Nashville Bar Owners Appeal To State Leaders After Surge In Property Taxes
on • Updated
Bar owners in Nashville are making their voices heard following a substantial increase in property taxes in “Music City.”
As WKRN reported in February, some property taxes “more than quadrupled” following the city’s most recent property assessment, which assigned higher property values to several locations.
Bar owners, especially on Broadway in downtown Nashville, have expressed concern about their ability to afford the higher taxes. Some of the city’s businesses have already closed, including bar and music venue Nashville Underground and restaurant Pelican & Pig.
“When you have such a large amount of money that has to go out to property taxes, it just — it left too much uncertainty and really just took our knees out,” Pelican & Pig owner Nick Girdy told WZTV in March.
Now, bar owners have called on state leaders to address the issue so that other businesses don’t meet the same fate.
John Rich asks governor to be a 'honky-tonk hero', intervene on taxes https://t.co/7wLzH7NN2n
— WKRN News 2 (@WKRN) August 7, 2026
In a report published on August 6, WKRN spoke with property owners John Rich (of Big & Rich) and Barrett Hobbs. They and other business owners have appealed to Tennessee State House Speaker Cameron Sexton, who may ask Governor Bill Lee to call a special legislative session to address their concerns.
Rich is worried about the effect on the live music scene if more businesses start closing due to the tax increases. “They’re trying to tax [live music] out of existence,” Rich said. “And the very DNA of what makes Nashville ‘Music City’ is under threat.”
Hobbs echoed Rich’s comments, saying how difficult it is for businesses to stay afloat if their bills suddenly increase:
“No business can sustain itself if you’ve got an expenditure that’s a hundred thousand dollars, and then it goes to six hundred thousand dollars in five months,” Hobbs said. “We can’t just call the city and say, ‘Hey, we weren’t expecting this. Can you give us two years to pay this increase?’ And that’s kind of where we are.”
Previously, on August 5th, Rich shared a video calling on Governor Lee to “be a honky tonk hero.” He also explained just how serious things have become for business owners in downtown Nashville.
“The lights are going out on Broadway,” Rich said. “We had several close their doors last week, we had several more closing their doors next week, and the week after that…”
He added, “You’re losing people, you’re losing massive business, because country music, live country music, no longer exists down there. So this is a 911 kind of situation for our town…you can’t let the music die.”
Concerns About Nashville Tax Increases Have Been Growing Since The Start Of 2026
Back in February, Broadway Entertainment Association Director Rob Mortensen expressed his fear that Nashville could “lose” Broadway following the tax increases.
“In some cases — the taxes that these bars are being hit with — it’s more than their lease, double what their lease is, and including their lease, it’s more than what they’re making in profit,” he told WKRN.
WKRN cited one example, ACME Feed & Seed, a popular bar and entertainment venue on Broadway. According to the outlet, ACME was worth $9.5 million four years ago. After this most recent assessment, the property is now valued at $50 million.
Therefore, as WKRN explains, ACME’s property taxes have increased from $130,000 to roughly $600,000.
What has City Mayor Freddie O’Connell said about the situation? Back in February, he acknowledged in a statement to WKRN that “some properties experienced extraordinary increases in value.” He said:
“I love our local businesses and hate when my favorites close for whatever reason. The hardest part is reconciling the fact that even as we established the lowest property tax rate in Metro history, some properties experienced extraordinary increases in value. I also look at the dynamic and vibrant environment of Broadway and the entertainment district and see local entrepreneurs reinvent concepts or expand all the time.“
More recently, on August 9, Mayor O’Connell said that the Nashville Metro “is already working on a form of relief,” according to a follow-up report from WKRN.
O’Connell pointed to a $30-million dollar relief fund, the Legacy Business Fund, and a recent cut on grocery taxes as proof that steps are being taken to support business owners and families in Nashville.
“Ultimately, the Metro is just trying to keep up with the cost of inflation,” O’Connell said.
Stay tuned as this story continues to develop…
