The Big Slice
🔪 State cap takes a slice out of Metro Council · Judge blocks state on immigrant licenses · Nashville’s ultra-luxury home boom · Much more!
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Supreme Court serves up a state cap that slices Metro Council in half.
From Megan Podsiedlik
Yesterday, the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the 2023 state law capping Metro Council at 20 members. Nashville’s Metro Council has 40 members and is the only municipality affected by the change, which will cut the council in half.
When the law was initially passed, Metro sued the state, arguing the law broke the home-rule protections in the state constitution. A three-judge panel blocked the cut before the 2023 elections, so the council stayed at 40. The case then went back and forth through the lower courts and appeals. The Tennessee Supreme Court heard final arguments in February 2026 before ultimately releasing an opinion this week.
The ruling declares that the cap is in effect and can be enforced by law. Although Metro has long recognized the possibility that the courts may not rule in favor of retaining a 40-member body, no official plans to redistrict the county have been announced.
Candidate petitions for the August 2027 Metro Council elections should become available Friday, February 19, 2027, and must be filed by noon on Thursday, May 20, 2027. That gives the Council about 100 days to present and pass a new district plan that caps the council at 20 members.
The law sets no deadline or penalty if Metro fails to comply with the 20-member cap. But with the 2027 election approaching, Metro would likely face a new legal challenge if it doesn’t act. Vice Mayor Henderson called it “a somber day for democracy” in a press release, and criticized the change as “hyperpartisan hubris.”
The battle over reducing the size of Metro Council has been a lengthy one, marked by years of back-and-forth between the state and Metro. Continue reading for a semi-brief recap.
HEADLINES
⚖️ Chancellor Perkins blocks state from refusing work permits for immigrants’ driver’s licenses
Today, Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins issued a temporary restraining order requiring the Tennessee Department of Safety to accept federal work permits again as proof of legal presence for temporary driver’s licenses, instead of only foreign passports with visas. The ruling reopens licenses to Dreamers and other immigrants authorized to work while the lawsuit from the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition moves to a hearing on a longer injunction. (Lookout)
🚗 Thomas Cahill, 87, booked on failure-to-yield charges in deadly Lower Broadway crash
Police say Thomas Cahill, 87, of Bowling Green, Ky., suddenly sped through a red light at Fourth and Broadway on Aug. 1 and hit four pedestrians, killing Australian visitor Timothy Wedlock, 58. Cahill was booked into Metro Jail three months later on four misdemeanor failure-to-yield charges, each carrying up to nearly a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. He is due in court Dec. 9.(NewsChannel 5)
🏡 Wealthy transplants make Nashville one of the fastest-growing ultra-luxury home markets
Wealthy buyers from LA, Chicago and New York have helped triple Nashville-area sales of top-1% homes, those priced above about $3 million, since 2017. Williamson County is drawing the biggest inflow of wealth, and a $33.5 million Four Seasons penthouse has drawn interest from as far away as Dubai.(Bloomberg)
DEVELOPMENT
- Belle Meade neighbors group Neighbors for Safety BMH filed a second suit asking Chancery Court to overturn Metro’s permit for Cheekwood’s 204,419-square-foot parking pavilion and send it to the Board of Zoning Appeals, alongside its earlier suit seeking traffic and noise limits. NBJ
- Vastland’s $180M, 25-story Voce hotel-condo tower in Midtown includes 60,000 square feet of office space on two floors, the only new office space now under construction in Nashville. NBJ
- The Jefferson Street Historical Society is pursuing official cultural district status to protect legacy buildings on the corridor as the Choose How You Move transit and revitalization plans move forward. WSMV
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THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
✨ Steel Guitar Jam @ Eastside Bowl, 4p, Free, Info
🪕 Troubadour Blue @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
🍀 The olllam @ The Basement East, 8p, $35.55, Info
🎸 Hooked @ The Eighth Room, 6:30p, $10, Info
+ lively open mic competition with rotating guest panel
🎸 Twang Tuesday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🎸 Honky Tonk Tuesday @ Eastside Bowl, 8p, $10, Info
+ two-step lessons @ 7p, The Cowpokes @ 8p
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.