More than 100 Nashville-area residents filed into the Metropolitan Courthouse on Tuesday night to express concerns on Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s proposed $3.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2026.
In what amounted to a nearly five-hour-long budget hearing, residents pleaded for Council to allocate funds toward pay increases for Metro employees, affordable housing and the Varsity Spending Plan — the latter a gun-violence prevention and safe neighborhood advocacy group.
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