Amends TCA Title 64, Chapter 7, Part 1.

This bill revises provisions governing the Greater Nashville regional council, as follows: (1) This bill revises provisions governing the membership of the council as follows: (A) Present law requires that the council include the county mayor of each county within the region. This bill clarifies that the county mayor or county executive will serve on the council; (B) This bill changes references from "chief executive officer" to "chief elected official" in regard to who from a metropolitan government in the region will serve on the council; and (C) Under present law, the county, municipal, and metropolitan officials serve for four years or until they cease to occupy the elected position entitling them to membership, whichever occurs first. This bill removes the four-year limit so that such officials will serve until they cease to occupy the elected position entitling them to membership. (2) Under present law, the regional council appoints an executive board, which is empowered to perform as the administrative body of the regional council and empowered by the regional council to act in its stead. The membership, officers, and term of office of the executive board are as set forth by the organizational bylaws. In determining membership on the executive board, the regional council must ensure representation from at least one local government within each of the counties represented by the council. This bill rewrites the above provisions to instead provide for the council appointing a board of directors to be the administrative body of the regional council that is authorized by the regional council to act in its stead. In determining membership on the board of directors, the regional council must ensure at least one local government within each of the counties is represented by the council. The regional council officers will serve as officers to the board of directors. The membership and term of office of the board of directors will be set by the bylaws. (3) Present law requires the regional council to prepare an annual report of its activities through June 30 of each year and submit a copy of the report to the governor, the general assembly and the commissioner of finance and administration. Also, the annual reports and all books of accounts and financial records of all funds received by grant, contract or otherwise from state, local or federal sources are subject to audit annually by the comptroller of the treasury; present law sets out in detail the reporting and auditing requirements. This bill rewrites these provisions to instead provide that the council is subject to the same reporting and auditing requirements that are applicable to development districts; those provisions also require an annual report and annual audit by the comptroller. (4) Under present law, funds appropriated to implement the provisions governing the council are subject to the approval of the governor and the commissioner of finance and administration, and such approval is given only after review by the office of the governor of the annual work program developed by the regional council to assure that such program is in accordance with the development plans of the state. These funds or portions thereof are paid only upon certification by the appropriate official of the regional council that matching local funds are available. This bill rewrites the above provisions to instead provide for review by the department of economic and community development and certification by the "appropriate official." (5) Present law establishes bond requirements for persons of the council who receive public funds. This bill rewrites this provision to instead require that the bond comply with the provisions governing bonds for development districts; those provisions set out specific minimum amounts of the bond based on revenue. (6) Under present law, no votes may be cast by proxy, and only duly appointed members of the regional council may vote. This bill rewrites this provision to instead provide that only duly appointed members of the regional council or board of directors, or persons duly designated pursuant to present law or the regional council's organizational bylaws, may vote. ON MARCH 14, 2022, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 2508, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 removes this bill's provision, described above in the bill summary in (5), that would have rewritten the bond requirements.