Opinion: Partisanship has no place in Memphis
“To unite Memphians around solving Memphis’ problems for Memphis’ future, we need nonpartisanship. We need to keep nonpartisanship in City Hall and bring it back to our county government.”
There are 958 article(s) tagged Shelby County Commission:
“To unite Memphians around solving Memphis’ problems for Memphis’ future, we need nonpartisanship. We need to keep nonpartisanship in City Hall and bring it back to our county government.”
A $350 million Regional One financing plan can move forward, but the county will need to get a committed funding match from either Tennessee, Mississippi or Arkansas.
County commissioners approved the “Tyre Nichols Transparency in Policing Policy” resolution, delayed votes on two other police-reform ordinances, and approved TikTok use limits for county employees.
A majority of the commission could greenlight a restructuring of the proposed capital budget County Mayor Lee Harris takes to the commission in April.
During its committee sessions, the Shelby County Commission sent the resolution to come up with a $350 million county funding plan for a Regional One campus rebuild to a March 20 vote without a recommendation.
The Shelby County mayor wants to know if the current commission has the “political will” to support options that would also pay for new Frayser and Cordova high schools.
The commission votes Friday on a resolution urging the Tennessee legislature to resolve a dispute over the county line and a United States Census tract line. The difference encompasses about 200 Arlington homes.
What began as a call for a special counsel to investigate the clerk’s office turned into a special adviser hired by and reporting to the county commission, working with Clerk Wanda Halbert in a three-month period.
The commission approved a resolution Wednesday, Feb. 22, on an 8-3-2 vote to fund a $5 million feasibility study “to establish, develop and implement reparations.”
The commission meets at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, when it will vote to change its meeting schedule to allow for a meeting seven hours later.
The two resolutions approved unanimously drew criticism from activists because they are not binding on law enforcement. Commissioners are exploring ways to draft them as ordinances that could be more binding on the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert pledged the Riverdale branch office would open by the end of 2022. It’s not open yet, and Halbert told county commissioners Monday she doesn’t know when it will be.
The two resolutions signal a return to the issue of use of force by law enforcement for the commission as well as the Memphis City Council nearly three years after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis prompted votes by both bodies on a series of similar resolutions.
Environmental activist Justin J. Pearson followed up his Tuesday victory in the District 86 Democratic primary with a 9-0 county commission vote Wednesday, appointing him to the open seat in the Shelby County delegation.
The unanimous Shelby County Commission vote Monday for the moratorium came despite county attorneys warning the commission might be overstepping its authority. Winner of District 86 primary to get an extra day’s jump on appointmentRelated story:
The County Commission will vote Wednesday on a move to make the primary winner of the District 86 special election the appointee until the uncontested March election results are certified.
The moratorium on the Monday, Jan. 23, agenda is the latest indication that commissioners want to reexamine land use and property transfers in blighted areas.
The County Commission acted on several fronts at its first meeting of the year Monday on the broader issue of the rules for tax sales and other transfer of parcels by the county. Low turnout in special elections draws questions, complaints from County CommissionRelated story:
The State House District 86 primaries have drawn 275 early voters through the weekend, out of the 45,000 in the district, which has raised questions.
The commission’s earlier resolution urging the Tennessee Legislature to approve a rental registry for Shelby County was voted down last month after four commissioners recused themselves.
The Shelby County Commission passed the TIF trust fund to collect increased property city and county property taxes and use the revenue for Klondike redevelopment. The plan next goes before the Memphis City Council.
The Shelby County Commission will appoint the winner of the Democratic primary election Jan. 24. Since there are no Republican or independent challengers in the special March election, the appointee will effectively be the Tennessee House District 86 representative.
A public hearing highlighted skepticism about past efforts to bring blighted areas back to life, and fears the North Memphis neighborhood’s current residents could be displaced.
The 8-5 vote by the commission came after an emotional debate and crossed party lines. It is the second of four votes on the deal that would transfer the namesake elementary and middle buildings to Germantown’s school system and greenlight the sale of Germantown High.
The Shelby County Commission meets Wednesday, Dec. 14, to talk about making an appointment to the State House District 86 seat ahead of the special elections.