There are 806 article(s) tagged Shelby County Commission:
On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, Election Commission Chairman Brent Taylor talks about new discussions with county commissioners two months after the Election Commission voted to go to court in the simmering dispute.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris cited the ongoing impact of the pandemic in saying there would be no attempt to raise the tax rate after recertification. Harris also outlined a six-year, $32 million plan to beef up the county fire department.
Proposals by Memphis City Council members and Shelby County commissioners emerged during a second joint meeting Thursday of the two bodies. But other elected officials expressed concern that just talking about changes in economic development incentives could put the city and county at a disadvantage.
The second joint meeting of the County Commission and City Council includes several proposed changes to economic development incentives used locally to grow the Memphis economy.
The funding is to maintain 171 Health Department positions specifically for the pandemic.
Short-term extensions to the Wellpath contract have been a constant for the current commission since the group began their current term in September of 2018.
Some commissioners have doubts about the move to every other year reappraisals. Assessor Melvin Burgess Jr. says the results will be less sticker shock from increases in values after four years.
Monday’s commission agenda includes prep for the budget season that begins later this month in county government.
A February exchange of letters between County Mayor Lee Harris and County Commission Chairman Eddie Jones shows there are difficult questions about whether the legislative duties of Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. should be limited when he hasn’t been charged with a crime.
The four-hour online joint meeting of the two legislative bodies Thursday, March 25, was mostly questions and answers. The group agreed to start talking about proposals to change incentives at the second April 15 session with plans for a third joint meeting.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and a representative of County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. sparred Wednesday, March 24, over accusations that Ford violated the county charter with a 2019 grant and Harris’ involvement in the allegation.
The Monday, March 22, meeting also featured the defeat of a resolution calling for federal officials to reconsider a nationwide permit for the pipeline project granted in February by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The County Commission put off a vote on the change in the reappraisal cycle until its April 12 meeting as commissioners hear a lot from constituents about increased property values in the current reappraisal.
Commission also approves the appointment of Dr. Marco Ross as Shelby County medical examiner.
The move to every other year comes as property owners are getting reappraisal notices this month that increased property values by an average of 15% to 20% countywide.
The County Commission Scorecard tracks votes on a piece of legislation in Nashville that would change the way county commissioners are elected and final approval of a share of county contracts for locally owned small businesses.
The notices are drawing fire from a county commissioner after the commission approved $180,000 more in funding last month for the direct mail piece. The assessor’s office says it is Melvin Burgess’ way of “owning” the process.
Commission also approves a goal of giving locally-owned small businesses 20% of county government contracts and purchases.
State Health commissioner Lisa Piercey said she won’t have a completed report by Friday, March 12.
The bill in Nashville would outlaw partisan primary elections in Shelby and Davidson counties – the state’s two biggest concentrations of Democratic voters.
The regular Monday session of the commission will be followed by a special Friday meeting with Tennessee Health commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey on problems that led the state to shift control of COVID vaccine distribution from the county to the city of Memphis.
Transfer of vaccine distribution will likely leave some Shelby County Health Department vacancies unfilled, county leaders say, as email trails from last month show those now in charge of vaccine distribution had questions that weren’t being answered as vaccine miscues piled up.
The announcement by County Mayor Lee Harris came three hours after new bombshell revelation from state health officials about the mismanagement of vaccines in Shelby County. It also did little to quell a growing controversy about the leadership of Harris in the controversy.
The council can’t fire Shelby County Health Director Alisa Haushalter, but council member Chase Carlisle will propose the resolution at Tuesday’s council meeting. There could be more calls Friday, when Haushalter and County Mayor Lee Harris speak at a special meeting of the Shelby County Commission.
The head of the Tennessee Coalition of Open Government says it’s “implausible” the Tuesday secret meeting was legal. And one of the county commissioners who attended said the “ton of information” presented should have been heard by the public.