Elected Office · Municipal
Metro Council Member
- Level
- Municipal
- Area represented
- Nashville and Davidson County. The Council has 35 district members (each representing one district) and 5 at-large members (elected countywide).
- Term length
- 4 years
- Term limits
- Set by the Metropolitan Charter. Confirm the current limit with the Metro Clerk before relying on a specific number.
- Election cycle
- Every 4 years. The current Council serves the 2023–2027 term; the next election is in 2027.
QualificationsSet by the Metropolitan Charter.
The Metropolitan Council is the legislative body of Nashville and Davidson County — the nation's first fully consolidated city-county government, established in 1963. Because city and county are combined here, the Council does the work that a city council and a county commission would do separately elsewhere. It passes local laws, adopts the Metro budget, and makes zoning decisions. It has 40 members: 35 elected by district and 5 elected at-large. The Vice Mayor presides over the Council.
35 district + 5 at-large = 40 membersNashville has both kinds. A district member represents one of 35 districts; an at-large member is elected by the whole county. You may have both a district member and at-large members representing you.
One member, one voteDirect authority belongs to the Council as a body, not to any single member. On most things, one councilmember can advocate and influence — but it takes a majority of the 40 to actually decide.
Nashville's government is consolidatedEstablished in 1963 as the nation's first fully consolidated city-county government. That is why the Metro Council does the work of both a city council and a county commission.
What only this office can do
- Vote on local legislation
- Vote on the Metro budget, which sets the property tax rate
- Vote on zoning changes
- Introduce ordinances and resolutions
- Serve on and chair Council committees
Main responsibilities
- Passes local ordinances (Metro law)
- Adopts the annual Metro budget
- Makes zoning and land-use decisions
- Approves or rejects major development
- Serves constituents by district (35 members) or countywide (5 at-large members)
- Confirms certain mayoral appointments
- Works through committees such as Budget & Finance and Planning & Zoning
What this office cannot do alone
- Cannot pass a law alone — it takes a majority of the 40-member Council
- Cannot run Metro departments — that is the Mayor and the department heads
- Cannot set the tax rate single-handedly — the rate is set by a Council majority through the budget
- Cannot act alone — a single member advocates and votes, but the body decides
- The Vice Mayor, not a councilmember, presides over the Council
Who this office works with
- The Mayor
- The Vice Mayor (who presides over the Council)
- The other 39 councilmembers
- Metro departments
- Metro boards and commissions
- Council committees
Why this office affects everyday life
Your councilmember votes on the things closest to daily life: the Metro budget, whether a development gets built near you, your property tax rate, and neighborhood services. With 35 district seats, there is one councilmember whose specific job is to represent your part of the county.
Questions voters should ask
- Which decisions can you make for my district by yourself, and which need a majority of the Council?
- How do you weigh one neighborhood's concerns against a countywide vote?
- What is your role in the budget, versus the Mayor's?
On the 2026 ballot
No 2026 race for this office has been certified in Davidson County yet. When county sample ballots and the Secretary of State's certified list are confirmed, races will appear here.