Here’s what changed in the Memphis City Council’s fight over redistricting
A final vote on council attorney Allan Wade’s map is expected June 27.
There are 47 article(s) tagged Allan Wade:
A final vote on council attorney Allan Wade’s map is expected June 27.
The two mayoral candidates, neither of whom have lived in Memphis for two years, and the City Council argued that a 1996 referendum repealed residency requirements.
A year ago, council members spoke privately with their attorney about an issue in the city charter. The resulting step to change the clerk’s office only surfaced the day before Tuesday’s council session. City Council isn’t taking a stand on residency in mayoral raceRelated story:
A resolution to back a five-year requirement for those running for Memphis mayor and Memphis City Council was tabled Tuesday.
The Shelby County Election Commission is about to be dropped entirely from the lawsuits over how long mayoral candidates have to live in the city.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of the Memphis City Council, though without explicit council approval, about residency requirements for those candidates running for mayor raises questions about the charter. City Council chair says body did not vote to file residency lawsuitRelated story:
Council attorney Allan Wade says council rules forbid special meetings to vote on ordinances, like the redistricting plan an ad hoc group is sending to the council for a vote in special meetings April 5 and April 12.
The Shelby County Election Commission released a legal opinion Feb. 28 that said Memphis’ five-year residency requirement for mayoral candidates should be enforced in the upcoming Memphis municipal election.
The ad hoc council committee had its third meeting on Feb. 9. The group could have some closed attorney-client meetings in the future if it decides to change council districts.
Attorney Allan Wade — in a legal opinion from last week made public Wednesday, Nov. 9 — said a 1996 amendment to the city charter makes living in the city a qualification to hold the office, not run for the office.
An outline for the working group that could suggest deeper changes in the boundaries of council districts ahead of the 2023 elections started to form Tuesday, Oct. 11.
The goal was to set new boundaries for the District 4 special election in November but the map, released just ahead of the Tuesday vote, featured changes to other districts. The council appeared likely Tuesday, Aug. 23, to reopen and redraw the map next year ahead of regular October 2023 city elections.
If MLGW opts to enter into a contract with a new electric supplier, the board will make a recommendation to the council, at which point Tabors Caramanis Rudkevich would step in. Related story:
In April, the Memphis City Council authorized its attorney Allan Wade to identify potential energy consultants. He researched 21 potential candidates.
The latest edition of the Council Scorecard features a number of unanimous votes.
MLGW is currently requesting proposals from various providers for a possible move to a new electric power provider.
Should we stay or should we go? The decision still lacks a dollar figure and relies on the MLGW board agreeing to let the council’s consultant get a look at the various proposals.
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.
The Council Scorecard looks at the split decision on the last two of the pipeline ordinances and the end of a delayed plan to add a gas station to a part of Binghampton that already has a lot of gas pumps.
The Memphis City Council approved one pipeline ordinance but denied another that would have kept oil pipelines from locating within 1,500 feet of schools, churches and parks.
A move to form an ad hoc redistricing group for more public participation on the front end of drawing new district lines was tabled by the council in October. The sponsor brought it back briefly Tuesday, Nov. 16, in committee discussions.
The Memphis City Council will take up the pipeline ordinances in two weeks after legalese and other factors led to to raucous environment at City Hall.
The new district lines will reflect a drop of 16,000 Memphians by the U.S. Census count and populations gains in three of the seven single-member City Council districts as well as drops in the head count in the other four districts.
The council tabled a move to put an ad hoc working group in place, similar to what the Shelby County Commission already has up and running. The delay came after a discussion about motives, snakes, the city’s method of redistricting and protecting incumbents.
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