There are 1014 article(s) tagged Memphis City Council:
Several Memphis City Council members said Tuesday, March 22, they don’t think it is large enough or generates enough property tax increment to get much going in terms of economic development in the Soulsville area.
The three returning and two new MLGW board members breezed through City Council approval Tuesday, as a move to hire an energy consultant was put on hold.Related story:
The transactions will save the city money. The council also dealt with MLGW pay thresholds and approved a resolution calling for the cancellation of student loan debt.
Council members withdrew a resolution Tuesday, March 22, opposing the bill in Nashville after amendments were made. The bill would still limit the council’s ability to regulate convenience stores with gas pumps.
This edition of the council scorecard catches up to a council vote on President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, another chapter in the police residency debate and rewriting the city code of ordinances for the first time in 37 years.
Longtime MLGW board members will not be reappointed by Mayor Strickland. The decision follows an investigation by the Institute for Public Service Reporting that found all five board members were serving after their terms had expired.
The March 22 council day starts with the 2 new MLGW board members and three reappointees. Some on the council also want to hire an energy consultant.
Letter questions the validity of the process being used to determine what it would take to get a new electric power supplier and build a new system for MLGW to break its 80-year relationship with TVA.
Under the amended ordinance, people would be able to use major credit cards to pay tow truck companies, but the allowed fee will go up to 4%.
Some City Council members noted that it seems like “certain people” get their electricity back first after outages.
2021 police stats show arrests for reckless driving and drag racing are up over 2020. That follows a stronger police presence and traffic enforcement without changing the police pursuit policy.
In a split vote, the council also approved a resolution backing the nomination of the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court and accepted a grant to hire a “pet reunification specialist” for Memphis Animal Services.
If a tax-sharing bill pending in the Tennessee General Assembly is approved in Nashville and signed by Gov. Bill Lee, it could mean an additional $12 million in revenue to the city, Mayor Jim Strickland says.
The vote for cashless payments to get cars impounded by towing companies was unanimous.
The council debate was underway as state legislators were debating in Nashville. The common factor in both discussions was Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, who backed the bill in Nashville while outlining strategies to hire more officers who live in Memphis.
Also Tuesday, the council will consider opposing a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly that would outlaw any kind of residency requirement for police and firefighters.
Some elected leaders are already promising a long-term review of why outages continue to cripple the city for days at a time.
The Council Scorecard follows the latest turn in the path of a mixed-use project on prime Midtown commercial real estate on Union Avenue. The council is concerned about approving the hotel before residential or retail permits are issued.
Interim city solid waste director Chandell Ryan said the citywide system has now caught up and is ready to move ahead with a new trial system in the area that includes Berclair, Chickasaw Gardens and Binghampton.
The council moved to bind approval for a new Midtown hotel to other parts of the project, calling for retail and residential development before a certificate of occupancy can be issued for the hotel.
The ARPA funding is in place of Tourism Development Zone revenues the city pledged as part of a $10 million contribution toward the $62-million redesign of Tom Lee Park currently underway.
Council members also will meet Marvell Mitchell, the CEO of a local software company, who is the new leader of the city division that keeps track of how much business city government does with minority contractors and businesses.
The name change approved Tuesday changes the street’s name on city maps and as a mailing address.
Calling it a “terrible reality,” Memphis City Councilman Worth Morgan said that “people are not being held accountable for fleeing from police.”
The state has lowered the percentage it expects to make on investments that finance pension funds. By state law, the city of Memphis must lower its discount rate as well in the spring budget season.