This section creates the Greater Nashville regional council and sets it up as the regional body for planning, economic development, and interlocal cooperation.
There is hereby created and established the Greater Nashville regional council, being a public body corporate and politic created on behalf of the counties of Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson and Wilson and all incorporated municipalities and metropolitan governments located within these counties. The general assembly hereby finds that it is necessary and desirable to create and establish the Greater Nashville regional council and empower the regional council with the duties, powers and authority set forth in this chapter, based in part on the finding of the general assembly as follows: The local governments comprising the regional council have experienced and are projected to experience continued rapid growth of residential, commercial and industrial development, which growth mandates coordination of planning, economic development and projects by and between local governments; This growth results in part from the location of major national and international industries and manufacturing facilities within the region, including support and corollary industries; The local governments within the region must plan, finance and implement projects, such as construction and upgrading of roads, highways and infrastructure as a direct result of increased demand attributable to growth within the region, much of which crosses local government jurisdictional boundaries; and It is in furtherance of the public policy of the state to create the regional council for the purpose of assuring continued growth and development in a manner that will preserve, protect and enhance the special quality of life indigenous to Tennessee. It is the further intent of the general assembly that the provisions and intent of this chapter be liberally construed. The regional council established pursuant to this chapter supersedes and is established in lieu of the Mid-Cumberland development district, previously established pursuant to the “Development District Act of 1965,” compiled in title 13, chapter 14, and the Mid-Cumberland council of governments established by agreement of the local governments pursuant to the “Interlocal Cooperation Act,” compiled in title 12, chapter 9. It is the intent and purpose of the general assembly to establish the regional council with the powers and duties set forth in this chapter, in lieu of and in substitution of the Mid-Cumberland development district and Mid-Cumberland council of governments. All funding provided to the Mid-Cumberland development district pursuant to § 13-14-111 shall now and hereafter be provided to the regional council in the amount and manner as set forth in § 13-14-111. The regional council is created and established for the purpose of regional planning, economic development and interlocal agreements and cooperation for the geographical area embracing the above counties and incorporated municipalities located therein, referred to as the “region” in this chapter. The regional council's role in regional planning, economic development and interlocal agreements and cooperation includes the coordination of these activities and programs with those of other federal, state and local planning and development agencies.