The Metro Council Office on Wednesday said it was still working to determine whether it has records showing its justification for the nearly $1.5 million in grants Nashville appropriated for two pro-illegal immigrant nonprofits in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget passed earlier this month. The office said it will need until July 1 to make this determination and provide a response.
In a response to the Tennessee Public Records Act (TPRA)-pursuant request sent by The Tennessee Star, the Metro Council Office on Wendesday stated, “It has not yet been determined whether the records responsive to your request exist.”
With the existence of the records in doubt, even though Tennessee Code Annotated 7-3-314(b) requires Metro obtain such documents and make them available for public inspection, the Metro Council Office said it will be able to either produce the records or provide a more detailed response to The Star by July 1.
The response also noted that the date only covered documents that could be provided through the Metro Council Office. The Star also received notice that the Mayor’s Office, Law Office, and Department of Finance received its TPRA request, and on Tuesday an unsigned message from Metro provided July 10 as an estimated date for The Star to receive a response.
State law requires metropolitan governments who issue grants to nonprofits to make available a report containing a statement of proposed use, the county-serving program, and an annual audit.
However, Metro Clerk Austin Kyle claimed to The Star that this does not apply to the proposed $735,000 for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), or $718,000 for Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors (TNJFON), because the FY 27 spending only represents a new funding source to continue contracts previously signed in 2022.
Kyle additionally told The Star that the city complies with state statute by publishing the finalized contracts Metro signs with nonprofits.
While a spokesperson for Mayor Freddie O’Connell told The Star that Metro would maintain control over how the money is spent, and asserted it would not be used to pay for legal representation, advice, or advocacy for illegal aliens, the 2022 contracts between Nashville and the nonprofits specifically included funding to help illegal aliens obtain “protections from deportation,” and allowed the nonprofits to increase the size of their legal teams.
Notably, the Metro Clerk told The Star that the chief difference between the 2022 contracts and the 2027 grants is the source of the funding, which is changing from money sent to Nashville as part of the Biden-era American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to Metro’s general fund.
The Metro Council passed its $3.8 billion budget, including the nearly $1.5 million in grants for TIRRC and TNJFON, on June 16.
The Star is seeking the most recent application, proposal, statement of proposed use, scope of services, spending plan, audit, and financial statement provided by TIRRC and TNJFON.
– – –
Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Metro Nashville Council in Session” by Metro Nashville Council.
