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NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee judge has ruled that a local effort to roll back a contentious 34% property tax increase in Nashville is invalid.
Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle issued the ruling on Tuesday, news outlets reported.
The petition sought to allow Nashville residents to vote on the issue during a special election on December 15, but Lyle said the referendum’s wording was “defective” and “unconstitutional.”
Nashville’s city council approved the property tax increase earlier this year while responding to the economic downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper called the ruling “great news” for the city.
“We are the lowest-taxed city in one of the lowest-taxed states, even after the property tax increase,” Cooper said. “We can have the lowest tax rate and fix our finances, pay teachers more, build schools, and invest in neighborhoods.”
Attorney Jim Roberts, who represented the organization that filed the petition, 4 Good Government, said the decision was disappointing.
“I don’t know what the next step is, whether there will be an appeal or a second petition drive,” he said.