County budget shifts funding as part of approval process
Here are some of the highlights, including additional funding for MATA, from the county budgets for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Bill Dries
Reporter
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
There are 4213 articles by Bill Dries :
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June 2021
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Shelby County -
Shelby County County Commission Scorecard: The County Budget Votes
The County Commission Scorecard tracks the critical votes on county government’s various budgets during the June 7 session that, for the most part, ended the budget season.
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City of Memphis Forrest remains removed from Health Sciences Park
The announcement of the removal of the remains was made Friday, June 11, in Health Sciences Park, where Forrest and his wife had been reinterred for more than 100 years after originally being buried in Elmwood Cemetery.
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Behind The Headlines Local budget seasons command attention as final city and county votes near
The County Commission’s vote approving a one-cent property tax hike and the City Council’s consideration next week of a 29-cent city property tax hike were the dominant topics in a reporter’s roundtable on “Behind The Headlines.”
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City of Memphis Announcement on Forrest remains set for Friday in Health Sciences Park
The announcement comes 11 days after work began on removing what is left of the monument. The work was also to include the reinterment of the remains of Forrest and his wife.
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City of Memphis New Leftwich Tennis Center breaks ground at Audubon Park
The start of construction follows last-minute changes in the project that upped the price by $6 million and added more courts. The center will keep the name of the Marine lieutenant colonel for whom it is named.
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Shelby County County Commission Scorecard: The votes to raise property taxes
Our scorecard of critical Shelby County Commission votes tracks the set of votes this week that led to the approval of a one-cent increase in the recertified county property tax rate. The votes were more complex than usual with some parliamentary drama that almost brings down the curtain on another county budget season.
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Shelby County County Commission approves 1-cent property tax hike to rate of $3.46
The tax hike requires one more vote by the commission after notice is given to the public and the Board of Equalization with a chance for public comment. The commission also approved $1.3 million in recurring funding for the Memphis Area Transit Authority.
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Behind The HeadlinesCity and county budget paths get more interesting as fiscal year nears
The path of the two budget seasons and the use of federal funds to close financial gaps — plus other topics — are the focus of a reporters roundtable on “Behind The Headlines.”
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City of MemphisMysterious Cossitt Library painting recalls blue period for landmark
The late 1950s or early 1960s painting of the Cossitt Library surfaced last month. It was set aside during a cleanup of the Downtown landmark, and the rediscovery marks a turn in fortune with a renovated Cossitt set to reopen in the fall.
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City of Memphis Council member proposes city property tax 29 cents above recertified rate
Martavius Jones says he will push for the increase at next week’s council session.
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Shelby County Commission Republicans take back votes opposing critical race theory ban
Republican county commissioners who voted two weeks ago in favor of a resolution urging Gov. Bill Lee to veto a ban on teaching critical race theory took back their yes votes Monday. The resolution still passed.
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Public Safety Warrant issued in tirade, threats against commissioner
Police issued an arrest warrant Friday, June 4, on a charge of assault against the crew worker who berated and threatened Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer Tuesday in Health Sciences Park.
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City of Memphis Heidi Kuhn opens bid for reelection as Criminal Court Clerk
Meanwhile, a City Council member who is term limited said he may be on the 2022 ballot for Shelby County Commission and an incumbent commissioner says he will probably seek another term.
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Shelby CountyCounty Commission contemplates definition of stable property tax rate
The Monday, June 7, session of the County Commission could mark the end of the 2021 budget season with a series of final votes on a $1.4 billion consolidated budget and a county property tax rate considered stable if it drops from the current $4.05 to $3.45.
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On the Record Haslam says Tennessee Republicans at ‘recalibration moment’
The former Tennessee governor talked on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast about the state’s path to Republican dominance and his call on Christian conservatives to pull away from the nation’s partisan political divide.
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Shelby County Flooded Germantown homeowners got no promises, assessor says
The Shelby County tax assessor said on “Behind The Headlines” that Germantown homes reflect an increase in values in this year’s reappraisal despite 2019 flooding in some parts of the city. He also discussed a change in the valuation of commercial property and his call for a reappraisal every other year.
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Transportation & Logistics Third bridge idea ‘long term,’ takes back seat to repairs
A third bridge for vehicular traffic at Memphis isn’t at the top of everyone’s list, coming after broadband for Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.
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Shelby County County Commission considers bonuses instead of pay raises
Commissioners also got a look a three scenarios for a property tax hike from County Mayor Lee Harris’ administration although Harris has said he is not proposing such a tax hike.
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City of Memphis Removal of Forrest remains begins with confrontation and threats
The process of relocating the remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife began Tuesday at Health Sciences Park. The scene quickly became tense after workers put up Confederate flags around the site and began dumping debris on the letters of a Black Lives Matter mural around the monument.
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City of Memphis City budget vision still blurry as first federal funds arrive
The council approved Tuesday, June 1, accepting $80.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding -- the first of two payments to come from Washington for pandemic relief. But there are still questions and uncertainties about how the money can be used.
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City of Memphis Council approves extension of disparity study
Memphis City Council members voted Tuesday, June 1, to extend the city’s five-year old disparity study another two years.
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City of Memphis City budget, tax rate votes await further details on federal funding
The Tuesday council session includes discussion about proposed home improvement grants, an extension of the contract with the company that runs Liberty Bowl stadium for the city and a delay until June 15 on final votes that would set the city budget and property tax rate.
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May 2021
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Shelby CountyCounty Commission Scorecard: Part of a penny and voting as Governor is signing
The commission scorecard looks at smooth sailing for the county budget season past the money left on the table from part of a penny, and why the commission’s resolution on the state’s critical race theory ban still matters.
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On the Record‘Moral Budget’ call questions mechanics of resetting property tax rates
On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, the leader of the coalition of nonprofits calling for different budget priorities questions the resetting of the city and county property tax rates by state law. Cardell Orrin says the city and county rates should stay where they are and not be viewed as a tax hike for all.
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