There are 650 article(s) tagged Memphis City Council:

• February 2019

  • Sheraton expands effort to block public incentives for rival Loews

    Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins said he'll rule Monday, Feb. 25, on a city motion to dismiss a Sheraton bid to block public incentives for a Loews hotel in Downtown Memphis.

    By Wayne Risher February 20, 2019

  • MLGW water rates go up 3 percent, gas and electric hikes rejected

    The plan for multiyear MLGW gas, electric and water rate hikes was rejected Tuesday by the Memphis City Council. It's the second year the council has gone instead for smaller one-year rate hikes – this time a 3 percent hike in water rates starting next month.

    By Bill Dries February 20, 2019

  • City Council gives final OK to South Cordova de-annexation

    The Memphis City Council gave final approval to the de-annexation of South Cordova Tuesday.

    By Bill Dries February 20, 2019

  • Council expected to take final vote on South Cordova de-annexation

    The last in a set of five de-annexations, South Cordova, goes to the Memphis City Council Tuesday for a final vote and probably more debate than the council had with the four other de-annexations.

    By Bill Dries February 19, 2019

  • Vote on MLGW rate hike mixes with talk of TVA split

    Memphis City Council members will try again Tuesday to make a final decision on Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division's rate hikes in an atmosphere that has come to also include questions about the future of the utility’s 80-year relationship with the Tennessee Valley Authority.

    By Bill Dries February 19, 2019

  • Council rules change draft ruffles feathers anew

    Memphis City Council members are reviewing changes to their rules after the two-month stalemate in filling three open council seats. And some of the proposed changes are prompting renewed debate.

    By Bill Dries February 10, 2019

  • City Council financial disclosures to go on city website

    With just enough votes, the Memphis City Council approved a resolution that will post the financial disclosure reports of each council member next to his or her bio on the city's website.

    By Bill Dries February 07, 2019

  • Memphis police oversight board calls bill to limit power of groups ‘over reaching’

    Memphis' civilian review board wants to challenge proposed state legislation that would restrict the power of police oversight boards.

    By Yolanda Jones February 07, 2019

  • City Council resolution on second convention center hotel answers Sheraton lawsuit claim

    A city council resolution on the financing of a second convention center hotel added to Tuesday's agenda is an answer to changes in a lawsuit filed by the owners of the city's original convention center hotel recently.

    By Bill Dries February 06, 2019

  • Council delays action on MLGW rate hikes as utility takes case to the public

    Memphis city council members again delayed approval of Memphis Light, Gas and Water rate increases Tuesday, instead urging the utility to make its case to the public for an infrastructure overhaul before the council tries again later this month.

    By Bill Dries February 05, 2019

  • Council weighs MLGW rate hikes, reviews rules for vacancies

    Memphis City Council members are expected to vote Tuesday on a set of gas, electric and water rate hikes that would raise the average residential utility bill 10.5 percent over a five-year period with no rate hike until January 2020.

    By Bill Dries February 04, 2019

  • City, county propose joint ordinance to expand countywide pre-K program

    A Shelby County and city of Memphis joint ordinance is proposed to create the structure to allow the countywide prekindergarten program to expand by 1,000 seats next school year.

    By Omer Yusuf February 01, 2019

• January 2019

  • City Hall’s recurring marble problem a sign of age and times

    More than 50 years since City Hall opened for business, the marble slabs that define its seven-story exterior are again a problem. It's just one of the challenges facing the aging building that houses city government. 

    By Bill Dries January 28, 2019

  • Sheraton fires back in court battle against Loews incentives

    Sheraton Downtown Memphis Hotel attorneys say the City Council committed a series of missteps in approving public incentives for a rival Loews Hotel project in August.

    By Wayne Risher January 23, 2019

  • Council greenlights Union Row garage financing, hears new MLGW rate hike plan

    The city council approves $50 million in financing for a Union Row garage with Bird Box analogies during the debate. The council also heard a new plan Tuesday for an MLGW multi-year rate hike that would delay the increase for this calendar year.

    By Bill Dries January 22, 2019

  • City Council delves deeper into proposed MLGW rate hike options

    After rejecting an MLGW rate hike proposal in December, Memphis City Council members review three alternative options Tuesday toward infrastructure upgrades for the gas, electric and water sectors of the utility.

    By Bill Dries January 22, 2019

  • Politics Podcast: County Commissioners Billingsley and Sawyer talk juvenile justice reform

    Shelby County commissioners Tami Sawyer and Mark Billingsley talk about juvenile justice reform with county beat reporter Omer Yusuf, and city government reporter Bill Dries recaps the three new Memphis City Council members and the rocky transition in the Criminal Court clerk’s office.

    By Natalie Van Gundy January 14, 2019

  • Council changes signal start of city election year

    The three newest Memphis City Council members may be a good indication of a change in who runs for the council in the 2019 city elections.

    By Bill Dries January 14, 2019

  • Council ponders fine print of sports betting bills

    Memphis City Council members back the general plan for sports betting on Beale Street, but they want to see what kind of split of revenue is proposed when it comes down to a specific bill in Nashville.

    By Bill Dries January 09, 2019

  • Greer, Johnson and Currie appointed to City Council

    Sherman Greer, an administrator at Southwest Tennessee Community College, is the new District 1 member of the Memphis City Council.

    By Bill Dries January 09, 2019

  • MLGW tries again on rejected rate hikes

    The first Memphis City Council meeting of the new year could see a second look and some revisions to proposed rate hikes from MLGW the council rejected at year's end.

    By Bill Dries January 08, 2019

  • City Council tries again to fill three vacancies

    After a break for the holidays, Memphis City Council members try again Tuesday to fill three vacancies. If the council is still gridlocked, the next move could be to put the three council seats to voters in a special election.

    By Bill Dries January 08, 2019

• December 2018

  • Nelson: Mid-South politics – here’s what’s coming in 2019, part 1

    Whether in Memphis, Mississippi, Tennessee or Washington, politics in 2019 promises to be more interesting than usual in an odd-numbered year.

    By Michael Nelson December 31, 2018

  • 2018 elections offer surprises, confirmations and plenty of litigation

    There were more than votes to count in the 2018 local elections. There were voters, early voting locations and lawsuits – six of them – against the Shelby County Election Commission.

    By Bill Dries December 28, 2018

  • Sanford: This year’s top news stories hint at what’s ahead in 2019

    A steady flow of mostly positive economic news for Memphis and Shelby County – coupled with the solemn and tasteful commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination – was overshadowed at times by political bickering and grandstanding in 2018.

    By Otis Sanford December 27, 2018