Thumbnail: To compound the revenue shortfall caused by Covid-19, Memphis also saw the assessed value of property fall by $23.6 million. Shelby County saw a really small increase – less than one-half of 1%. It is a troubling sign for the future.
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Thumbnail: Despite the regular talking points about PILOTs, City Hall – in a bubble surrounded by people who benefit from the tax breaks – has no way of knowing if the tax breaks are justified. If city mayors want to hand out PILOTs, Shelby County Government’s taxes should be exempt because they support safety net programs and education.
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Thumbnail: While the results of the current poll about consolidation makes for interesting cocktail conversation, a campaign to merge city and county governments is a distraction that keeps us from dealing with issues that matter. It’s not government structure that matter. It’s leadership.
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Thumbnail: The current PILOT programs are not improving key indicators for Memphis workers and calls for a greater commitment to fiduciary duties for Memphis City Council and Shelby County Board of Commissioners. Here are 10 suggestions for helping make that happen.
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Thumbnail: Memphis and Shelby County PILOT programs raise questions on their return on investment, failing to improve key measurements of success. And yet, the programs remain largely unquestioned by elected officials and others who have fiduciary responsibilities for local government.
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Thumbnail: For the first time since the municipalites formed their own districts, Shelby County Schools District will receive a larger share of county and local sales tax funding than last year. The school districts in the municipalities will get less.
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Thumbnail: County Commissioners pushed off paid parental leave for county workers for a year, but it is needed now. Leaders ask commissioners to reconsider.
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Thumbnail: Another volatile county commissioners’ meeting resulted from suggestions that the sheriff’s budget should be reduced. The budget is significantly larger than the mayor’s budget and accounts for 45% of the general fund. The sheriff needs to step forward to lead the process to reimagine better law enforcement.
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The myths about the Shelby County Wheel Tax refuse to die. In a column in the Tri-State Defender,...
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Thumbnail: The Shelby County budget process is a good time to remember taxes are high because of math, not management; that our community’s large number of children drives budgets; that it’s strange that $50 million in tax breaks are never mentioned in budget deliberations; and that comments about DeSoto County’s property tax rate are misleading.
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It often seems that Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris must have run over County Commissioner Edmond Ford Jr.’s dog. That’s about the only thing that would make sense for the frequency and intension of his regular insults of the mayor.
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It is the nature of the politician to think...
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by 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 →
