Shelby County commissioners used extra decimal places Monday, June 29, in setting a new county property tax rate.

A water line break leaves the Walter L. Bailey Criminal Justice Center temporarily closed, forcing some courts to reschedule dates and pause operations. 

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201 Poplar courts closed for ‘imminent health hazard’

Signs on the doors of 201 Poplar say: “This building ‘must not be occupied’ until” the Health Department grants permission to reopen.

The commission also votes on budget amendments, including a move away from plans by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris to start planning on a new Treadwell K-8 school.

Incoming Shelby County Commissioner Lashanta Rudd is accused of buying a Nissan Sentra and incurring at least $5,000 in improper expenses using City of Memphis taxpayer dollars. 

Lowery in Eads, Taylor in Piperton. The political roundup is on the campaign trail and includes a D.C. roundup with reaction to the memorandum of understanding with Iran.

The Shelby County Commission is looking at a possible tax increase while the Memphis City Council is expected to keep the city’s tax rate the same. 

The new board overseeing Memphis-Shelby County Schools convened for the first time Thursday — in Nashville, with little notice, at 8:45 a.m. If the hope was to win over conflicted Memphians, this was a bizarre way to start.

The election is Aug; 6. The Shelby County Election Commission is preparing to mail out notices to inform county voters of their new congressional districts.

General Sessions Court judges suspended their clerk with pay two days after she made her first court appearance on federal theft, wire fraud and money laundering charges.

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Tami Sawyer indictment renews Republican push for state intervention

The landowner of a proposed Chick-fil-A has filed a petition in Shelby County Chancery Court against all five aldermen, alleging they are in contempt of court. A chancellor ordered them to approve the new restaurant in February.

One of the Republican contenders for governor says it’s time “to shake up the court system in Shelby County.”

General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer pleaded not guilty this week to federal charges. Her attorney said she plans to continue working as clerk while awaiting trial.

Commissioners delayed votes on operating and capital budgets to a June 29 meeting that will also include a final vote on the property tax hike.

The Shelby County General Sessions Court clerk was seen in custody at the Odell Horton Federal Building.

Adding more funding to county reserves is competing with a scaled-down lawsuit settlement, more spending and a basic tax rate that has been reduced by the state for the new fiscal year.

If approved, these projects could add residential units and commercial property across the city. 

Outrage over the redrawing of congressional district lines is fueling get-out-the-vote efforts in Memphis. The formal effort went public Sunday with a Souls at the Polls rally, where candidates were seen but not heard.

From vote-a-rama to recount-a-rama, Tennessee’s representatives in Washington had a busy week and more in this week’s political roundup.

The inmate was arrested May 27 after allegedly stealing $258.91 in merchandise from a local TJ Maxx.

Shelby County commissioners talked Wednesday, June 3, about leaving the county property tax rate at $2.69. It’s a discussion they’ve had in past budget seasons with different rates. But this year’s decision may be different.

A Shelby County judge has moved up his retirement date, so the Election Commission is adding a race for his position to the other five already on the ballot. 

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the county administration say they agree on dollar figures, but not a solution to the dispute. 

Halbert lost the Democratic primary for Criminal Court Clerk on the May 5 ballot by 126 votes to state Rep. Joe Towns Jr.

The expensive legal settlement grew more complex last week with word that the $18 million would have to be included in future Sheriff’s Office budgets.