Harris considering weekly COVID testing for some county employees
The Shelby County mayor says a survey of county employees found that 70% had already been vaccinated.
Topic: Lee Harris
RSSThere are 334 article(s) tagged Lee Harris:
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August 2021
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Harris re-election speculation and ‘People’s Summit’ stir political pot
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says it is too early to announce whether he will run for a second term. But local Democrats are anxious for an answer. Meanwhile the local Democratic party has a two-way race for a new chairman next month and the coalition for a “Moral Budget” talked about tax rate regrets at the “People’s Summit” in Whitehaven.
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July 2021
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Morgan appoints treasurer in possible 2022 bid for county mayor
Morgan is in his second term on the City Council, which has a limit of two consecutive terms. Contenders for county offices in the May Democratic and Republican primaries can’t begin pulling petitions to get on the ballot until Dec. 20.
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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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Ida B. Wells statue unveiling spotlights new issues
A new monument on Beale Street honors the 19th century school teacher, journalist and anti-lynching figure. The recognition comes 130 years after Wells left the city just ahead of a mob that ransacked her newspaper office.
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Shelby County models collaborative with nonprofits on COVID response
The collaborative with more than 150 local nonprofits is to tackle long-terms needs and problems in the same rapid and sustained way the countywide COVID task force has handled the local response to the pandemic.
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June 2021
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End of Byhalia pipeline truce approaches with more specific proposals
Sarah Houston, executive director of the nonprofit “Protect Our Aquifer,” talked on “Behind the Headlines” about the end of a truce between the City Council, County Commission and the builders of the proposed Byhalia Connection oil pipeline.
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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 contemplates definition of stable property tax rate
The Monday, June 7, session of the County Commission could mark the end of the 2021 budget season with a series of final votes on a $1.4 billion consolidated budget and a county property tax rate considered stable if it drops from the current $4.05 to $3.45.
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May 2021
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Federal agencies leaving Pipkin vaccine site Wednesday
The site will remain open, but with new hours beginning Thursday.
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‘Biden Bucks'; Cohen on the insurrection, and a third bridge
The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast runs down recent political events including sorting out what became of the idea of a “Super Chancery Court” proposed in the Tennessee General Assembly.
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No evidence of vaccine irregularities, Harris says
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says he’s found nothing to validate accusations that doses of vaccine were lost, stolen or misused when the county Health Department controlled distribution.
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County Mayor Harris says county tax rate should hold steady
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said on “Behind The Headlines” that the estimated drop in the county property tax rate to $3.50, accounting for increases in values, should be the line to hold on the county tax rate. But county commissioners this week reviewed numbers suggesting some want to raise taxes beyond that point.
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Budget Basics: A few numbers from Shelby County government’s budget season
Here’s a look at some terms to know as county commissioners begin discussing the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year.
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April 2021
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County fire department begins direct transport to mental healthcare facility
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said rising economic and mental stress levels in the community resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic made this the right time to pursue this new policy.
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Harris presents $1.4B consolidated county budget
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.
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County and Army Corps study Loosahatchie Basin flood areas
A $450,000 joint county-federal grant would study 10 areas of land in northern Shelby County for flood control projects that could double as public recreation areas when they are not underwater. One project is already underway near Big Creek in Millington.
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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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Harris appoints interim Health Department director
Hall will serve up to 90 days and will also help conduct the search for new permanent director.
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Shelby County mayor suggests new way to stop pipeline project
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris believes he may have found a way to stop the Byhalia Connection oil pipeline. Or at least give the community a tool for better regulating projects like it in the future.
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National search gearing up to find Haushalter replacement
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said the county will hire a national search firm to field the applications, which are due by the end of this month.
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February 2021
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Haushalter resigns as Health Department head after more vaccine bombshells
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.
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What Shelby County can learn from vaccine rollout across the nation
As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, here’s what Shelby County can learn from other areas around the nation.
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January 2021
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Strickland and Harris want larger share of vaccine
The two mayors, in an extended interview on “Behind The Headlines,” say new vaccines that don’t require two doses or sub-zero refrigeration could work better for meeting the need countywide.
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