With roughly one month remaining before the fall ballot deadline, Mayor Kip Holden says he still intends to present a bond issue to the Metro Council. The council is on its summer break and is not scheduled to meet again until July 27. It also has a regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 10—the deadline for placing items on the Nov. 19 ballot. However, the council could convene at a special, called meeting to consider the mayor’s bond proposal. Holden first announced the bond issue last fall, and council members have been asking for more details ever since. The mayor has maintained its contents will mirror those of the $901 million and $989 million bond issues voters rejected in 2008 and 2009—minus the $225 million Alive riverfront attraction.
Some council members, including Mayor Pro Tem Mike Walker, have stated they’ve waited far too long for details and will not support sending the bond to voters with such little time to consider its contents. Others, such as Councilwoman Tara Wicker, aren’t fazed by the timeframe and say they still support placing a bond issue on the ballot. Beyond confirming the issue is still on the table, Holden says, he won’t discuss the matter any further “until I’ve put it in the hands of the council.” Holden adds he doesn’t have an exact date in mind for presenting it to the council. —Steve Sanoski
Today’s poll question: Are you more likely to vote for Mayor Kip Holden’s bond issue, given that it won’t include the Alive project?
