Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says he’s found nothing to validate accusations that doses of vaccine were lost, stolen or misused when the county Health Department controlled distribution. 

The commission is trying to come up with $659,000 in funding for salaries and wages in the clerk’s office without taking the money from county reserves.

Commissioners went ahead with a Monday vote on the Unified Development Code changes proposed by county Mayor Lee Harris. That despite the Byhalia Connection Pipeline companies urging a delay. 

Here’s a look at some terms to know as county commissioners begin discussing the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. 

Commissioners may decide if they want to stand down as the City Council has on changes to the Unified Development Code that would involve a setback for oil pipelines. The council delayed action on the same measure as the Byhalia Connection Pipeline companies agreed to drop lawsuits for rights of way in southwest Memphis.

FDA advisory committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday, May 12. 

Suburban leaders in Shelby County are optimistic resident responsibility will be part of the next directive. They hope to see the mandates turn into recommendations for residents.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said on “Behind The Headlines” that the estimated drop in the county property tax rate to $3.50, accounting for increases in values, should be the line to hold on the county tax rate. But county commissioners this week reviewed numbers suggesting some want to raise taxes beyond that point.

Mayor Harris is gathering more advice this week, including hearing from the municipal mayors. 

The pandemic will need to end before businesses shift gears to full recovery mode, according to Douglas Scarboro, regional executive with the Memphis Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, who said, “July 1 seems like a key revaluation point.”

Sullivan, Knox, Hamilton and Madison counties lift mask mandates; Davidson is waiting.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said rising economic and mental stress levels in the community resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic made this the right time to pursue this new policy.

In early April, the City of Memphis was giving 60,000 shots a week. Monday, April 26, it gave a total of 1,100 shots across all of its public drive-thru venues.

Lifts restrictions on many outdoor activities and small-group gatherings, even some for those who are not vaccinated.

Most people currently hospitalized for coronavirus in Memphis are 30-55 years old and many have no underlying health conditions — a big shift from late March when the average patient’s age was mid-70s.

The proposal by Assessor Melvin Burgess would have moved the cycle of countywide property reappraisals for taxation purposes from once every four years to every other year.

The commission also approved a $161,250 contract renewal with Global Tel*Link Corp. for maintenance and licensing of the telephone and video communications system at the Shelby County Jail.

The federal class action lawsuit was filed in 2016, a month after a new computer system was installed by the county to track the movement of pre-trial detainees through the criminal justice system. 

The commission delayed two earlier votes on moving to an every-other-year cycle for property reappraisals from the current four-year cycle.

On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, Election Commission Chairman Brent Taylor talks about new discussions with county commissioners two months after the Election Commission voted to go to court in the simmering dispute.

FEMA is expected to pack up and leave May 17, taking 21,000 extra doses of the vaccine with it. 

The Daily Memphian Scorecard on important commission votes reveals the votes are close for now when it comes to the idea of a property reappraisal for taxation purposes every other year. And it shows commissioners willing to give one more chance to resolve a long-running contract controversy.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris cited the ongoing impact of the pandemic in saying there would be no attempt to raise the tax rate after recertification. Harris also outlined a six-year, $32 million plan to beef up the county fire department.

Demand, even with $20 gift cards, is at one-third of the capacity to administer COVID-19 vaccines.

A U of M researcher combing through hundreds of local samples has found almost double the coronavirus antibodies expected.