Metro Councilmember proposes legislation to create Nashville construction oversight board

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda has filed legislation to have more government oversight of construction projects in Nashville.

Sepulveda has called it the “Build it Right” Bill and says the legislation would create a contract and compliance board with the power to audit Metro construction contracts. Sepulveda hopes the effort will promote fair work.

“We will ensure that our construction sites are the safest in the city,” she said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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This effort comes as Nashville has seen construction workers die on the job, like 20-year-old Denis Geovani Ba Ché who fell while working on the roof of Glencliff last fall.

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said he like the idea of the legislation but wants clarity on certain aspects of the bill.

“We want to make sure that it doesn’t increase cost dramatically. But on principle, we certainly support the idea of not having wage theft or unsafe workplaces, particularly where there is Metro involvement,” O’Connell said.

The mayor said Councilmember Supelvada met with him on the proposal and he expressed his concerns to her. “[We] just want to make sure we can get it fit right in Metro as it gets started.”

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Supelvada will hold a news conference on the bill with union members and a relative of Denis Geovani Ba Ché on Tuesday at the Metro Historic Courthouse.

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