Shelby County commissioners voted 11-0 with two commissioners not voting in approving a resolution similar to one approved by the Memphis City Council last week.

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.

Longtime Memphis and Nashville developer Kevin Hyneman has died, less than six months after his brother and developer Rusty Hyneman passed away.

The day’s positivity rate was less than 2%.

Other topics of conversation: Is the jail vaccinating detainees? Is AZO ready for EVs? And who thought formula containers with holes would get through Customs? 

Instead of contracting services and jobs during the pandemic, Youth Villages has been adding positions and has a job fair set for Tuesday, May 25. “A lot of organizations stopped taking kids” once the pandemic hit,” CEO Patrick Lawler said. “We did not. We kept our doors open.”

The Shelby County Commission meeting Monday, May 24, is a critical juncture in approving a property tax rate for the new fiscal year that begins July 1. But the county budget is expected to be voted on at the first meeting in June.

The City Council Scorecard looks at the constant companion of budget season at City Hall — deciding a contract impasse between the city administration and one of the unions representing city employees. And the council is almost unanimous on the state’s ban on teaching critical race theory.

The Shelby County Health Department reported 93 new coronavirus cases and 2 additional deaths Sunday, May 23. 

Memphis police officer Scotty Triplett was killed in a crash Saturday afternoon in Hickory Hill. 

Fewer than 10% of detainees at 201 Poplar have been vaccinated and criminal justice advocates have filed a motion asking the court to get the Sheriff’s Office to do more to implement a vaccination program — one of the terms agreed upon in a lawsuit settlement agreement. 

The Health Department also reported 99 COVID-19 cases. Testing numbers were unavailable Saturday, meaning the daily positivity rate couldn’t be calculated.

Shelby County commissioner Tami Sawyer says on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast she backs a quick budget passage next month and a second look at the budget in the fall once federal American Rescue Plan funding is in play.

Opponents of the Byhalia Connection pipeline project are making the argument that a state permit for the project was issued in violation of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.

A coalition of a dozen nonprofit and community organizations are calling for the city and county property tax rates to stay at their current rates to create more funding for public education, public transportation, affordable housing and similar priorities.

The day’s positivity rate is 4.1%.

After suspicious-looking yellow canisters arrived at a local FedEx facility, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers investigated the packages and discovered the rare turtles inside, wrapped in duct tape and packaged with socks.

Memphis might add park rangers and the pandemic is now disproportionately affecting certain demographic groups. Also, have the curtains closed at the McCoy? 

City Parks and Neighborhoods Division Director Nick Walker, on “Behind The Headlines,” talks about the importance of outdoor areas in post-pandemic life.

Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollock was in Memphis Thursday, May 20, to talk with local leaders and officials about repairs to the bridge.

The fighting began May 10, when Hamas militants in Gaza fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site that is known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

As coronavirus shots become available at drugstores and doctor’s offices, the need for the drive-thru serving Bartlett, Lakeland and Arlington has diminished, said Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald.

Vaccination rates in Shelby’s ZIP codes range from 21% to 62%.

The Shelby County Health Department reported 109 new coronavirus cases and no new coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday.

The day’s positivity rate is 5.5%.