When PILOTs Fly Off-Course
Nothing is certain but death and taxes, so says the proverb. Here in Memphis, it is just as...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 28, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Shelby County government, Taxation | 2
Nothing is certain but death and taxes, so says the proverb. Here in Memphis, it is just as...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 25, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Memphis History, Taxation | 0
The “breaking news” headline on TV news said: “Proposal would reinvest xAI tax revenue into...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 21, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Criminal Justice | 0
by John Branston Crime is down in Memphis and across America, and anyone who says they know why...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 14, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Politics and Government, Taxation | 1
The following is my City Journal column in Memphis magazine that was published in February: It’s...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 11, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Memphis History, Transportation | 0
Those of us of a very certain age can still remember the colorful floating boat houses located at...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 4, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development | 8
USA Today asked me to would write a column about the status of the xAI project. It was published...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jul 21, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Parks and Greening, Transportation | 2
Riverside Drive soon is to be the street that it’s needed to be for decades. By mid-August, the...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jun 30, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization | 0
Downtown Memphis Commission has embarked on a new strategic plan. The old one is only five years...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jun 25, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Taxation, Tennessee Legislature | 0
The certified tax state law, the so-called “truth in taxation” law, mandates that local...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jun 21, 2025 | City of Memphis Government | 2
Update: New sign. Same BS. If MLGW cannot be trusted to complete street paving, how can it be...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jun 16, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Education, Shelby County government, Taxation | 0
By Cardell Orrin This budget season, a quiet but significant divergence in fiscal policy has come...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | May 26, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Criminal Justice, Economic Development, Taxation | 0
Leave This Blank:Leave This Blank Too:Do Not Change This:Your email: Today is a holiday for...
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.