Nashvillians voted overwhelmingly to amend Metro's governing document by creating a new citizen-led panel to oversee the actions of police, the culmination of a decades-long push from black leaders in the city.

The victory for supporters of Amendment 1 to the Metro Charter came despite facing a massive fundraising disadvantage against the Nashville Fraternal Order of Police, which bankrolled efforts to defeat the measure.

The amendment passed by a margin of 59 percent to 41 percent — 134,135 votes to 94,055 — with all precincts reporting.

It came on a day when five out of six proposed charter amendments passed with only Amendment 5, a measure to increase council term-limits from two to three, losing.

Ratification of Amendment 1 — inspired in part by recent shootings of two black men by white officers in Nashville — will change the Metro Charter by forming a new 11-member panel with investigative and compulsory powers to review arrests and police actions.

'Historic moment,' Amendment 1 supporters say

A coalition of social justice activists called Community Oversight Now led the push for the new panel as way to create a check over alleged claims of racial bias and other controversial actions of police.

They've argued the word of a police officer is too often taken for granted in disputes with the public.

But many police officers pushed back in a contentious local campaign that collided with high-turnout in the statewide elections for U.S. Senate and governor.

What you should know:Nashville approves police oversight board

"We're happy and humbled by the results," said Sekou Franklin, an activist for Community Oversight Now, attributing the win to a wide range of groups getting behind the cause.

"To a large extent, there's voters in Nashville who feel that there's no accountability in government," he said. "That people have gotten away with too much stuff, that it's the 'It City' for some, but antagonistic for others."

A statement from Community Oversight Now hailed the vote as a "historic moment in Nashville's political history."

"This victory is the outgrowth of a people’s movement — the transformative energy of hundreds of volunteers and everyday people representing diverse racial and ethnic groups, faith traditions, young and old," the group said.

More:Amendment 1: Campaign fight over Nashville police oversight referendum heats up

More:Nashville police oversight: What board will and won't do, advocates explain

Nashville FOP vows to respect the 'will of the people we serve'

The Nashville Fraternal Order of Police, the city's police union, mounted a well-financed opposition to fight the charter amendment, pumping more than $500,000 into television ads and other campaign activity to fight the proposal.

It marked a nearly 30-to-1 margin over the amount of money spent by supporters, which have organized under the umbrella Accountability Matters.

"While the Fraternal Order of Police remains firm in its belief that this board will only create a divide between law enforcement and the public, we recognize that the voters have spoken, and we will respect the rule of law and the will of the people we serve," James Smallwood, president of the Nashville Fraternal Order of Police, said in statement.

Still, he said his organization has "sincere concerns about the many flaws" that exist in the amendment.

"While it is our intention to respect the rule of law and work with the administration as they implement this new legislation, we fully intend to stand alongside our members and ensure that their rights are preserved, they deserve nothing less," said Smallwood.

Appeal in lawsuit still to be taken up

The FOP's main line of attack in television ads was that that the new panel would represent a $10 million tax hike if approved — even though the charter amendment contains no such language.

Critics of Amendment 1 point to an estimated cost of $1.5 million for the panel, which they say would ultimately lead to higher property taxes. The funding would be for staffing, including analysts and a legal adviser, as well as office space.

Supporters of the oversight board collected more than 8,200 petition signatures to put the measure on the ballot.

In the weeks that followed, the Nashville FOP unsuccessfully fought in court to try and keep the measure off the ballot.

David Raybin, the lead attorney for the Nashville FOP, pointed to the police union's ongoing legal fight, which will be taken up on appeal by the Tennessee Court of Appeals on Dec. 5. The police union has argued supporters did not collect enough signatures to put the referendum on the ballot.

"While the Amendment 1 referendum has apparently garnered a majority of votes according to early returns, the legality of the referendum is still an open question," Raybin said.

Jamie Hollin, attorney for Community Oversight Now, countered by saying "Nashvillians have spoken loud and clear."

"According to their latest court filing, they've made a 180 degree turn in their position — like a lubricated weather vane," Hollin said of the Nashville FOP. "Their futile attempts at sowing doubt is shameful and we will be vindicated in the courts as well."

More:Nashville FOP pumps $500K into campaign to defeat police oversight ballot amendment

Briley promises to begin working on oversight board by next week

Nashville Mayor David Briley, a liberal Democrat, had opposed passage of Amendment 1 but has said he supports the concept of community oversight of police, vowing to create an oversight panel via executive order if the amendment is defeated.

“The people of Nashville have spoken," Briley said in a statement. "As I’ve said all along, I will support this amendment, and I will start by meeting with involved parties as early as next week.

"I have always asserted that civilian oversight is essential to ensuring that we have a 21st-century approach to policing. Thankfully best practices exist to help us chart a path forward, and I will do all I can to help ensure the Community Oversight Board is successful.”

Briley, who stayed out of the referendum fight, has cautioned that "budgeting by charter amendment" would set a bad precedent. He's also said the current plan does not have buy-in from the Metro Nashville Police Department.

More:Nashville Mayor Briley opposes community oversight referendum, his office confirms

Oversight boards exist in more than 100 cities

Community Oversight Now organized after a white Metro police officer in February 2017 shot and killed Jocques Clemmons, a 30-year-old black man, after a traffic stop at the James A. Cayce Homes public housing in East Nashville.

More recently, a white Metro police officer in July shot and killed 25-year-old Daniel Hambrick, who police say was armed, during a foot chase in a North Nashville community. Hambrick is black and the police officer, Andrew Delke, is white.

More:Resisted by mayor, Nashville advocates look to council for citizen oversight of police

More than 100 cities have some type of police review commission, according to advocates, including Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Memphis, Austin, Texas, and Denver. They say community oversight boards go back to the 1940s and were a rallying cry of Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s.

Supporters initially sought to create the oversight board legislatively through action by the Metro Council, but an ordinance that lacked support from former Mayor Megan Barry was defeated, prompting the referendum effort instead.

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Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236, jgarrison@tennessean.com and on Twitter @joeygarrison.