NoTax4Tracks, a PAC that seeks alternatives to Metro Nashville’s $9 billion light rail plan, is making a final push to defeat the measure on today’s ballot.
“From the beginning we knew that this transit plan had problems. We’ve been around government long enough to know that when you hide the price on page 55 of a plan, there is something fishy,” the group said in a newsletter Monday.
NoTax4Tracks has previously pointed out that the light rail system would only serve 3 percent of Davidson County’s population and not cover most of the high-traffic areas.
“The more we looked, the more we saw the fatal flaws, like it really doesn’t solve the congestion and hits those who can least afford it with one the biggest sales tax of any major city.”
The group said a focus group in February provided three key messages for undecided voters:
- Does this really fix congestion and what areas does it cover?
- How much is this actually going to cost?
- How long will the streets be torn up to build this?
NoTax4Tracks responded with fact-based commercials.
“Online, if you can get 25% of the people to watch a thirty second commercial, you have a home run. Over 35% of the people were viewing our sixty all the way thru, possibly a historic number for a political ad,” the group said in its newsletter.
So, at town hall meetings, “we answered their questions with facts. We came early, we stayed late and never dodged a question.
“And one last laugh. Butch Spyridon, who heads (up) the convention and visitor’s bureau said in yesterday’s NY Times, that Nashville should host the NFL Draft because it has “…an easy-to-navigate downtown.” Oh, the hypocrisy. If it was easy to navigate, why is Butch advocating for that tunnel?”
A story in The Tennessean on Monday questioned the density required for the transit plan.
Meanwhile, NoTax4Tracks recently announced the top reasons residents should not vote for the transit plan:
- We are not being given alternative options; instead, this plan is being forced on voters.
- It won’t solve traffic congestion and only serves a limited area.
- This transit plan has a huge price tag of $9 billion and is projected to take 15 years to complete.
- Families and households will pay $43,000 over their lifetime to fund this disastrous project.
- Senior citizens, who are often on fixed incomes, and other county residents will be paying $52 a month in extra taxes.
- Rideshare apps, more effective transit plans with better funding, and soon new technologies like self-driving cars are all better options.
- The new fees will burden small businesses, hotels, car rental companies, and tourism.
- Our sales tax will go up to the highest rate in any major US city (10.25%).
- The MTA is already improving local transit regardless of whether this expensive plan passes.
- There are better ways to fund large, countywide projects — ones that won’t ruin the local economy or put neighborhood residents in debt.
