Until last year, Nashville, Tennessee was one of the nation’s largest cities without a dedicated funding source for transit – but it wasn’t for lack of trying. A referendum to generate revenue to help people get to, from, and around the capital city had failed in 2018. Undaunted, Greater Nashville REALTORS® carried on, working with a sturdy coalition determined to fund transportation improvements across Nashville with a half-cent increase of the sales tax rate. The referendum made it back on the ballot last year, and this time, with the support of several REALTOR® Party resources, the mayor’s ‘Choose How You Move’ initiative got its funding source with an overwhelmingly affirmative vote.
As Greater Nashville REALTORS® 2024 President Kevin Wilson was quoted during the campaign, “Dedicated transit funding is not just about improving our city’s transportation; it’s about preserving Nashville’s quality of life and ensuring that our community remains accessible and affordable for everyone. This referendum is a vital step towards a sustainable future.”
Government Affairs Director Ryan Adcock describes the extent and implications of the city’s transportation challenges for its residents and for its real estate industry: “Late in 2023, Forbes magazine had given us the dubious distinction of ‘having the hardest commute in the United States.’ That national, negative attention about daily life in our city was only going to have a detrimental effect on the housing market. Although the mayor had crafted a robust initiative to address the reality of multiple transit related problems, it needed a funding source. That’s what this referendum was seeking to secure.”
The campaign benefited from polling and two earlier programs supported by NAR Smart Growth grants: first, a community outreach event that generated on-the-ground polling at a number of locations across the county; and second, a regional transit summit focused on economic impact that reached a broad audience of commuters and stakeholders. An Issues Mobilization Grant funded the REALTORS®’ continued alliance with the non-profit PAC “Nashville Moves,” working hand-in-hand with other stakeholder groups. The REALTORS® served on its steering committee and ran focus groups, as the campaign conducted polling, door knocking, targeted advertising and voter forums.
This time, the referendum passed overwhelmingly, with numbers almost exactly opposite of the initial attempt. Adcock notes that his nerves were calmed by the polling results of NAR’s expert vendor, which were right on-point, just as they had been the first time around, when the results were reversed; neither time was the run-of-the-mill poll nearly as accurate. “This kind of top-notch professional service speaks volumes for the quality that the REALTOR® Party delivers,” he says.
The half-cent sales tax increase just took effect in early February, so the new revenue has begun to trickle in. The expectation is that the dedicated transit funding will raise about $5-$10 from an average Nashville family every month, and bring in over $100 million annually for a range of key transit-related improvements. “At its core, it’s about making neighborhoods, and by extension, our industry, safer,” says Adcock. “This is as community- and neighborhood-oriented as you can get. It will support safety improvements at troubled intersections; stop-light improvements to help alleviate traffic congestion; and an additional 86 miles of new sidewalks. This will transform Nashville’s current transit system to one that is safer, easier, and more efficient for pedestrians, cars, and buses, cyclists and wheelchair users, and families with strollers.”
Adcock is a big fan of NAR’s grant programs. “It’s super easy! There are not a lot of hoops to jump through; it doesn’t take a lot of time. Whether it’s for funding or polling, or some other kind of help, the REALTOR® Party staff makes the process as smooth as possible, and the effort of articulating the grant request helps to define your project. Even as a veteran user, there’s so much they offer that I always ask myself, ‘Are we leaving money on the table? What else could we be doing?’”
To learn more about how Greater Nashville REALTORS® is advancing transportation safety and efficacy in the neighborhoods its members serve, contact Ryan Adcock, Government Affairs Director, at ryan@greaternashvillerealtors.org.
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