This week, on the 100th day of his tenure as mayor of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, Mayor John Cooper released a report detailing progress made toward his administration’s goal of creating a city that works for everyone.
The First 100 Day Report contains several Cooper administration agenda priorities that have already been fulfilled, including addressing the city’s urgent budget gap to prevent state supervision of Metro’s finances, increased investments in neighborhood infrastructure, and advancements in creating a people-first transportation plan. The Mayor’s Office has also published a comprehensive Commitment Tracker that enables Nashville residents to track the progress of other current and upcoming projects.
“Together, we have made significant progress on many priorities in the past 100 days,” said Mayor Cooper. “The task of overcoming our financial hurdles has been challenging, and there is still work to be done. But I’m proud to say that my administration has kept its focus on my earlier promises. From body-worn cameras to bus route scheduling, we will continue to work hard to meet the goal of making Nashville a vibrant, prosperous city for everyone.”
Following the release of his First 100 Day Report, Cooper published a comprehensive Commitment Tracker that enables Nashville residents to track the progress of other current and upcoming projects. The tracker, which can be accessed at <www.nashville.gov/Mayors-Office.aspx>, lists 50 promises made by Cooper during the 2019 mayoral campaign. Following through on the 50 commitments will be Cooper’s focus over the next four years, which include: fiscal stewardship; education; affordable housing; neighborhoods; transportation; public safety; and ethics and transparency.
“I intend for this commitment tracker to be a transparent resource for residents as well as an accountability mechanism for my team,” said Mayor Cooper. “Tracking my administration’s progress on these 50 commitments will help keep us focused on core priorities over the next four years. I campaigned with a 47-page policy platform, and I want to be clear that I intend to follow through on the commitments I made. I’m encouraged by the progress we’ve made in the first 100 days, and I recognize the important work ahead to make Nashville a city that works for everyone.”
Cooper says that he plans to expedite the release of is fiscal year 2021 budget, which he plans to file with the Metro Council by March 31, a month ahead of the normal schedule. This will allow for a review by the State Comptroller of the Treasury.
“I am fully committed to the responsible and effective use of taxpayer dollars to deliver core municipal services,” said Cooper. “With one of the strongest growing economies in the country, we will use the next four years to deliver on our commitment to a more effective government for all of Nashville, creating a city that works for everyone.”
To improve Metro’s stewardship of taxpayer dollars and create further means for investment, the Mayor’s Office will work with all Metro departments to seek cost-containment and efficiencies throughout the budgeting process. Mayor Cooper’s Chief of Operations and Performance, Kristin Wilson, will also work with Metro department heads to incorporate actionable metrics to align public expectations of resourcing and delivery. These metrics will be presented along with the proposed FY21 budget.
