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A resolution requesting the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) to make an exception to Policy 33-006 and rename Nashville International Airport as "Dolly Parton International Airport."
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WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council has separately honored the life and legacy of Dolly Parton, who passed away on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80; and
WHEREAS, Nashville International Airport serves as the primary gateway to Nashville and Middle Tennessee for millions of visitors each year, and the name of that gateway shapes the world's first impression of our city; and
WHEREAS, for more than six decades, Dolly Parton was the most recognized and beloved ambassador of Nashville and Tennessee to the world, carrying the identity of this city into every corner of the globe through her music, her voice, and her name; and
WHEREAS, Dolly Parton's body of songwriting and recording work, created and rooted in Nashville, drew generations of songwriters, musicians, and performers to relocate to and build their careers in this city, reinforcing Nashville's identity as "Music City" and sustaining the broader creative economy that supports countless local jobs; and
WHEREAS, Dolly Parton's global fame and her associated Middle Tennessee attractions, including Dollywood in East Tennessee, drove substantial tourism traffic into this region for decades, with a material share of those visitors arriving through and departing from Nashville International Airport; and
WHEREAS, Dolly Parton directed extraordinary philanthropic investment into Tennessee, including through the Dollywood Foundation and the Imagination Library, which has distributed free books to children worldwide and operates as a program of global reach headquartered in Middle Tennessee, further cementing this region's reputation as a place of generosity and cultural leadership; and
WHEREAS, MNAA Policy 33-006 ("Naming Policy and Process") provides that buildings, spaces, facilities, or streets owned by or located on MNAA property may be named for individuals who have made "a substantial personal contribution to the MNAA and/or the field of aviation in Middle Tennessee," and Dolly Parton's decades of driving tourism, commerce, and international visibility to this region, and by extension to the airport itself, constitute precisely the kind of substantial, lasting contribution to Middle Tennessee that this airport exists to serve; and
WHEREAS, Policy 33-006 as currently written requires that an honoree be deceased at least two years before naming rights in recognition may be conferred, a waiting period the Metropolitan Council believes should not apply here, given the singular and unrepeatable nature of Dolly Parton's impact on this city and the outpouring of grief and gratitude from Nashville and the world in the days since her passing; and
WHEREAS, Policy 33-006 expressly provides that it "may be amended from time to time by resolution of the [MNAA] Board," and the Metropolitan Council believes this is precisely the circumstance for which that flexibility was intended; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council recognizes that the Board of Commissioners of the MNAA holds sole authority over the naming of MNAA property under Policy 33-006, and that this resolution constitutes a request and expression of the Council's support, not a directive;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That the Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as requesting that the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority make an exception to the two-year waiting period set forth in Policy 33-006 and rename Nashville International Airport as "Dolly Parton International Airport," in recognition of her extraordinary and sustained contribution to Nashville's identity, tourism, and creative economy, and to the airport that has long carried her fans and admirers into this city.
Section 2. That the Metropolitan Clerk is directed to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board Chair Nancy Sullivan and the Board of Commissioners of the MNAA.
Section 3. That this resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.