The Mayor’s Office today released the following statement regarding the gathering of NOAH members at City Hall:
“We understand why NOAH members are gathering at City Hall this evening, and we truly sympathize with many of the concerns they’ve expressed. Mayor Cooper visited with NOAH members at their annual fall fundraiser on November 17 to express his ongoing support for their work throughout our community, and we will continue to collaborate with local advocates to address the need for more robust and effective funding options for affordable housing in Nashville.
“Mayor Cooper is working to balance this year’s budget with the goal of avoiding employee layoffs and interruptions to vital city services. The delay in part of the Barnes Fund grant round was a difficult decision made in order to plug the city’s $42 million budget gap and preventing state supervision of the city’s finances. The Mayor understands how deeply frustrating it is for both affordable housing developers and advocates. Simply put, we can’t write a check for money we currently don’t have. The city is working constantly to identify revenue sources to make sure we fund the delayed Barnes grants as soon as possible. Mayor Cooper is fully committed to making the Barnes Fund whole.”
This statement should be attributed to Chris Song, Press Secretary, Mayor’s Office.