He’s the second inmate to die at the jail in less than a month.

In addition to the More for Memphis debate, the Shelby County Commission voted down redistributing county pay raises, and dealt with other fiscal matters.

The last County Commission meeting of 2024 is likely to be a long one. The Monday, Nov. 16, agenda features 89 items including a set of 22 funding resolutions for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office totaling nearly $18 million — much of it for repairs to the county jail.

The rules discussed at a Saturday, Dec. 14, retreat at Shelby Farms Park include a budget subcommittee to hash out details of budget amendments.

Booking and processing at 201 Poplar is taking days, leaving inmates to live in overcrowded holding cells with little phone access.

The County Commission votes Monday on shifting the funding for the construction of a new Frayser high school. In committees, County Mayor Lee Harris and some Frayser students pushed to get construction started.

Shelby County commissioners discuss a $34 million shift in capital funding Wednesday, Dec. 11, from a new Cordova high school to the new Frayser high school.

At least one in 10 children in Tennessee will experience having their parents behind bars at some point in their lives. 

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Some residents have long battled annexation. De-annexation attempts continue today, citing slow police response times, litter, inconsistent trash services and rising crime.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has effectively dismissed the decade-long rape-kit backlog lawsuit against the City of Memphis.

The city and county are banding with Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church for its MemFeast event, where volunteers will deliver food boxes to 300 families across Memphis. 

This has been the second attempt to remove the Shelby County clerk. 

“We’ve got to face the reality,” Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said. “The (Cordova) project may not be dead permanently, but it’s suffered a pretty big death blow.”

Shelby County Commissioners also vote on $300,000 in funding to a workforce development program that fired its director last week and discuss changes to the 6% pay raise for county employees approved in the previous budget season.

Sondra Howell of the Greater Memphis Chamber will be the interim director of a regional workforce development board as the program seeks to smooth out a rocky year of transition.

Circuit Court Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson will hold a hearing on a motion by Wanda Halbert’s attorneys to dismiss attempt to remove her. 

The question before Chancellor Felicia Corbin-Johnson is whether the county attorney’s office could hire a special counsel to pursue an ouster lawsuit that the county attorney could not pursue because of a conflict of interest.

“I want you to appeal,” said Shelby County Assessor Melvin Burgess. “You don’t have to take what we put out there. We can’t always get it right. “

The Tennessee Supreme Court heard oral arguments over whether a local judge had the authority to realign the sentence of a man convicted for a double murder in 1988.

A motion to dismiss the ouster lawsuit against Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert is pending before Circuit Court Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson. If dismissed, it would be the second ouster lawsuit against Halbert to be thrown out in less than a year.

The economic impact plans for new mixed-use projects in Arlington and Lakeland will help with infrastructure costs.

The County Commission delayed consideration of Jamita Swearengen’s request for more money for her staff. Lakeland and Arlington TIFS and Juvenile Court were also on the agenda.

Also on commission agenda is a vote to help fund traffic roundabouts near the next phase of the Lakeland Meadows development. The roundabouts have been a source of controversy before Lakeland’s city commission.

With HIV cases spiking in the area, Mayor Lee Harris and his team took the opportunity to advertise the Shelby County Health Department’s free, confidential walk-in testing.

The County Commission delayed action Monday on three of the four resolutions from Circuit Court Clerk Jamita Swearengen. But it advanced three ordinances on Juvenile Court conditions.