Shelby County commissioners agree that the tax incentives, the most potent part of the local economic development arsenal, need to be discussed. The conversation Monday was about how to shape the discussion so that it doesn’t go the way of past conversations about PILOTs.

The ordinance allows the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency and Homeland Security to acquire some surplus military hardware for protection and natural disasters. But most military hardware offered by the federal government requires a majority vote of the commission.

After receiving a text, people would have four hours to get to a vaccination site.

The Monday County Commission meeting includes a possible six-month moratorium on new PILOTs. And there is a compromise with Sheriff Floyd Bonner that would rewrite the ordinance requiring him to get approval from the commission to acquire surplus military hardware from the federal government.

Those who received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine can begin making appointments for a second dose starting at 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 25.

Bartlett’s coronavirus vaccination rate is the second lowest in Shelby County, according to data from the Memphis-Shelby County COVID-19 Task Force. Only Memphis (2,163.7) has a lower vaccination rate.

The new president also is seeking to expand testing and vaccine availability, with the goal of 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office.

“We want to remind people that we saw that it was necessary to change the health directive in response to changes we are seeing in the data,” Dr. Bruce Randolph said. “We are making progress. There is a downward trend in a lot of our metrics.”

The resolutions were discussed as commissioners watched the presidential inauguration while working through committee agendas. The full commission votes on the matters Monday.

Sawyer wants to examine the ground rules for awarding the most-used tax incentive in Memphis economic development and the results of past or ongoing PILOTs.

No businesses are specifically closed under the new directive, but restrictions remain and individuals are asked to play larger role in tamping down community transmission.

In a brief special meeting Wednesday, Jan. 20, Shelby County commissioners approved a $300,000 transfer of funds to pay legal expenses in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Nearly 1,000 people in Shelby County due second doses could start receiving them in the last week of January.

The deaths of individuals who tested positive for coronavirus during the past two weeks have risen by more than 23%, from 925 to 1,140.

Lakeland officials say they understand the seriousness of the virus, but want better collaboration with the Health Department.

Haushalter: “We are scheduled to receive 8,900 doses in one week; only a portion is coming to public health. We do not have sufficient supply. We have sufficient resources and manpower.”

Early results on who has received vaccine so far in Shelby County and Tennessee show some disparities, with a large percentage of recipients statewide being of “unknown” race, which is a problem, experts say. 

The Daily Memphian tracking of significant County Commission votes marks the first meeting of the year with more than a few looks down the road to the spring budget season.

The Health Department is making notes for rolling out mass COVID-19 vaccinations in other neighborhoods.

Shelby County commissioners will meet in special session next week to vote on a transfer of $300,000 from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office budget to the county attorney’s office.

A proposal by Commissioner Tami Sawyer to require County Commission approval for any sheriff to acquire surplus federal military equipment was postponed.

Republican commissioners said their “no” votes were because of concerns about the use of county reserves to create the $2.5 million fund. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is asking Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to reimburse the county funding with state money.

Through January, the Shelby County Health Department will be vaccinating in a drive-thru line at the Pipkin Building. 

The commission votes Monday, Jan. 11, on a $1.2 million relief fund for restaurant workers. The fund’s fate could point the way toward a greater change in the priorities of county government called for by the Democratic county mayor and majority on the commission.

Variant doesn’t appear to be more virulent but could ramp reproduction rate here from 1.07 to 1.57 and dramatically increase deaths.