Mayor delivers State of Metro address

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nashville Mayor Karl Dean delivered his State of Metro Address Thursday morning.
It was the mayor's second State of Metro and the second delivered in a tight economy with fewer dollars coming in to run the city.
The mayor began with good news for taxpayers. He said he was not going to ask for a tax increase.
"There will be no property tax proposal of an increase from me, period," he said.
No tax increase, however, means cuts and Mayor Dean said no department will be spared.
Department heads, like Ronal Serpas, chief of Metro police department, are still waiting to here exactly how much will be trimmed.
"The part of the department's budget that's controlled by payroll is huge so a big part of our department is actually payroll cost. Once we know what the actual number is, we'll make some decisions but until then, I just don't know yet," the chief said.
To move forward, Dean is proposing a number of capital improvements for Nashville.
He proposed adding two new police precincts, a new public health building, a 28th Avenue connector between 31st and Charlotte avenues and enough school additions to replace 40 portable classrooms.
"That is what we need," said Metro School Board member Karen Johnson. "We need to make sure our children come first."
More details are expected next week, when the mayor presents his budget proposal to the Metro Council.
The final decisions on the budget, who will face cuts and how much will be up to the council members.
The budget must be finished before the new fiscal year begins July 1.