Whether it is a tax hike or a tax rate hike, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s proposed 28-cent increase in the city property tax rate has complicated the idea of a half-percent city sales tax hike to go on the ballot later this year if the property tax hike sticks.

2. Police Budget Passes Early Council Test - Thursday, May 09, 2013

The Memphis City Council’s budget committee approved the largest budget for any single city division Tuesday, May 7.

But the committee debate before the vote set the stage for what is expected to be more discussion about how much the Memphis Police Department needs to protect and serve.

3. Beyond the Numbers - Saturday, May 04, 2013

It’s that time of year again when thick budget books dominate life for those in the Memphis and Shelby County governments.

But this year’s budget season on both sides of the Civic Center Plaza is more than line items and bottom lines on paper. The deliberations that ultimately determine how much you will pay in property taxes and at what rate go beyond the plans in the books of estimates, projections and the recurring and one-time revenue sources.

4. Questions Kick Off City Budget Hearings - Thursday, April 25, 2013

Memphis City Council members opened budget committee hearings Tuesday, April 23, on the clock and with lots of questions about what seemed to some like different budget numbers from last year at this time by the administration of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.

5. Severance Pay Ups Ante in Auto Inspections Stand-Off - Monday, April 22, 2013

Some on the Memphis City Council weren’t certain Tuesday, April 16, about going ahead with a severance package for the city employees who now work at city-run auto inspection stations.

The council entered the budget season for the new fiscal year that begins July 1 just minutes earlier with Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s budget address.

6. Wharton Proposes 28-Cent Tax Hike - Thursday, April 18, 2013

The way Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. views the city’s budget trajectory is shaped by a City Council with different fiscal ideas that have consequences the city is still paying for.

The way City Council budget Chairman Jim Strickland sees it, Wharton has proposed property tax hikes multiple times since taking office in 2009 instead of seeking to fundamentally change city government from the inside.

7. Wharton Pitches Budget With 28-Cent Property Tax Rate Hike - Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. presented a $622.5 million operating budget proposal to the Memphis City Council Tuesday, April 16, that would require a property tax rate increase of 28 cents.

That would bring the city property tax rate, currently at $3.11, to $3.39.

8. Council OKs Registry for Blighted Properties - Thursday, April 04, 2013

For months, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. and the Memphis City Council had delayed final votes on his proposal to require the registration of property to make it easier for the city to find the owners of blighted property.

9. Food Truck Alliance Grows With Rodeos - Thursday, March 28, 2013

In 2011, the Memphis City Council passed a food truck ordinance drafted by council members Jim Strickland and Shea Flinn, which allowed self-contained mobile food preparation vehicles to operate in the city of Memphis.

10. Golfing Options - Friday, March 22, 2013

Al Patton doesn’t expect the real golfers until the weather gets warmer, more consistent and past the spring showers.

Since the Links at Whitehaven, the city operated golf course at 750 E. Holmes Road, reopened March 1, Patton has seen the start of a normal cycle in golfers.

11. Dunavant Symposium Examines Public Service - Friday, March 22, 2013

Saying there should be “good government” and there must be “ethical government” is easy.

Defining what those terms mean can be difficult especially for non-elected public administrators.

A new symposium connected to the annual Bobby Dunavant Public Service Awards aims to open a discussion about the issues of public service in practice.

12. State Delays Auto Inspection Takeover - Thursday, March 07, 2013

The state of Tennessee has told the city of Memphis it will probably take two years for it to take over auto inspection duties in Shelby County.

But city funding for the auto inspection stations and employees runs out when the current fiscal year does, at the end of June.

13. Sales Tax Hike Headed to Ballot - Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Memphis City Council members take final votes Tuesday, March 5, on a half-percent city sales tax hike referendum and the use of the estimated $47 million in revenue the tax hike will produce.

The council, which meets at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall, 125 N. Main St., is expected to pass the referendum and send it to voters this year.

14. Respecting Time - Friday, March 01, 2013

For Clyde “Kit” Carson, the road to becoming Shelby County Jury commissioner began when he was 16 years old and looking for as much time driving a car as possible.

Then-Circuit Court Clerk Clint Crabtree, who attended the same church as Carson, hired him to work in his campaign. When Carson turned 18, Crabtree hired him to work in the office. He began as a runner retrieving files from the basement of the Shelby County Courthouse.

15. Strickland, Carson Given Dunavant Honors - Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Memphis City Council member Jim Strickland remembers putting on his tie in front of a mirror this month after learning he won the Bobby Dunavant Public Service Award.

16. City Council Approves Fairgrounds TDZ Request - Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Memphis City Council members approved Tuesday, Feb. 19, plans for a tourism development zone to capture sales tax revenue in a large area for a renovation of the Fairgrounds property at first.

The boundaries of the zone go to the state for approval and city Community and Housing Development division director Robert Lipscomb said such a proposal could be at the state building commission in Nashville in April.

17. Strickland, Carson Named Dunavant Award Winners - Monday, February 11, 2013

Memphis City Council member Jim Strickland and Shelby County Jury Commissioner Clyde ‘Kit’ Carson have been named the winners of the 2013 Bobby Dunavant Public Service Awards.

18. Council Votes on Sales Tax Referendum - Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Memphis City Council members take the first step toward a fall referendum on a citywide half percent sales tax hike Tuesday, Feb. 4, as they vote on the first of three readings of the referendum ordinance.

19. Sales Tax Referendum Shifts to Late Summer - Thursday, January 24, 2013

A referendum on a half-percent city sales tax hike to fund a city pre-kindergarten expansion and roll back the city property tax rate by 20 cents would happen in August or September instead of May.

20. Council Preps for Late Summer Sales Tax Hike Referendum - Wednesday, January 23, 2013

A referendum on a half percent city sales tax hike to fund a city pre kindergarten expansion and roll back the city property tax rate by 20 cents would happen in August or September instead of May.

21. Council to Discuss Pyramid Development - Monday, January 21, 2013

Memphis City Council members vote Tuesday, Jan. 22, on the “Memphis Pyramid Planned Development” – the formal name for the conversion of The Pyramid to a Bass Pro Shops store with other attractions including a hotel.

22. Conrad, Flinn Pitch Cost-Saving Measures for City - Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Memphis City Council member Kemp Conrad wants to explore selling city assets, including Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division, and using the proceeds to establish a trust fund for early childhood education and other “wrap around” social services.

23. Blue CRUSH Cuts Point to Larger Divide - Thursday, January 10, 2013

Crime numbers may be the most politically volatile set of statistics elected officials can debate or rely on.

The statistics mean little to someone who has been a crime victim. But they are a way of validating whether public money is being spent effectively. On the other hand, how crimes are counted always will be debated.

24. City Sales Tax Hike Proposal Resurfaces - Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Two months after voters – most of them Memphians – rejected a countywide sales tax hike, there is a new proposal for a citywide sales tax hike to go on the ballot later this year in a special election.

25. City Sales Tax Hike Proposal Resurfaces - Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Two months after voters – most of them Memphians -- rejected a countywide sales tax hike, there is a new proposal for a city-wide sales tax hike to go on the ballot later this year in a special election.

26. Ford Jr. Ready for Ascent to City Council Chairman - Friday, December 28, 2012

If you didn’t know that Edmund Ford Jr. teaches mathematics, there would be clues.

He can almost sense a percentage that is wrong and he prefers not to “ballpark” numbers.

The precise numbers are part of the story of his entry into politics.

27. Heritage Trail Complexity a Concern - Wednesday, December 26, 2012

As 2012 comes to an end, the most ambitious plan from City Hall for the revitalization of an inner-city area in 15 years of such projects has hit a critical stage.

The idea of a tax increment financing zone for a large swath of the area south of FedExForum as well as the Downtown area itself into South Memphis is being examined closely by Shelby County Commissioners before they commit county property tax revenues with the “Heritage Trail” zone.

28. Council Approves City Tax Collections By Trustee - Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Shelby County Trustee’s office will collect property taxes for the city of Memphis under an interlocal agreement approved Tuesday, Dec. 18, by the Memphis City Council.

The agreement negotiated between Trustee David Lenoir and Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. comes after several decades of attempts on both sides of the city-county governments divide at such an arrangement.

29. Events - Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Greater Memphis Chamber will hold its annual Chairman’s Luncheon Wednesday, Dec. 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Peabody, 149 Union Ave. Cost is $150 for chamber members and $200 for nonmembers. R.S.V.P. to Tunga Lee at tlee@memphischamber.com or 543-3571.

30. Events - Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Federal Bar Association will hold its annual membership meeting and 2013 board election Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 11:45 a.m. at Calvary Episcopal Church, 102 N. Second St. It will be followed by lunch and a one-hour continuing legal education presentation by Brian Faughnan at noon. Cost of lunch and CLE presentation is free for FBA members and $25 for nonmembers. Email gregory.grishman@jacksonlewis.com.

31. Events - Monday, December 10, 2012

The Memphis chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals will host its annual holiday party Monday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Blvd. Cost is $22. R.S.V.P. to sharon.gardner@asentinel.com or 752-6213.

32. Events - Saturday, December 08, 2012

LightWave Solar will host a lunch & learn titled “How Solar Can Work for Your Home or Business” Friday, Dec. 14, from noon to 1 p.m. in the River Tower at South Bluffs clubhouse, 655 Riverside Drive. R.S.V.P. to Grace Robertson at grobertson@lightwavesolar.com or 615-641-4050, ext. 104.

33. Council Reconsiders Golf Course Closings - Thursday, December 06, 2012

Four city golf courses were scheduled to close for the winter season on Dec. 1, with one of the four – Whitehaven – to close permanently.

That was the decision the Memphis City Council made last spring as it set the city budget for the fiscal year that began July 1.

34. Ford to Lead City Council in 2013 - Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Memphis City Council member Edmund Ford Jr. will lead the council as chairman for 2013.

Ford was chosen by his council colleagues to be chairman for the coming year, and council member Jim Strickland was elected vice chairman.

35. City Council Considers Sales Tax Recall Options - Wednesday, November 07, 2012

As voters in Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County were voting on a countywide sales tax increase Tuesday, Nov. 6, Memphis City Council members were pondering how to recall the sales tax hike should it pass.

36. Funding Cut Underscores Gov. Divide - Thursday, August 23, 2012

Consider this the latest dust-up on the city-county government divide. Some Memphis City Council members who voted this week to end city funding for vehicle inspections at the end of June 2013 see the decision as one in a series of challenges to the long-held definition of what city government does and what county government does.

37. Council Approves Cut of City Funding For Vehicle Inspections - Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Memphis City Council members voted Tuesday, Aug. 21, to end city funding for vehicle inspections at the end of June 2013.

The 10-2 council vote followed months of discussion among council members about Shelby County government or the state of Tennessee assuming responsibility for the car and truck inspections.

38. City Leaders Look to New Governing Plan - Tuesday, August 21, 2012

When 10 of the 13 Memphis City Council members get together around a table it is usually in their committee room on the fifth floor of City Hall for their regular meetings.

But last week they gathered in Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s seventh-floor conference room at his request.

39. Council To Consider Gas Tax Increase - Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Memphis City Council members vote Tuesday, Aug. 7, on the third and final reading of a proposed local gasoline tax that would go to Memphis voters on the Nov. 6 ballot.

The council meets at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall, 125 N. Main St.

40. City Moves Closer to Cutting Auto Inspection Funding - Thursday, July 19, 2012

Two weeks after the Memphis City Council approved an either/or change to auto inspections against the advice of the city administration, the council took another step as Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. embraced the earlier change.

41. Council Passes Sales Tax Hike Ballot Question - Thursday, July 19, 2012

The pair of questions the Memphis City Council is considering for the Nov. 6 ballot is another chapter in the council’s nearly five-year debate about the size and role of city government.

The council Tuesday, July 17, approved on third and final reading the referendum ordinance that puts a half percent local option sales tax hike proposal to Memphis voters.

42. Council Sends Sales Tax Hike To November Ballot - Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Memphis City Council members added a half percent local option sales tax hike proposal to the Nov. 6 ballot in Memphis at their Tuesday, July 17, meeting.

The council approved the referendum ordinance on third and final reading.

43. Voters Turn Out Early at Polls in Suburbs - Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The first day of early voting in the suburbs in advance of the Aug. 2 election day saw a noticeable jump in voter turnout and some problems at polling places in Bartlett.

Voting opened Monday, July 16, at 20 satellite voting sites across Shelby County.

44. Strickland and Conrad Pitch South Cordova DeAnnexation - Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Memphis City Council members Jim Strickland and Kemp Conrad want the city to consider the deannexation of the South Cordova area taken in by the city of Memphis earlier this month.

45. Sales Tax Ballot Question Part of Busy Council Day - Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Memphis City Council members take a final vote Tuesday, July 17, on a Nov. 6 ballot question that would raise the local option sales tax rate in Memphis by half a percent.

The vote at Tuesday’s council session is on third and final reading of the referendum ordinance. Meanwhile, the council is scheduled to vote on the second of three readings of another referendum ordinance that would create a 1-cent-a-gallon local gasoline tax with revenues going to the Memphis Area Transit Authority.

46. Council Resolution Seeks to End Vehicle Inspection - Monday, July 16, 2012

Two Memphis City Council members are sponsoring a resolution that would make this year the final one the city funds its vehicle inspection program and would start a process of working to transfer that program to Shelby County.

47. Council Resolution Seeks to End City Vehicle Inspection Program - Friday, July 13, 2012

Two Memphis City Council members are sponsoring a resolution that would make this year the final year the city funds its vehicle inspection program and would start a process of working to transfer that program to Shelby County.

48. Wharton: ‘Everything is Coming Together’ - Monday, July 09, 2012

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. had to make a decision Monday, July 2: Get up before dawn and catch a flight to Atlanta or stick with a scheduled and extensive bus tour for newspaper editors and others of the three core city neighborhoods he has targeted in a small-business innovation effort.

49. Herenton Wants Juvenile System Charter School - Friday, July 06, 2012

Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton wants to open a charter school that draws its students from those youths in the custody or care of the Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court.

Herenton talked about the still forming proposal for a charter school under the name W.E.B. DuBois Academy this week as he returned to City Hall. He sought City Council support for a Memphis City Schools collaboration with charter school operators offered by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. MCS leaders declined to participate last year.

50. Council Committee Mulls UDC Changes - Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Memphis City Council members have worked out just about all of the questions about changes to the Unified Development Code.

The council takes up the set of proposed changes to the 18-month-old code Tuesday, July 3, at a 12:45 p.m. committee session.

51. Unified Development Code Meeting Slated for June 27 - Monday, June 18, 2012

A public meeting to discuss amendments to the Unified Development Code is slated for Wednesday, June 27, at Circuit Playhouse, 51 S. Cooper St., from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

52. City Budget Season Ends With Frustration - Thursday, June 07, 2012

The year of the “gap budget” at City Hall felt and sounded a lot like the previous two budget years at City Hall.

The mayor and City Council were frustrated even as the budget deliberations came to an end with a lowered city property tax rate.

53. Overton Park Conservancy Meets Milestone With Dog Park - Tuesday, June 05, 2012

The Overton Park Conservancy counted 150 dogs of all sizes for the formal opening Saturday, June 2, of the Overton Bark dog park and more humans than that, also of all shapes and sizes.

It is those holding the leashes that the conservancy hopes to hold the attention of through the first summer the park has been under the control of the nonprofit group. Since December, the conservancy has operated the park under a contract with the city of Memphis.

54. Council Looks to End Budget Season - Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Memphis City Council members are likely to end their budget season Tuesday, June 5, with final votes on an operating budget ordinance as well as a tax rate ordinance.

But going into the week there was no single budget proposal or tax rate proposal that had the formal endorsement of a majority on the council.

55. Differences Remain on City Tax Rate - Thursday, May 31, 2012

When the Memphis City Council’s budget committee gets together Tuesday, June 5, there probably will be agreement that the full council should not raise property taxes.

Instead, it should lower the property tax rate and should use more of the city’s $81 million reserve fund than Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s administration believes is prudent.

56. Council Weighs Three Tax Roll Back Proposals - Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Three Memphis City Council members have presented plans that would roll back the city’s current property tax rate to varying degrees and come up with the city’s last mandatory funding to Memphis City Schools using differing combinations of one-time funds.

57. Council Looks at Four Budget Proposals - Monday, May 28, 2012

The Memphis City Council begins talking seriously Tuesday, May 29, about at least four budget proposals already forwarded by individual council members and possibly more to be unveiled at a council budget committee session.

58. Citizens Express Budget Concerns - Thursday, May 24, 2012

Memphis City Council members heard from and saw a lot of opponents of plans to close five Memphis public libraries Tuesday, May 22, during an hour and a half of comments from the public.

“I was going to suggest instead of cutting libraries that you improve them,” said Kaye Veazey.

59. Events - Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Downtown Memphis Commission design review board will hold a special-called public meeting Wednesday, May 23, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the DMC conference room, 114 N. Main St. DRB members and staff will discuss current drafts of the Downtown Memphis design guidelines and sign code.

60. In the Balance - Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Memphis City Council members hope to wrap up budget committee hearings Tuesday, May 22, including a public comment period Tuesday evening at City Hall.

But with a third and final reading on budget and tax rate ordinances scheduled for the group’s first meeting in June, the council lacks a master plan for reworking the Wharton administration’s $628.3 million budget proposal.

61. Budget Talks Turn to MCS Funding Issue - Monday, May 14, 2012

If the city of Memphis has one more fiscal year of funding Memphis City Schools, it could be one-time-only funding instead of raising the city property tax rate.

After several years of Memphis City Council members debating the use of one-time-only funding to cover continuing expenses in the city’s operating budget, the coming schools consolidation that begins in August 2013 has prompted some new scenarios.

62. Food Fare Event Set For Thursday in Court Square - Thursday, May 10, 2012

The newly formed Memphis Food Truck Association will host a Food Truck Fare Thursday, May 10, at Downtown’s Court Square.

Participating vendors are Fuel Café, YoLo Frozen Yogurt & Gelato, Square Meal on Wheels, Memphis Munchies, Kona Ice, Revival Southern Food Co., Mark’s Grill, Healthy Delicious, Rockin’ Dough and Scooter’s.

63. Global Connections - Monday, May 07, 2012

Although the Memphis in May International Festival is widely known for its Beale Street Music Festival and World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, the festival’s focus on developing international economic trade and fostering Memphis companies’ global business relationships remains central to its mission.

64. Council Pursues Alternatives To Tax Hike - Thursday, May 03, 2012

City Council member Ed Ford Jr.’s students finished their algebra tests this week and he took them to Chik-fil-A as a reward.

It is one of the few diversions Ford is allowing himself this budget season in which he and other council members are contemplating ways around the 47-cent property tax hike Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. has proposed for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

65. Kustoff Elected to BankTennessee Board - Friday, April 27, 2012

David Kustoff, the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, has been elected to the BankTennessee board of directors.

66. Berger Working on Food Truck Alliance - Friday, April 27, 2012

As if owning and operating the city’s fastest growing self-serve frozen yogurt business isn’t enough, Taylor Berger is about to add two more hospitality titles to his resume.

67. Tax Hike At Center Of Budget Debate - Thursday, April 19, 2012

Even as he made his case for a 47-cent property tax hike Tuesday, April 17, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. outlined alternatives to the full tax hike.

“This is a product in progress,” he said after his annual budget address.

68. Wharton Budget Plan Includes Alternatives To 47 Cent Tax Hike - Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. took a $628.3 million city operating budget proposal Tuesday, April 17 to the Memphis City Council with a 47-cent property tax hike proposed to meet the city’s obligation to fund Memphis City Schools.

69. Council Nixes One-Time Tax Hike - Thursday, March 22, 2012

Almost a year after they approved a one-time, 18-cent property tax hike, the Memphis City Council this week rejected levying the additional tax bill.

And even the council’s most disparate elements were together, at least for now, on what they feel was a lack of follow-up by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s administration on the fine print that came with last June’s decision.

70. Council Rejects 18 Cent Property Tax Hike - Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Memphis City Council members voted Tuesday, March 20, to reject a one-time, 18-cent property tax hike to mop up an estimated $13 million in red ink for the current fiscal year.

Instead the council voted to use $10 million from the city’s reserve fund and cut $3.2 million in the existing budget including money for a voluntary buyout program of some sanitation workers that the Wharton administration has yet to activate.

71. Tax Hike Thorny Issue for Council - Friday, March 09, 2012

To some at City Hall, the plan at the end of the 2011 budget season for city government is unfolding as it should. To others, nothing in the plan approved by the Memphis City Council has happened.

Still others aren’t sure whether a one-time, 18-cent city property tax hike is really one time or if it’s the second tax hike of its kind since last year.

72. Elvis Presley Blvd. Center of Council Talks - Thursday, February 23, 2012

For decades what is now Elvis Presley Boulevard was the road to Memphis for those from Mississippi, whether they were coming to stay or coming to visit.

Much has changed since Elvis Presley moved into a home on a hill already named Graceland in the mid-1950s when Whitehaven was a country road not yet a part of the city of Memphis.

73. Sides Firm on Annexation but Stand Down - Thursday, February 02, 2012

A year after the Memphis City Council and Republican state legislators from Shelby County had their first race to see who could pass their school consolidation measures first, there is hesitancy on both sides to stage a second political drag race on annexation.

74. Council Weighs In on Electrolux Incentives - Thursday, January 05, 2012

Some Memphis City Council members want to at least slow the appropriation of local government funding to Electrolux North America Cooking Products if the company isn’t more responsive to hiring local for the construction of its Memphis manufacturing plant.

75. Green Light - Thursday, December 22, 2011

It may have been a murky day in Memphis, but neighborhood stakeholders didn’t let the afternoon rain dampen their support of the Overton Square redevelopment project during the Memphis City Council’s final meeting of the year.

76. Council Passes $16M Overton Square Funding - Wednesday, December 21, 2011

It may have been a murky day in Memphis, but neighborhood stakeholders didn’t let the afternoon rain dampen their support of the Overton Square redevelopment project during the Memphis City Council’s final meeting of the year.

77. Overton Square Votes Dominate Meeting - Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Memphis City Council votes Tuesday, Dec. 20, on the redevelopment of Overton Square. At its last meeting of the year, the council will vote on a planned development for the south side of Madison Avenue at Cooper Street to be redeveloped by Loeb Properties Inc. The development includes a parking garage.

78. Council Cautious About City Finances - Thursday, December 08, 2011

Memphis City Council members set the tone for the beginning of a new four-year term of office at their next to last meeting of 2011.

And the message is the council intends to be an equal partner with Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. in setting the city’s fiscal priorities, not waiting and then voting his proposals up or down.

79. Council Passes Amended City Bonus, Rejects Water Rate Hike - Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Memphis City Council members approved a $750 flat bonus for all full time city employees Tuesday, Dec. 6, and a flat bonus of $200 for part time city employees.

Just as the Shelby County Commission did Monday for county employees, the council departed from the mayoral administration’s plan for a bonus as a percentage of pay.

80. Changes Squared - Monday, December 05, 2011

Memphis City Council would have voted Tuesday, Dec. 6, on whether it would fork over about $16 million in funds for public infrastructure improvements in Loeb Properties Inc.'s redevelopment of Midtown’s Overton Square.

81. Wharton, Fullilove & Conrad Re-Elected -- Harris-Ford to Runoff - Friday, October 07, 2011
Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. won a full four-year term of office as mayor Thursday, Oct. 6, two years after he claimed the mayor’s office in a special election.

And all 12 of the Memphis City Council members seeking re-election won new four year terms in the city election cycle, marking the largest return of incumbents to the 13-member council in the 43-year history of the mayor-council form of government.

82. City Council Delays MLGW Insurance Contract - Monday, September 26, 2011

A fight for a $122 million health insurance contract that began last year continued last week as the Memphis City Council delayed approval of the contract between CIGNA and Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division.

83. Council Rejects Charter Change Referendum on Tax Hike Votes - Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Memphis City Council members rejected a Nov. 2012 ballot referendum that would have let city voters decide on a charter amendment requiring a 2/3rds council vote to approve any property tax hike above the percentage increase in inflation or population growth.

84. City Candidates Meet in Forum - Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The crowds are small and the questions familiar. The forums for candidates on the Oct. 6 Memphis ballot, in other words, are a lot like past forums.

There were about 25 people in the audience Monday evening, Sept. 19, for the League of Women Voters City Council forum at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library in East Memphis that featured seven candidates for super district seats.

85. Vote for Me - Monday, September 12, 2011

Four years after the biggest turnover on the Memphis City Council, the Oct. 6 city elections could see the biggest return of incumbents ever on the council. Early voting begins Friday, Sept. 16.

Twelve of the 13 incumbents are seeking re-election. It would have been 13 had Barbara Swearengen Ware not taken a plea deal on an official misconduct charge.

86. Allie Prescott to Head U of M Alumni Association - Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Allie Prescott has been elected president of the University of Memphis Alumni Association national executive board of directors.

Prescott holds his bachelor’s and law degrees from the U of M, and he is a life member of the University of Memphis Alumni Association. As a former adviser to the executive director and former vice president for membership, Prescott is serving his fifth year on the national board.

87. Natural Selection - Thursday, August 11, 2011

Overton Park may be the next city-owned park to fall under nonprofit management.

That’s because a group of Midtowners on a mission see an Overton Park conservancy as the next step to follow a recent citizen survey.

88. Council Delays Pay Cut Rollback - Thursday, August 04, 2011

The move to federal court by the 13 municipal unions representing city employees led the Memphis City Council this week to delay any action to resolve a contract impasse with the firefighters union or to consider rolling back a 4.6 percent pay cut effective this month for all employees.

89. Boyd Moves Into Temp. Council Seat - Monday, July 25, 2011

It’s the week between the filing deadline for the Oct. 6 Memphis elections and the deadline for any candidates who made the first deadline to get out of the race by Thursday, July 28, at noon – the withdrawal deadline.

90. 4 Council Members - All 3 City Court Judges To Run Unopposed In Oct. Elections - Friday, July 22, 2011

Four incumbent Memphis City Council members and all three incumbent City Court Judges were effectively re-elected at the Thursday, July 21, noon deadline for candidates to file their qualifying petitions for the Oct. 6 Memphis ballot.

91. Last-Minute Filers Make Election Deadline - Thursday, July 21, 2011

A flurry of last-minute filings came at the noon Thursday, July 21, deadline for candidates in the Oct. 6 Memphis elections to turn in their qualifying petitions.

Shelby County Election Commission staffers were still checking the signatures on the petitions filed Thursday to make sure those signing were voters and lived in the districts they signed for or the city in the case of the citywide races.

92. City Council Still Debating Budget Decision - Wednesday, July 06, 2011

In some ways, the city budget season isn’t over just yet.

Memphis City Council member Joe Brown moved Tuesday, July 5, to reverse an effective 4.6 percent pay cut for city employees through 12 unpaid furlough days.

93. Pieces of the Puzzle - Monday, June 27, 2011

Memphis City Council members left the city property tax rate at $3.19 Tuesday, June 21, as they ended their budget season.

But they added 18 cents to the tax rate on a one time basis with a separate resolution.

94. Council Approves ‘Right-Sizing’ Budget, Tax Hike - Thursday, June 23, 2011

While the Memphis City Council left the city property tax rate at $3.19 as it ended the budget season Tuesday, June 21, it added 18 cents to the tax rate on a one-time basis with a separate resolution.

95. Council Approves City Budget With One Time 18 Cent Tax Hike - Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Memphis City Council members approved a $661.4 million operating budget and added 18 cents on top of the city property tax rate, although they insist it is a one time only tax hike to pay money owed the Memphis City Schools in the upcoming budget year.

96. Conrad’s City Budget Plan Offers Balance - Friday, June 03, 2011

At week’s end, Memphis City Council members and Shelby County commissioners were each moving toward final votes next week on budgets for both local governments.

And each body is debating whether to do what’s necessary to balance their respective budgets before the July 1 start of the new fiscal year or to dig deeper for long-term shifts in the scope of their governments.

97. Council to Consider Sewer Fee, Postponing Layoffs - Tuesday, May 03, 2011

A voting majority of Memphis City Council members seem to have reached an early agreement on lowering the city sewer fee.

At a 10 a.m. council committee session Tuesday, council members will discuss the proposed ordinance sponsored by eight of the 12 council members to cut the maximum monthly residential sanitary sewer fee from $50 to $25.

98. City Reviews Budget Options - Thursday, April 07, 2011

The Wharton administration has $22.7 million of anticipated red ink going into the new fiscal year that begins July 1.

And the options for balancing the budget include laying off 150 to 200 city employees or making city employees take 12 unpaid holidays. Public safety employees, including police officers and firefighters, would be exempt from both options in the scenarios, city finance director Roland McElrath told Memphis City Council members.

99. City Seeks Fast Fairgrounds Development - Thursday, March 17, 2011

The $15 million creation of Tiger Lane last year at the Mid-South Fairgrounds happened within budget and so quickly that Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s administration would like to use the method to venture into the more complex parts of the renovation of the city-owned property.

100. Council Considers Fairgrounds Bridge Loan - Partial Pyramid Seismic Study - Wednesday, March 16, 2011

A plan to finance $25 million in Fairgrounds improvements with a bridge loan from the city’s Capital Improvement Projects got a frosty reception Tuesday from Memphis City Council members.

City Housing and Community Development Director Robert Lipscomb floated the idea as he updated the council on the plans for Fairgrounds renovation as well as the latest on the city’s quest to renovate The Pyramid for a Bass Pro Shops store and other attractions.