Anti-transit group sues to overturn Nashville election approving referendum

The primary opposition group to the recently passed transit improvement plan and its leader, former Metro Council member Emily Evans, are suing Mayor Freddie O’Connell, Metro Nashville government and the Davidson County Election Commission in an attempt to overturn the results of the referendum.

Nashville voters just three weeks ago overwhelmingly approved the referendum, which will raise sales taxes in Davidson County by a half cent beginning in February to fund improvements to various parts of the county’s transportation system like its buses, traffic signals and sidewalks.

The problem, according to Evans and the Committee to Stop an UnFair Tax, is that O’Connell’s plan funds projects that are not allowed under the state law that made the referendum possible.

The 2017 IMPROVE ACT requires that counties use funds raised through a tax increase to support a “public transit system,” which the plaintiffs argue excludes several projects in the recently approved plan.



https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/27/nashville-transit-election-results-contested-with-groups-lawsuit/76623128007/