An ordinance amending certain sections of the Metropolitan Code of Laws (i) relating to the apportionment, distribution and allocation of revenues from tourist accommodation taxes to comply with the provisions of Public Chapter No. 1079 of the 2026 Public Acts of Tennessee and (ii) to extend the levy and collection of the additional hotel occupancy privilege tax in accordance with applicable state law.

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Introduced: August 18, 2026
Last action: Passed on second reading · August 18, 2026

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AI summary — check the source Spot-checked in audit

Hotel-tax bill for convention funding clears second reading over objections

Council took up BL2026-1493, which updates Metro's rules for how hotel and other tourist accommodation tax money is divided up so they match a new state law, and extends Metro's additional hotel occupancy tax. The Ad-Hoc East Bank Committee recommended approval on a close 4-3 vote (t=7755), and the vice mayor noted an earlier Budget and Finance Committee report of 11-0 (t=7742). One council member spoke, arguing the countywide hotel taxes being extended are the biggest share of convention center funding yet the benefits are largely locked into the downtown tourism zone, and said he would vote no (t=7796, t=7850). The bill passed on second reading by voice vote and moves to a third and final reading at the next meeting (t=7887).

What it does

Amends the Metro Code to change how revenue from tourist accommodation taxes (mainly hotel taxes) is apportioned, distributed and allocated so it complies with Tennessee Public Chapter No. 1079 of 2026, and extends Metro's additional hotel occupancy privilege tax under state law. In practice, it re-authorizes the countywide hotel tax streams that help fund convention-related debt and projects.

What happened, in plain language

The bill passed on second reading by a voice vote — members called out 'aye' or 'no' out loud rather than voting on the electronic board, so no individual council member positions were recorded in the vote record for this item. The official minutes note that the motion by Council Member Toombs was seconded and approved by voice vote, with Council Members Parker and Welsch voting No and Council Member Porterfield abstaining. Nashville bills need three readings, so this now goes to a third and final reading at the next council meeting (t=7887), where the vice mayor said the vote will be taken on the electronic boards and individually recorded (t=7884).

On the floor · 7 points

Context

The Ad-Hoc East Bank Committee reported it recommended approval on a split vote: four in favor, three against, none not voting. The vice mayor also referenced an earlier Budget and Finance Committee report of 11-0.

a council member Watch 2:09:15
Context

Council Member Toombs, a sponsor, was recognized and gave only the committee report; she then moved for approval and the motion was seconded with no sponsor argument on the merits.

Kyonzté Toombs Watch 2:08:59
Against

Argued that the tourism development zone (TDZ) is not even half of the revenue supporting convention funding, and that the state's share of the TDZ is roughly a seven-to-two ratio — so claims about how much control the state should have based on its TDZ share overstate the case, since the taxes being re-authorized here are the lion's share of the money.

a council member Watch 2:09:56
Against

Noted these are countywide taxes levied within Davidson County with no state portion, and that they make up the bulk of the financing that would go toward the convention center.

a council member Watch 2:10:11
Against

Objected that the way the state has set it up, the benefits of the money are in many cases restricted to the TDZ geographic area — so someone staying at a hotel in Goodlettsville pays taxes that support what he called 'the Broadway bailout' downtown, but not a struggling business in Goodlettsville.

a council member Watch 2:10:39
Against

Called the arrangement unfair and 'a terrible arrangement,' and said he would be voting against the bill.

a council member Watch 2:10:50
Context

The vice mayor asked whether there was any further discussion, got none, and moved straight to the voice vote, reminding members this was the second of three readings.

a council member Watch 2:10:58

What the AI is unsure about

The only substantive speech (t=7776–7851) is labeled SPEAKER_06, so it cannot be attributed by name under our rules; the vice mayor recognized Council Member Parker immediately before it (t=7772) and the official minutes list Parker as a No vote, but the transcript itself does not carry the name on those lines. The committee report at t=7755 is SPEAKER_10, recognized just after the chair of the Ad-Hoc East Bank Committee was called on, but again unnamed in the line itself. The Budget and Finance figure is transcribed as '110 and 0' (t=7742) and is most likely 11-0; treat the exact number as uncertain. Sponsor names are garbled in the transcript ('Tombs and Coupen', t=7702); only Toombs is confirmed elsewhere in the record. The line at t=7690 about a bill being 'withdrawn by the primary sponsor' refers to the preceding agenda item, not this bill — item 63 is announced afterward. The presiding officer's audio around the vote is muddled: a 'No.' appears at t=7869 and the chair then says 'hearing no votes' at t=7879, which does not match the official minutes recording two No votes and one abstention; the official action text is the more reliable record. The transcript slice may include a few seconds of the adjacent agenda items at either end.

This summary was written from the meeting transcript and the official action record, then checked by a second pass looking for claims the transcript does not support. Where the two disagree, the record and the recording are what count.

See this item in the full agenda for August 18, 2026 →

History

Passed on second reading August 18, 2026 Metropolitan Council

Official record

The bill was approved by the Ad-Hoc East Bank Committee. Council Member Toombs moved that the bill be passed on second reading, which motion was seconded and approved by a voice vote of the Council, with Council Members Parker and Welsch voting No, and Council Member Porterfield abstaining.

See the full August 18, 2026 agenda →

The filed text for this matter has not been published here yet. It is available on Legistar.