Dean to Reveal Property Tax Decision

To raise taxes or not to raise taxes. That’s the question Nashville Mayor Karl Dean will answer Tuesday during his annual state of Metro address.

The mayor hasn’t allowed himself to be pinned down. When speaking to groups around the city, Dean frequently reminds them that he did not raise property taxes in his first term. And he’s the first Nashville mayor in a while who can say that.

“I think it was the right thing to do, particularly during the depths of a severe recession. You don’t want to take money away from people. But I’m also mindful of the fact that – and I say this a lot – that a city has to have the confidence to invest in itself.”

The mayor has been non-committal on whether a tax increase is in order. But Dean has said that increasing budgets for Metro Schools and the police department has become difficult given the lack of a tax increase.

For the first time, the state of Metro will be held at the new Cumberland Park. The event is open to the public