Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris talks about the defeat of his wheel-tax proposal on The Daily Memphian’s “On The Record” podcast and has harsh words for Shelby County Commissioners.

The proposed wheel-tax hike, to fund the rebuilding of Regional One Health’s campus and new Frayser and Cordova high schools, fell two votes short of the nine votes needed. It was then one vote short in a late attempt to keep the funding option alive.

Halbert has talked of opening a new clerk’s office on Riverdale Road since late last year. The “soft opening” means the office won’t be fully staffed.

Shelby County’s 201 Poplar is a jail, not a prison. It’s meant for short-term stays and pretrial detention, but there are some detainees who never get out. 

The $50 wheel tax hike on the County Commission agenda is key to Mayor Lee Harris’ plan to finance $350 million toward rebuilding the Regional One Health campus and building two new high schools.

Dr. Reginald Coopwood said the hospital’s aging infrastructure does not match the quality of care it provides. 

This marks the first time since 2009 that a city in Tennessee was granted one of these funds.

A top aide to Shelby County Property Assessor Melvin Burgess says opposition to a two-year reappraisal cycle among the county’s seven mayors two years ago has changed as local governments take a revenue hit on sales ratio calculations. 

Area school superintendents are closely watching Mayor Lee Harris’ wheel tax proposal, if approved the could see an increase in funding for capital needs.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation served a court-authorized search warrant at an address associated with Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. Thursday morning.

But opponents of nuclear energy say harm to the environment and public health — including from mining and nuclear waste — outweigh the benefits of it being a low-carbon energy source.

James Lewellen could become an advisory member of the Memphis Light, Gas and Water board as early as next month.

The new state law requiring elected judges to make decisions about releasing defendants accused of violent felonies takes effect July 1. The County Commission is asking General Sessions judges to start doing that immediately.

The delay in the vote came after it became apparent the nine-vote two-thirds majority wasn’t there in the first of two votes. 

Related story:

County Commission calls on judges to enact new release restrictions early

The doubling of the $50 annual wheel tax is integral to County Mayor Lee Harris’ plan to expand the county’s capital budget from $75 million annually to $150 million.

The commission scorecard tracks critical votes so far to fill in the blanks on a resolution that could raise the county’s wheel tax and an ordinance that could drop the county’s property tax rate.

In February 2022, the LUCB rejected plans to build the Tournament Trails Center complex at 3581 Tournament Drive-South, but a decision in April 2022 from the Memphis City Council reversed that decision. 

During Wednesday committee sessions, Shelby County commissioners set up later votes on a property rate that would remain the same while a commissioner’s resolution to do away with the wheel tax altogether waits in the wings. 

For several years, Shelby County’s air monitoring program has been understaffed, behind schedule on issuing permits for major emitters and out of compliance with federal standards. But the office reports it’s fixed some of its issues.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris pushed for the wheel-tax hike to help rebuild Regional One during Memphis Rotary Tuesday. The Shelby County Commission will take its first look at the proposal today. 

Memphis Public Libraries did away with monetary fines in November 2019, and library leaders say that is here to stay.

MPD will lead security, with augmentation from other agencies, including the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The almost 20-year difference between estimated life expectancies across Shelby County is a product of differences in food, education, crime rates and access to all sorts of resources. 

Mayor Lee Harris is proposing dropping the rate, but the votes weren’t there. Meanwhile, another effort to take a possible step toward ouster proceedings against County Clerk Wanda Halbert came up short.

A corrections officers brought the inmate to Jail Medical for breathing difficulties at 5:45 a.m. Monday.