Mask ordinance gets boost as way to promote business
Enforcing the ordinance requiring face coverings at indoor public places relies on business owners' participation, says sponsor of city council measure.
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Enforcing the ordinance requiring face coverings at indoor public places relies on business owners' participation, says sponsor of city council measure.
Council members expressed alarm at the rise in the daily COVID-19 case count locally and are prepared to call a special meeting Friday to enact a mask requirement in public places within Memphis.
Councilman says consensus from local officials could come soon if a recent uptick in coronavirus cases continues.
The council also takes a final vote on a mask ordinance and talks about rules to better regulate lobbyists at City Hall.
The Memphis City Council could vote this week to require citizens to wear face masks in public places. The facial coverings have touched a political nerve and divide, although proponents of the push for masks say it's not political.
Wearing a mask or facial covering, and whether it should be mandated or suggested, is one of the ongoing debates as people emerge into the public arena as part of the COVID-19 recovery.
The city council approved a resolution that asks the mayor to seek specific information on what it would take for MLGW to break ties with TVA and pursue another electric power supplier. But the effort will wait at least until a first draft of a comprehensive report commissioned by MLGW is released May 29.
Up for discussion Tuesday is a move to get a proposal from a specific TVA competitor and a legal opinion that could put off an electric rate hike scheduled to take effect July 1.
The council moved $354 million in bonds closer to a summer issuance. But the bonds took a back seat to more maneuvering in the question of whether MLGW should continue its 80-year relationship with TVA. And in the process, it looks like one rival to TVA may have been ruled out.
The mask resolution was proposed as a rule requiring all within the city to wear coverings of some kind before some council members questioned how it could be enforced.
At stake is a possible move to take a ballot question off the ballot in November that would expand residency requirement for police and firefighters.
The city council voted last week to seek a legal opinion key to the question of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division cutting ties with the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The rate hike marks a breakthrough for MLGW, which has had two other multi-year rate-hike proposals rejected by the Council in the past two years. The legal opinion on bonds backed by projected post-TVA savings was part of the compromise.
The original electric rate hike proposal voted down by the City Council last month was replaced Jan. 8 with a Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division proposal that is two cents lower on the average monthly residential bill.
Council member Ford Canale is seeking a full four year term after being appointed to the body and winning a special election last year. On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, Canale talks about his bid for a full term and council contender Jeff Warren offers "throwback" campaign paraphernalia.
The ballot for the October Memphis elections is almost set with Thursday's filing deadline for candidates. Meanwhile, candidates barely paused for the deadline before resuming the summer campaign.
Former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton has a campaign war chest of $62,037 as of July, according to his campaign finance report filed Wednesday.
Former Memphis City Schools board member Jeff Warren is running for a super district council seat, citing his experience as a family physician and as a school board member as terms were set for the merger of public education in Shelby County.
Former Memphis City Schools board member Jeff Warren discusses his return to the political arena in a bid for the Memphis City Council.