The Early Word: No new property tax, but hotel tax is up and Wells is out
Shhhh, do you hear that? Love it or hate it, today — Wednesday, April 9 — is International ASMR Day. If you’re not familiar with Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, just imagine listening to nails on a chalkboard a soundtrack of whispers, accents and crackles. It’s not for everyone (certainly not for me). But hey, maybe you like it, and if so, today is your day. Throw on some Billie Eilish or something.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young presented his proposed $883 million city budget to the Memphis City Council on Tuesday. And he’s pushing an “intentionally flat budget” with no property-tax increase. “Our goal is to push our budget to the max. We are going to double down on programs and initiatives that work,” Young said. Well, there may be no property tax increase coming for Memphians, but visitors to the city will pay higher taxes to stay in hotels. The City Council approved raising the hotel-motel tax to fund renovations for FedExForum. That should keep the Memphis Grizzlies here for a good while.
Speaking of, the Grizzlies easily defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 124-100, on Tuesday, with Memphis leading by 20-plus for almost all of the second half. Rookied Zach Edey had a great night, showing off his rebounding skills. And all of that is great. But here’s the bad news: Rookie Jaylen Wells, who has started 73 games for the Grizzlies and averaged double-digit points, was seriously injured while reaching for a dunk. He landed on his head and was rushed off the court on a stretcher. It seems Wells is recovering well with a broken wrist, but he won’t be back for the playoffs.
Plus, the local measles case was a false alarm, the Hilton hotel is up for sale and we remember inventor/businessman Dan Oppenheimer.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.
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