The report on sexual-abuse coverups among Southern Baptist congregations includes connection to a local megachurch.

The Tuesday, May 24, council agenda also includes the second of three votes on a companion ballot question that would allow partisan primaries in city elections.

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County property tax rate set, but budgeting goes on

But the Shelby County Commission still has some dollar figures to crunch and some conflicting calculations to resolve before it can close the books on another budget season. 

There were seven votes on the county commission for the first of three readings on creating the first dedicated source of recurring local funding for the city-owned bus system. But there are amendments ahead. 

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County Commission again delays filling state House seat

The delay comes as the commission as well as the city council have had trouble with attendance this month as the school year ends and family vacations begin.

Shelby County Commission will consider a proposal by Edmund Ford Jr. that will match Memphis' dedicated funding for MATA, the public transportation service that provides bus service throughout the city.

“I understand major renovations (at FedExForum) are going to be needed,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said, “but I don’t think it’s scary at all.”

The question arose recently of whether 200 or so homes already occupied and an additional 100 homes planned are in Shelby or Fayette County.

The May county primary results are certified and the Democratic and Republican nominees who advanced to the August ballot are now seeking to appeal to a larger group of voters in that election.

The County Commission Scorecard tracks commission votes on rounding the county property tax rate up or down, a fee for waiving the county residency requirement and whether to fill a vacant state House seat representing part of the city.

Confusion over the Fayette-Shelby county line raised questions about a candidate’s eligibility and much deeper problems from property taxes to where students attend schools.

“It’s likely that nearly all property tax payers will pay less next year than this year even with the higher property values we are seeing across the country,” the county’s new budget chair said. 

The one-mile section, which includes the Greenway bridge and a boardwalk, formally opened Tuesday, May 17.

William “Bill” R. Hughes was one of the first Black Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies and the first African American superintendent of the Shelby County Penal Farm.

On Aug. 4, she will face Democratic nominee Steve Mulroy, a law professor and former prosecutor, lawyer and county commissioner.

The problem that delayed the certification was combining tabulations from two different systems into a single statement of votes cast. 

Democratic state Rep. G.A. Hardaway reacted after some county commissioners said Monday they didn’t see any sense in filling the vacancy in a Memphis district because the Tennessee Legislature’s session has ended.

Stephanie Gatewood, who finished third in the clerk primary, says Janeen Gordon should never have been allowed to run on the ballot as “Janeen Fullilove Gordon” — using the name of her mother, outgoing clerk Janis Fullilove.

Maureen Fraser and Missy Marshall plan to seek four-year terms on the town’s board. 

Some Memphis Democrats in the Legislature say they want a replacement appointed even though the Legislature is out of session. The commission put off a decision on the matter until its May 23 meeting. 

The Shelby County Commission approved an expanded kitchen, an outdoor pavilion and more parking at the Barretville General Store. 

The rate of $3.399 advanced Monday, May 9, on first reading with uncertainty ahead for the second of three votes on May 23. 

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County Commission debates filling open State House District 91 seat

The commission, at its Monday, May 9, meeting, also decides whether to fill a vacant state House seat in the Shelby County delegation to the Tennessee General Assembly.

“We want to make a successful transition from the benefits program into a quality, good-paying job,” said the executive dean of UM Global. “The whole point is to never go back and never look back. We want to put people on a pathway to thriving, not surviving.”

U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen and Michael Kustoff commented at separate events Thursday in Shelby County, elaborating on earlier reaction to the leaked opinion draft on the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. 

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Kustoff addresses national concerns, midterm elections