Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County
The Metropolitan Council (officially the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County) is the legislative body of the consolidated city-county government of Nashville, Tennessee and Davidson County.
For other uses, see Metropolitan council (disambiguation).
Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County
2 consecutive four-year terms
40 Seats:
5 At-Large Seats
35 District Seats
— Budget and Finance
– Charter Revision
– Codes, Fair, and Farmer's Market
– Convention, Tourism, and Public Entertainment Facilities
– Education
– Health, Hospitals, and Social Services
– Parks, Library, and Arts
– Personnel, Public Information, Human Relations, and Veterans
– Planning, Zoning, and Historical
– Public Safety, Beer, and Regulated Beverages
– Public Works
– Rules, Confirmations, and Public Elections
– Traffic, Parking, and Transportation
Four (4) Years
August 1, 2023
August 1, 2027
Membership[edit]
The Council has 40 members, 35 of which are district council representatives, and five of which are council members at-large. If an at-large member resigns or dies before serving a full four-year term, the member's seat remains vacant until the next election. If a district council members resigns or dies more than eight months before the end of their four-year term, a special election is held to fill the seat. At-large council members are elected by the entirety of the area the metropolitan government encompasses. The Metropolitan Council is the 3rd largest in the United States, behind the Chicago City Council and the New York City Council.[1] The Historic Metro Courthouse, 1 Public Square, is where the Council meets.
Under the Metropolitan Charter, members must be over the age of 25 and have lived within Davidson County for a year at the beginning of their terms. Members must also have lived in the district they represent for six months, and they must continue to reside in that district for the duration of their terms. In 2019, according to The Tennessean, annual salaries for council members increased for the first time since 2005 from $15,000 to $23,100.[2] The members elected by districts represent 15,000 to 17,000 residents each, and all Metro Council members serve part-time. According to the Charter as currently amended, members are elected to no more than two terms consecutively, not including any partial term to which they may have been elected. However, district member and at-large member are considered to be separate offices for the purposes of this provision.
In the 2015 municipal elections, two amendments to the Metropolitan Nashville Charter which would have increased term limits for members of the Council, both at large and district-wide to three consecutive terms, as well as reducing the size of the council to 27 members, were proposed. Both amendments failed with Davidson County voters.
President of the Council[edit]
The popularly elected vice mayor is the President of the Metropolitan Council and serves as its presiding officer, but is not a member of the Metro Council and does not vote except to break ties. The vice mayor, a part-time position, is paid $25,230 annually.[2]
Members elect a president pro tempore to serve in the absence of the Vice Mayor, and a deputy president pro tempore once the president pro tempore becomes presiding officer due to the Vice Mayor's death or resignation. Members of the Metro Council who act as presiding officer during the Vice Mayor's absence retain their right to vote on all resolutions and ordinances.
Angie Henderson is the incumbent vice mayor.[3] Zulfat Suara is the president pro tempore.