Renee Parker Sekander, a Memphis native, graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Memphis City Council members talked about better camera surveillance and other measures with Memphis Parks Director Nick Walker.

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MPD’s Davis updates council on Orange Mound shooting

The administration of Mayor Paul Young wants the council to take the first of three votes Tuesday, May 7, on a $6.98 increase in the solid waste fee. The administration also will outline changes it would make to garbage collection with the increase.

The political roundup reviews Mayor Paul Young’s tax-hike pitch to citizens in Orange Mound. Also Justin J. Pearson on the shaky state of Democratic unity, and Telisa Franklin opens her campaign for the District 96 seat.

With the City of Memphis looking at a proposed 28% property-tax increase and some citizens calling for the government to cut the fat instead, The Daily Memphian reviewed the city’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget.

Also happening this week: Shelby County Commissioners begin budget talks, and Tom Lee Park reopens temporarily.

The City of Memphis’ proposed capital-improvement budget includes issuing $17.6 million in debt over four years for the amphitheater’s renovation. A potential big-name operator could be interested, too.

High 5 would build an entertainment facility that would include a full-service restaurant and bar with bowling, video games and laser tag.

“Right now, we have a sense of urgency about what our equipment looks like in the Memphis Police Department, and how we can make sure that our officers are not outgunned as well,” Interim MPD Chief Davis said.

The $6.89 fee hike was among the focal points as City Council members held the first in a series of public forums Thursday, May 2, to gauge public opinion on the proposed 75-cent property-tax hike.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young Young discussed his vision of Memphis as the next ‘in’ city — a thriving metropolis ripe with amenities and opportunities. 

Jennifer Fason spoke before a crowd of 200 who gathered at Orange Mound Community Center Tuesday, April 30, at the latest One Memphis forum led by Memphis Mayor Paul Young.

The groundbreaking at Willow Park in East Memphis Tuesday, April 30, is the start of building the infrastructure for a fiber broadband network that is to connect the system to at least 85% of the city.

The filing is another front in the deepening legal conflict over the disputed second lieutenant position.

Outside of its bond rating and requirements from the state comptroller, Memphis has another reason to keep its $100 million rainy-day fund intact: the pending civil rights lawsuit from Tyre Nichols’ family and estate. 

Also happening this week: The trial of Gregory Livingston begins, and a new pub with an old feel celebrates its grand opening in Olive Branch.

A cemetery for the Deaderick Plantation, which later became the core of the Orange Mound subdivision, has been ground zero for efforts to chart what life was like for those in the Reconstruction era after slavery.

A late 2023 poll indicates how voters felt about a tax increase as perception of crime worsened and the city geared up for a municipal-election season.

Tyre Nichols’ family and estate are seeking $550 million in damages in a case that follows Nichols’ beating and later death in January 2023.

The budget proposal Young brought forward Tuesday is technically three budgets: one that offers a bare-bones status quo, a middle ground and the 75-cent tax increase that Young said would provide “value” to residents. 

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City Council votes to hire consultant for new public safety foundation
Community leaders lament Orange Mound block party shooting

The council also passed a resolution opposing the state legislation that allows teachers to go armed on school property after the bill cleared the House earlier Tuesday in Nashville. 

The developers shouldn’t be able to pursue any similar projects for five years, but a representative of the project said otherwise. 

Young presented his budget propsosal including the first tax hike in more than nine years for the city Tuesday, April 23, at the top of Tuesday’s Memphis City Council meeting. Council budget deliberations begin next month.

Lt. Vonzell Bibbs, McKinney’s supervisor at MPD’s Raines precinct, left the crowd gathered Hope Church with a call to action: “Smile at somebody. In honor of him, smile at somebody. Because a smile could help someone through this grieving process.”

In addition to a property-tax hike, Mayor Paul Young is also expected to rearrange some city priorities in his first budget as mayor.