O'Connell Administration Progress Tracker
January 1, 2025 Update
Since the one-year anniversary of his administration, Mayor Freddie O'Connell saw the successful passage of his transportation improvement program, securing dedicated funding for transportation improvements. Nashville voters overwhelmingly approved the program with 66 percent voting for a better transportation future. The Mayor's Office is now in the process of assembling a citizens advisory committee and Chief Program Officer to oversee the work ahead.
Later in November, Mayor Freddie O'Connell proposed his second capital spending plan which Metro Council approved without opposition. The plan laid groundwork for better infrastructure across the county and sought to catch up on maintenance deferred for far too long at Metro Properties.
In addition to the Chief Program Officer for transit, the Mayor's Office is also hiring the first director for the Office of Youth Safety which will work on programming opportunities, and violence prevention with Nashville's youth. This is a key piece of the mayor's larger public safety strategy that includes both traditional policing strategies and programmatic strategies to continue bringing down the violent crime rate in the city. Overall, violent crime fell by five percent in 2024.
Lastly, the East Bank Development Authority is closer to its first meeting. The authority will provide continuity across years -- likely decades -- of work on the city's East Bank. Mayor Freddie O'Connell appointed five members to the board in December and named its chair. Those are just five of the more than 250 appointees Mayor O'Connell has made to Metro Boards and Commissions since taking office.
Donelson, Hermitage, & Old Hickory
North Nashville
East Nashville & Madison
West Nashville
South Nashville
NDOT
Since September 2024:
- NDOT received $10 million in SMART grant federal funds to improve traffic safety along Nolensville Pike
- NDOT co-hosted an Open Streets event on Antioch Pike in partnership with Walk Bike Nashville and the South Nashville community
- NDOT completed work on the Demonbreun Hill bikeway project, making the corridor safer for all road users
- NDOT, in partnership with Metro General Services, received $4.7 million in grant funds through the Charging & Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program to install 43 new level 2 and DC fast chargers around the city
- In October, NDOT cut the ribbon on the city’s first Traffic Management Center to better manage traffic and congestion in Nashville
Below is for the calendar year 2024:
- Potholes repaired during 2024—over 40,000 (and counting)
- New sidewalks constructed in 2024—20,287 linear feet/3.84 miles
- New bikeways constructed in 2024—15.6 miles
- Roads resurfaced in 2024—154 lane miles of newly paved roadway
- Litter Collected—145 tons of litter collected on 19,640 miles of Metro streets
Office of Homeless Services
- In 2024, community partners housed 1,912 people
- 45% reduction in the number of deaths amount those experiencing homelessness since 2022. This reduction in deaths is due to effective leadership and The Office of Homeless Services working in partnership with local service providers to offer life saving measures like harm reduction measures and PSH.
- 85%-90% Occupancy at Strobel House, Nashville's first permanent supportive housing which opened in summer 2024.
- PAD Mission is now available with 300 users including Landlords and case managers who have real time access to housing options with 327 housing locations, and 930 units within the Low Barrier Housing collective.
- Cold Weather Shelter was open 8 days beginning November 29th and served over 516 individuals.
Metro Office of Family Safety
- OFS partnered with MNPD to provide training on domestic violence to all police, in person and by video.
- OFS hosted a successful community-wide interpersonal violence summit on domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and abuse of children, the elderly and vulnerable adults.
Human Resources
Successfully recruited and hired a new Public Health Director.
General Services
- Onboarded inaugural Assistant Director of Real Estate Services to lead a new division in the department with a focus on long term strategy for real estate.
- Administered 1,983 online auctions of surplus property, with gross sales of $853,983, for the period September 1, 2024 through December 20, 2024. The total auctions for calendar year 2024, as of December 20, is 7,151 with gross sales of $3,016,574.
- Received 6,528 customer repair requests and completed 6,246 of those repair requests for the period of September 1, 2024 through December 20, 2024. The total customer repair requests for calendar year 2024, as of December 20, is 21,748 with 21,459 of those repair requests completed.
- Purchased 73 vehicles and/or equipment for the period of September 1, 2024 through December 20, 2024. The total amount of vehicles and/or equipment purchased for calendar year 2024, as of December 20, is 250.
Nashville Planning Department
Housing Division -- Catalyst Fund: In June, the Housing Division launched the Catalyst Fund with $50 million through a partnership with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, First Horizon, Vanderbilt University, and others. The fund provides fast, flexible capital to nonprofit developers to help build and preserve affordable housing in Nashville. In December, the Catalyst Fund met its $75 million initial fundraising goal and began the process of approving investment funding for its first project, which will be an all-affordable housing building on the East Bank.
WeGo Public Transit
WeGo received $1.9 million in U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) SMART grant funds for optimization of high-frequency bus service on Murfreesboro Pike utilizing artificial intelligence, including the implementation of computer aided dispatch, automated vehicle location systems, and traffic-adaptive signals.
USDOT awarded $1 million in an Innovative Finance and Asset Concession Grant Program (IFACGP). The funds will be used for technical support to help with real estate transactions in transit-oriented development.
A ceremony was held for the first two graduates of the WeGo Mechanic Apprenticeship Program. A new group of apprentices were also welcomed into the program.
WeGo provided free bus rides on Election Day and on each Titans home game day.
Completed six sheltered stops for a total of 310.
Free South Nashville WeGo Link zone established in a partnership with Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).
Advancing coordination on the Antioch Transit Center at the former Global Mall site.
Celebrated the completion of a mural at the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central recognizing a groundbreaking bus operator and community use of transit.
The Dr. Ernest Rip Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center honored as "Project of the Year" by the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee.
Election Commission
- Held a successful November 5th election. Our longer-serving Commissioners described it as the best presidential election they had experienced during their tenure.
