Metro Council's Latest Public Earmarks Still Lean Private, But With Exceptions

Tuesday's council meeting agenda includes the following earmarks for "infrastructure" funds:

• $1,000 for student or parent academic assistance of Homework Hotline, Inc. (Lynn Williams)
• $2,500 for volunteer programs of Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc. (Adam Dread)
• $3,000 for programs of food-stamp assistance and of small independent day care food assistance of Manna, Inc. (Erik Cole)
• $3,000 for sponsoring 9 students from Metro public high schools to participate in a conference and for funding a speakers series of Education Equal Opportunity Group, Inc. (Carolyn Baldwin Tucker, Brenda Gilmore)
• $8,000 for books and educational materials in the Nashville Adult Literacy Council (Jim Hodge, Parker Toler)
• $17,000 for advertisements and fare subsidization of MTA's BusLink program for one month (Williams)
• $18,000 for Hadley Park Junior Tennis Program (Ed Whitmore)
• $30,280 for purchase and installation of Metro Police surveillance camera and hardware (Michael Craddock)
• $40,000 for the insurance costs of a church's First Response Center Clinic's employees (Jamie Isabel)
• $42,000 for an electronic health records system at Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, Inc. (Gilmore, Ronnie Greer, Walter Hunt, Ludye Wallace, Cole, Pam Murray, Tucker, Whitmore, Vivian Wilhoite, Buck Dozier, Diane Neighbors)

It appears that council members are finally moving to spend money on public infrastructure and programs that directly affect public services. Funding police cameras qualify exactly as infrastructure support. The records system will go to a private healthcare provider that claims not to turn any citizen away based on inability to pay, which is good for nearby public housing residents. That has a broader community impact. The spending on the transit authority's BusLink program also serves a greater public purpose. Both the Homework Hotline and the Adult Literacy programs seem to be non-profit partners with and promoted by Metro Public Schools.

However, other resolutions may need second thoughts. Is sending $40,000 to a church's AIDs clinic the best medical earmark of those funds? Is that church providing care that other, more public institutions do not or cannot give? I've already raised questions about the Hadley Park Junior Tennis Program. Finally, what public purpose is served by sending a mere nine public students to a conference? Could we not get more bang for a greater number of at-risk students by spending $3,000 in another way?