The Living Wage Crisis: Too Many Making Too Little
It’s not particularly hard to pinpoint an underlying issue that is an undertow on Memphis’s economy: Too few people aren’t making a living wage. Just think: the median household income...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 21, 2014 | Economic Development, Poverty
It’s not particularly hard to pinpoint an underlying issue that is an undertow on Memphis’s economy: Too few people aren’t making a living wage. Just think: the median household income...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 19, 2014 | Economic Development, Livability
It’s unlikely that there is a state law more complex and confusing than the Convention Center and Tourism Development Financing Act of 1998, aka Tourism Development Zone. As a result,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 14, 2014 | Economic Development
The debate about the PILOT program has taken on a rancorous tone that now defies constructive resolution and whose effects extend far beyond the issue itself. It is...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 13, 2014 | City of Memphis Government, Taxation
There is logic in resolving the City of Memphis crises involving employee benefits from within the expenditures for personnel, and that’s one of the reasons why using a sales tax...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 11, 2014 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Shelby County government
A report released today by the U.S. Conference of Mayors indicates the price that the Memphis region is paying from its sputtering economy and the need for a more high-performing...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 7, 2014 | City of Memphis Government, Criminal Justice
Memphis is public safety poor. As we pointed out in yesterday’s post, the budgets of the police and fire divisions are more than all of the City of Memphis property taxes and...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 6, 2014 | City of Memphis Government
Revenues: $247 million — Annual Property Taxes $100 million — Annual Sales Taxes ___________________________________________ $347 million – Total Annual Property Taxes...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 4, 2014 | Downtown Revitalization, Livability, Parks and Greening, Talent, Transportation
Since its earliest days, Memphis has been a city of dichotomies. It existed in the slave South, but made money in commerce with both sides in the Civil War. It was capital of the segregated Delta but it was a place defined more...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 1, 2014 | Arts and Culture
England’s Sir Peter Hall, internationally known urban scholar, planner, and author of more than 30 books, died Wednesday at the age of 82. We mention it because he was author of a favorite book, the 1,168 page tome, Cities...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 31, 2014 | City of Memphis Government, Parks and Greening
There are times when the philosophy of government runs headlong into the realities of government. There was the philosophical decision by City Council for better staffed libraries with longer hours that could never clear the...
Read Moreby Bill Day. Memphian Bill Day is two-time winner of the RFK Journalism Award in Cartooning. His cartoons are syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons. Cartoons Archive →
Since 2005, this has been Smart City Consulting’s blog with the aim of connecting the dots and providing perspective on issues and policies shaping Memphis. Editor and primary author is Tom Jones, City Journal columnist at Memphis magazine, author of two books and a museum exhibition, and consultant on public policy and strategic planning. He has written articles for MLK50, The Commercial Appeal, and USA Today. The blog was called one of the most intriguing blogs in the U.S. by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal said it “provides some of the most well-thought-out thinking about Memphis’ past, present, and future you’ll find anywhere,” and the Memphis Flyer said: “This incredibly well-written blog sets out to solves the city’s ills – from the mayor to MATA – with out-of-the-box thinking, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ideas.” If you have questions, submissions, or ideas for posts, please email Tom Jones, at tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.