Ford out as County Commission budget committee chairman
After two contentious budget seasons, commission chairman Willie Brooks has changed up what is the most critical committee assignment in county government.
Topic: Edmund Ford Jr.
RSSThere are 163 article(s) tagged Edmund Ford Jr.:
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September 2021
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County redistricters take ‘first pass’ with first maps
The Shelby County Commission’s ad hoc group on the new district lines got its first look at some proposed maps for the redistricting plan this week. The group makes recommendations to the full commission, which decides on how to deal with shifts in population within its 13 districts.
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County Commission Scorecard: Missing votes, fixing ethics and a bonus vote
The Commission Scorecard recaps critical votes at the Aug. 23 meeting and an overtime vote at a special Aug. 30 session. The special meeting may have been the last word on bonuses for county employees. But it is far from the last word on the underlying issue that drew out the final vote across two meetings in one week.
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August 2021
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County Commission approves bonuses without lump-sum tax
Shelby County commissioners gave final approval Monday, Aug. 30, to $26 million worth of bonuses to full- and part-time county employees.
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Harris ethics complaints dismissed
The two complaints were over a 2020 contract for a $1 million marketing campaign to urge Shelby Countians to wear masks.
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Commission’s veto override of ethics panel takes another turn
Commissioners made changes Monday to the blue ribbon ethics panel it created despite a veto by county Mayor Lee Harris. The changes didn’t go down well with those who wanted the group to report directly to the commission and not the county Ethics Commission.
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County Commission approves employee pay raises and bonuses
During the spring budget season, the commission opted for the one-time bonuses over a pay raise proposed by County Mayor Lee Harris. But after the fiscal year started, the move began to grant the pay raises as well as bonuses.
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County Commission Scorecard: New action overrides mayor’s earlier veto
The commission scorecard focuses on a rare veto by the county mayor and the County Commission’s vote earlier this month to override that veto. It’s another chapter in a contentious political saga as the commission enters the last year of its current four-year term of office.
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Harris warns commission of ‘dangerous ground’ in veto of ethics panel
The Shelby County Commission voted Monday, Aug. 9, to override the veto of a new ethics advisory panel the commission would appoint.
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Commission overrides Harris veto of county ethics advisory panel
The veto override by the commission is the latest chapter in an ongoing dispute between County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris.
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Latest Ford-Harris clash could be over proposal for ‘special counsel’
The attorney advising the Shelby County Commission would be separate from the county attorney’s office under a proposal on which the commission is expected to take its first vote Monday.
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July 2021
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Commissioner warns ethics advisory group might clash with Ford probe
The County Commission will soon have a panel of five to advise on ethics. One commissioner warns it could be seen as conflicting with the ongoing special prosecutor’s investigation into a 2019 grant proposed by Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr.
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Ford-Harris bad blood renewed over county pay bonuses
Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. wants the county to get the bonuses to county workers in the next pay period. County Mayor Lee Harris says the county needs to be sure the use of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds is allowed before it cuts checks.
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June 2021
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Commission balks at panel to screen ethics commission nominees
The proposed review of appointees to the ethics body comes as County Mayor Lee Harris is about to propose new ethics regulations.
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County Commission drops one-cent hike in property tax rate
The absence of four county commissioners, including three of the “yes” votes for the $3.45 property tax rate set two weeks ago, was crucial to undoing the tax hike. However, the issue is likely not over.
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Harris proposes county ethics reforms
Some of the changes proposed and outlined on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast address issues that came up in the allegations made against county commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. in an independent investigation made public last month in The Daily Memphian.
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County Commission’s tax rate hike vote gets legal review
The legal opinion will be about the chain of events at the June 7 session that led to the first approval of the $3.46 county tax rate.
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May 2021
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County Commission considers 1-cent property tax hike
The commission approved Monday a basic property tax rate of $3.45 that generates the same amount of revenue as the current tax rate, taking into account increases in property values. But the rate must be rounded down by 0.001 cent, which comes to almost a quarter of a million dollars in revenue left on the table.
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April 2021
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County Commission considers more frequent property reappraisals
Monday’s commission agenda includes prep for the budget season that begins later this month in county government.
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March 2021
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Ford grant investigation poses broader questions
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.
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Ford, Harris trade words over investigation into commission grant
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.
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Special prosecutor reviewing information in Ford criminal investigation
An independent report concluded Ford failed to disclose a county grant he proposed in 2019 would be used to buy computer equipment from Ford totaling $45,000.
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Opinion: Ford’s handling of Junior Achievement grant reminiscent of past scandals
An independent investigation by attorney Brian Faughnan flatly accuses Ford of deliberately deceiving his fellow commissioners by failing to disclose to them his obvious conflict of interest. To call Faughnan’s report damning is an understatement.
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Independent county report concludes Ford violated county ethics in $45,000 JA computer deal
The 15-page report obtained by The Daily Memphian details a nearly year-long investigation that initially faded for lack of corroboration but came back to life as paperwork confirming the grant emerged. Ford has contended he recused himself since he left the room during the vote on the grant. The report says that doesn’t resolve the conflict of interest and could lead to his removal from office.
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Released emails show early vaccine questions between Memphis, county health officials
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.
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