have to pay for Metro’s transportation plan?

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - More sidewalks and less potholes are something Laura Hill says she can’t wait to see.

“It’ll be so nice to improve on what we have and make it flow better, be safer and make it prettier,” Hill, who has lived in Green Hills for 26 years, says.

While she’s excited for the new transportation plan, she’s not happy to hear some of that money could be coming out of her pocket and other Nashville taxpayers.

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“Use that money that you save by trimming the budget to pay for something like this,” Hill said.

Metro Councilman Russ Pulley, who represents District 25, says the plan is to have at least sixty percent of it funded with grant money.

He says hundreds of neighborhoods throughout Nashville need more sidewalks. Part of the plan would be ways to slow down traffic.

Pulley says he is hoping it won’t cost taxpayers much more than they already must pay after a 34% property tax increase and water rates going up.

“I think the citizens don’t need to worry about the fact we’re going back to them,” said Pulley.

A major concern is public transportation. Some want to know why half of the money would go to the bus system when a News4 investigation showed you empty buses all over Nashville.

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Empty bus seats on routes that cost taxpayers millions of dollars. That's what a News4 I-Team investigation found and it comes on the heels of Nashville voters rejecting a 5.4 billion dollar transit plan.

“I always look when I’m driving and sometimes, they’re empty,” Hill said.

Council members say there’s still a lot that must happen, and if taxpayers are going to be asked to foot some of the bill, this could even go to a vote.

Pulley says it could be a couple years before the final plan is put in place and improvements are made.