When car sharing meets the parking and driving practices of Memphians on the streets of Downtown, the encounter could go so many ways between bad and good.

So when Zipcar parked four cars in four on-street parking spaces Downtown last month, there were a lot of questions first about how car sharing works but also about whether the national trend would apply to a city with a unique driving culture.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Council to Hear Fairgrounds Update - Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Memphis City Council members get a look Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the latest plan for renovation of the Mid-South Fairgrounds.

The city administration presents its plan at the 1:45 p.m. council executive session.

5. Give Up These 40 Things for Lent - Friday, February 15, 2013

40 THINGS TO DO WITHOUT. Lent has begun – a season of reflection and sacrifice for believers seeking spiritual strength, a season bridging the gray gloom of winter and the green promise of spring for those seeking renewal, a season of waffles and chicken hash for those seeking comfort in the caloric basement of Calvary Church – 40 days of all of that for me.

6. City Council Begins Move to Ballot on Sales Tax Hike - Saturday, February 09, 2013

The Memphis City Council approved on the first of three readings Tuesday, Feb. 5, the ordinance setting up a referendum on a citywide half cent sales tax hike to be held “by Sept. 30, 2013.”

7. Forrest Fire - Friday, February 08, 2013

When the Memphis City Council got around to the discussion that counted this week on the future of Forrest Park and, as it turns out, two other Civil War-themed parks, council member Myron Lowery was adamant.

8. City Council Begins Move to Ballot on Sales Tax Hike - Thursday, February 07, 2013

The Memphis City Council approved on the first of three readings Tuesday, Feb. 5, the ordinance setting up a referendum on a citywide half cent sales tax hike to be held “by Sept. 30, 2013.”

9. Council Changes Names of 3 Civil War Parks - Wednesday, February 06, 2013

Nathan Bedford Forrest, Confederate and Jefferson Davis Parks are no more.

10. 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.

11. City Council Delays Forrest Park Discussion - Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Memphis City Council delayed to its first meeting in February a committee discussion about a proposal by council member Myron Lowery to rename Nathan Bedford Forrest Park to include the name of Ida B. Wells, the anti-lynching crusader of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

12. Council Delays Forrest Park Discussion - Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Memphis City Council delayed to its first meeting in February a committee discussion about a proposal by council member Myron Lowery to rename Nathan Bedford Forrest Park to include the name of Ida B. Wells, the anti-lynching crusader of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. Dunavant Public Service Awards Nominations Sought - Monday, January 14, 2013

After being grounded last year under doctor’s orders, former Saks Inc. CEO Brad Martin will be the keynote speaker this year for the 2013 Bobby Dunavant Public Service Awards.

16. Council Delays Vote on Wage Theft Ordinance - Saturday, January 12, 2013

At their first meeting of 2013, Memphis City Council members delayed until Feb. 5 a vote on third and final reading of a “wage theft” ordinance.

Council member Myron Lowery called for the delay at the Tuesday, Jan. 8, meeting saying he wanted to wait until the Shelby County Commission takes its final vote later this month on the same ordinance.

17. Council Delays Vote on Wage Theft Ordinance - Thursday, January 10, 2013

At their first meeting of 2013, Memphis City Council members delayed until Feb. 5 a vote on third and final reading of a “wage theft” ordinance.

Council member Myron Lowery called for the delay at the Tuesday, Jan. 8, meeting saying he wanted to wait until the Shelby County Commission takes its final vote later this month on the same ordinance.

18. City Liberty Bowl Moves Raise Questions About Coliseum - Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Memphis City Council members approved $12 million in funding for the coming design and renovation of Liberty Bowl stadium to make it comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

And the architect working on that project as well as the overall Fairgrounds renovation for the administration of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. told council members Tuesday, Jan. 8, plans for the Mid-South Coliseum are still to come.

19. Lowery Undecided About Future on City Council - Saturday, January 05, 2013

The longest-serving member of the Memphis City Council said New Year’s Day that he hasn’t yet decided if he will run for a final four-year term of office in the 2015 city elections or let his current term be his last, leaving office in 2015.

20. Complex Agenda - Friday, January 04, 2013

In the first year of his first full four-year term of office as Memphis mayor, A C Wharton Jr. put his political weight behind shifting priorities at City Hall.

In that year, he attempted to broaden the police department’s anti-crime strategy beyond the Blue CRUSH brand of hot spot crime crackdowns. He moved further in his long-held quest to redefine violence – particularly gun violence – as a public health issue. And Wharton continued to meld private funding with an advancing of public funding from different pockets to move capital construction projects inside and outside of the Downtown core area in a stubborn post-recession environment.

21. Lowery Undecided About Future on City Council - Thursday, January 03, 2013

The longest-serving member of the Memphis City Council said New Year’s Day that he hasn’t yet decided if he will run for a final four-year term of office in the 2015 city elections or let his current term be his last, leaving office in 2015.

22. Council Approves Property Tax Collection Merger - Thursday, December 20, 2012

Timing did what decades of offers and counter-offers couldn’t do when it came to changing who collects current and delinquent property taxes for Memphis.

The City Council approved Tuesday, Dec. 18, an interlocal agreement for Shelby County Trustee David Lenoir to collect property taxes for the city.

23. City Council Mulls Future of Whitehaven Golf Course - Thursday, October 04, 2012

Memphis City Council members will take a second look at plans to close the Links of Whitehaven city golf course in November.

City Parks and Neighborhood director Janet Hooks told council members last month that Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s administration wants to instead close the Davy Crockett city golf course in Frayser despite council approval this past spring to close the nine-hole Whitehaven golf course.

24. 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.

25. Beale Street Blues - Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Last September, a working group appointed by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. completed its work on recommendations for the future of Beale Street.

The report has been printed and boxed up – but it won’t be released until a judge settles the federal bankruptcy case embroiling the entertainment district.

26. Free App Connects Memphians, Government - Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Ashley Mooney was stuck in traffic about a year ago when he heard Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. on the “Drake and Zeke” morning radio show on 98.1 The Max and decided to call in.

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. Public Servants - Thursday, February 23, 2012

The two winners of the 2012 Bobby Dunavant Public Service Awards thanked their coworkers Wednesday, Feb. 22, as they were honored by the family of the late Probate Court clerk and the Rotary Club of Memphis East.

30. Lowery, Illsley Honored With Dunavant Awards - Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Memphis City Council’s longest serving member and the plans review manager for the Shelby County Code Enforcement Department are the two winners of the 2012 Bobby Dunavant Public Service Awards.

31. Electrolux Chooses WG Yates as General Contractor - Monday, January 02, 2012

Electrolux's Major Appliances Division has picked W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co. as general contractor for construction of its manufacturing center in southwest Memphis.

32. Electrolux Chooses W.G. Yates as General Contractor - Friday, December 30, 2011

Electrolux's Major Appliances Division has picked W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co. as general contractor for construction of its manufacturing center in southwest Memphis.

33. Council Begins Bed Tax Discussion - Monday, January 02, 2012

The first meeting of the Memphis City Council for 2012 offers some familiar issues and some new moves that point toward a break with the past in city operations.

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

34. Local Leaders Express 'Concern' to Electrolux - Thursday, December 29, 2011

The chairmen of the Shelby County Commission and the Memphis City Council say they are concerned about the level of participation by local and minority-owned businesses in the construction of the Electrolux North America Cooking Products plant.

35. 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.

36. Council to Vote on Wrecker-Service Rules - Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Memphis City Council members take up the complex and emotional subject of wrecker-service rules again at the Tuesday, Nov. 1, council session.

Up for third and final reading is the ordinance that would change the procedures in a growing industry governed by a complex set of rules and long-held customs.

37. Celebrities to Sling Cocktails for CLC - Thursday, October 27, 2011

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr., television personality and former professional wrestler Jerry Lawler, and longtime Fox 13 news anchor Mearl Purvis are among the celebrity bartenders who’ll serve up cocktails Thursday, Oct. 27, at Strut Memphis, a benefit for the Community Legal Center.

38. Lowery Sends Letter to Grizzlies Owner - Thursday, October 20, 2011

Memphis City Council chairman Myron Lowery has sent a letter to Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley following the resolution the council passed Tuesday, Oct. 18, to “explore all options for recovery of lost revenues” because of NBA game cancellations.

39. Possible Arena Suit Spotlights Funding - Thursday, October 20, 2011

The possibility the city of Memphis could file a lawsuit against the NBA over the league’s still unresolved player lockout has cast a spotlight over the intricate funding plan that paid the debt associated with building FedExForum.

40. Council Looks Into NBA Revenue Lock Out - Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Memphis City Council members voted Tuesday, Oct. 18, to have their attorney “explore all options” for recovering any revenues lost in the National Basketball Association lock-out.

The resolution, proposed by council chairman Myron Lowery, is aimed at revenues from ticket sales at FedExForum, home of the Memphis Grizzlies, that are used to pay off the debt of building the $250 million arena.

41. Council Holds First Post-Election Meeting - Tuesday, October 18, 2011

At their first set of meetings since the Oct. 6 city elections, Memphis City Council members take up some of the issues that surfaced in the campaigns while others have been delayed.

The Tuesday, Oct. 14, council session begins at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall, 125 N. Main St.

42. Despite Low Turnout, Incumbents See Big Wins - Monday, October 10, 2011

Memphis voters kept the turnout in last week’s city elections at less than 20 percent. About 18 percent of the city’s 426,580 or so voters showed up for the Thursday, Oct. 6, elections.

Some politicos doubted turnout would move into double digits until the relatively healthy 7.6 percent turnout for early voters made it clear.

43. 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.

44. Taking a Stand - Thursday, October 06, 2011

Memphis City Council members are going for a record return of incumbents to the legislative body with the Thursday, Oct. 6, city elections.

And Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. is running for a percentage of votes that will give a mandate to his drive to move the city’s political mindset away from personalities and confrontation.

45. 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.

46. Elected Bodies Sign Off, Next Up Consolidation - Thursday, September 08, 2011

The next step in the schools consolidation process is the appointment of seven members to the new countywide school board that takes office Oct. 1.

With no debate, Memphis City Council members Tuesday, Sept. 6, gave the final approval necessary for the schools consolidation settlement to become a consent decree.

47. City Council Gives Final Nod to Schools Consolidation Settlement - Wednesday, September 07, 2011

With no debate, Memphis City Council members Tuesday, Sept. 6, gave the final approval necessary for the schools consolidation settlement to become a consent decree.

The council voted 12-0 to approve the settlement worked out by all sides in the federal lawsuit over schools consolidation. The settlement emerged from mediation sessions in court last month.

48. Shelby County School Board Meets Wed. On Schools Case - Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Shelby County school board members meet Wed., Aug. 10 at 3 p.m. in special session to weigh their next move now that a federal judge has ruled in the schools consolidation lawsuit.

The meeting comes two days before all sides in the lawsuit are to submit their proposals for a new countywide school board that would play a pivotal role in a transition to consolidating Shelby County's two public school systems by Aug. 2013.

49. 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.

50. 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.

51. 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.

52. 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.

53. MCS-City Council Talk Money At 4 PM - Thursday, July 21, 2011

As Memphis City Council members and Memphis City Schools board members prepare to talk for the first time since the school board voted to possibly delay the Aug. 8 start of the school year, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. has offered to put $10 million in city funding on the table.

54. MCS Board Votes To Delay Aug. 8 School Start - Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The stakes got higher Tuesday evening, July 19, in the funding dispute between the city of Memphis and the Memphis City Schools system.

MCS board members voted 8-1 Tuesday to delay the Aug. 8 start of the school year until the city pays a disputed amount of money the school system says the city owes for the fiscal year that began July 1.

55. Council Plans Vote on New District Lines - Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Memphis City Council members are under a tight deadline as they meet Tuesday, July 19, to approve a new set of district lines for the council districts they represent.

The vote on third and final reading of the ordinance is just two days before the filing deadline for candidates on the Oct. 6 ballot, which will include races for all 13 council seats.

56. Municipal Unions Sue Over Budget - Tuesday, July 12, 2011

A coalition of labor unions representing city employees filed a lawsuit in Memphis federal court Monday, July 11, over the recently approved 4.6 percent cut in city employees pay and a $13 million voluntary buyout of city sanitation workers.

57. Municipal Unions Sue City Over Budget - Monday, July 11, 2011

A coalition of labor unions representing city employees has filed a lawsuit in Memphis federal court over the recently approved 4.6 percent cut in city employees pay and a $13 million voluntary buyout of city sanitation workers.

58. Budget Issues Resurface at City Council - Thursday, July 07, 2011

The Memphis City Council this week ventured back into the just closed budget season via a city charter amendment for the November 2012 ballot.

A referendum ordinance by council member Kemp Conrad and council chairman Myron Lowery would require the city administration to submit a five-year operating budget plan to the council along with a five- to 10-year capital improvements budget plan and consolidate the two budgets into one presentation.

59. 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.

60. City Council To Consider Ware’s Replacement - Monday, July 04, 2011

Memphis City Council members will discuss who should be the 13th council member during their Tuesday, July 5, executive session.

The executive session at 1:30 p.m. comes before the 3:30 p.m. full session of the council at City Hall, 125 N. Main St.

61. City Council Looks to Fill Ware’s Seat - Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Memphis City Council is taking applications to fill the District 7 council seat of Barbara Swearengen Ware, and council chairman Myron Lowery has set a target date of filling the seat no later than July 22.

62. Patterson’s Legacy In Local Politics Looms Large - Tuesday, June 28, 2011

J.O. Patterson Jr. was the city’s first African-American mayor. That’s the lead biographical item from any comprehensive history of Memphis political history to come.

His 20-day appointed tenure as interim mayor following the 1982 resignation of Wyeth Chandler, however, was a footnote to a 20-year career on the Memphis City Council that began when the city switched to the mayor-council form of government in 1968.

63. 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.

64. Former Council Member Ware Takes Diversion Plea - Friday, June 24, 2011

Former Memphis City Council member Barbara Swearengen Ware has taken diversion in the official misconduct case that led to her suspension from the council late last year and her resignation from the council effective Wednesday, June 22.

65. Ware Resigns From Council - Thursday, June 23, 2011

Memphis City Council member Barbara Swearengen Ware resigned Wednesday, June 22, from the district 7 council seat she held since Dec. 1994.

66. Reading Celebration - Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library Saturday celebrated its 10th anniversary with a family-friendly blowout bash featuring artistic performances and words of support and encouragement from community leaders.

67. Wharton to Present New Budget to Council - Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Memphis City Council members will try again Tuesday, June 21, to approve a city budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. was expected to bring a new balanced budget proposal to the council as the week began.

68. District Lines Up in Air as Races Near - Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The fields for the 13 Memphis City Council races on the October ballot are forming ever so tentatively with about six weeks to the filing deadline.

And the tentativeness is partially a result of the uncertainty about where the council district lines will fall.

69. City Council Rejects 18-Cent Property Tax Hike - Wednesday, June 08, 2011

The city of Memphis operating budget for the fiscal year to come July 1 is $11 million from being balanced.

The Memphis City Council voted on a series of 16 budget amendments Tuesday, June 7 in a marathon council session that began at 9 a.m. with the budget committee and ended shortly after 10 p.m.

70. Council Prepares for Long Budget Session - Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Memphis City Council members have a long day ahead Tuesday, June 7, at City Hall with lots of numbers and important decisions.

The council will either finish its budget season Tuesday or could go into an overtime period that could stretch past the July 1 start of the new fiscal year.

71. 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.

72. Incorrect Message - Thursday, May 12, 2011

Mud Island resident Kelly Earnest was out of town when several recent days of torrential rain contributed to the Mississippi River’s historic rise and crest of nearly 48 feet this week.

73. Special Coverage: Mid-South Flooding - Monday, May 09, 2011

Mud Island River Park Closed Indefinitely

Mud Island River Park closed Friday for safety reasons as the waters of the real Mississippi River flooded the park’s scale model of the Mississippi River.

74. Wharton, City Council Mix it Up Over Budget - Thursday, May 05, 2011

The Memphis City Council should vote on an operating budget for the city at its first meeting in June.

There is no schedule for working out the council’s sizeable and long-building difference of opinion on how to balance the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

75. Council, Wharton Spar Over LayOffs - Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Memphis City Council members and Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. mixed it up Tuesday evening about where the line is drawn between the two branches of city government when it comes to planned city layoffs.

76. 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.

77. Budget Decisions to Yield ‘Good’ or ‘Tough’ Year - Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Several Memphis City Council members will propose ideas to raise city revenues in place of city layoffs and service cutbacks in the new budget year.

The outlines of the coming proposals surfaced on the opening day Monday of hearings by the council’s budget committee.

78. Council Kicks Off Budget Hearings - Monday, April 25, 2011

Memphis City Council members begin budget hearings Monday with a new budget committee chairman.

And some council members believe they may have seven votes this year to fundamentally alter the city’s way of doing business.

79. 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.

80. Pyramid Seismic Issues Could Get Two-Part Study - Thursday, March 17, 2011

Finding out whether a seismic retrofit of The Pyramid is worth the money to the city will cost the city at least $5.2 million.

That’s what city Housing and Community Development Director Robert Lipscomb told Memphis City Council members this week. Lipscomb proposed a $5.2 million “below ground” study of The Pyramid after a consulting company is hired through a request for proposal process.

81. Lighting the Fuse - Monday, February 21, 2011

Memphis voters have 22 words to weigh as they decide what is to become of Shelby County’s two public school systems.
“Shall the administration of the Memphis City School System, a special school district, be transferred to the Shelby County Board of Education?”
The words seem inadequate to cover what a “yes” or a “no” vote means after a state law and other factors changed the terms of a vote already scheduled for March 8.
Voters for schools consolidation may be against special schools district status but for letting some of the six suburban towns and cities try to go with their own municipal school system.
Voters may be against school consolidation and against special school district status if it includes taxing authority for the county school board, albeit with tax approval required by the Tennessee Legislature.
Some voters may see it as a way of ending reforms driven by MCS superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash. Others may see it as a way of ending Shelby County Schools board chairman David Pickler’s dominance of that school system.
School consolidation advocates are still urging citizens to vote “yes” and school consolidation opponents are still urging citizens to vote “no.”
“The lay of the land has changed, so will people consider the lay of the land or what? That statement stands. It’s on the ballot and everyone knows what it’s designed to do,” said Memphis City Council chairman Myron Lowery. “This occurred after the question was put on the ballot. If someone wants to make that stretch, they’re jumping over a lot of hurdles. This was not in place when this was put on the ballot.”
Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr., along with Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, sought a transition period even as political positions began to harden. He doesn’t see what’s in the law as a transition period.
“The way it’s structured, there’s every incentive not to reach an agreement. It looks to me like it falls off the face of the earth,” Wharton said. “There was nothing in there that states where do you go if at the end of this (the planning process) there is nothing resolved.”
State Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, disagrees.
“The state has a compelling interest in assuring that the administration of schools is properly discharged,” Norris wrote in an op-ed piece for The Memphis News last week. “To do otherwise defies common sense and common decency.”
Pickler said if voters approve the question, he will quickly move to assemble a team to work on the transition. It’s a transition that Pickler has always emphasized will be controlled by the county school system. That is one point on which the attorneys seem to agree.
“Clearly we understand that this issue is not about educational outcomes,” he said during a WKNO forum last week. “We still do not believe that creating a mega district … doesn’t do anything to improve education.”
MCS board member Tomeka Hart, at the same forum, countered “We do here as an economic issue,” a reference to the University of Memphis study showing special schools district status could cost MCS half of the county property tax base it relies on for funding. “It’s time to rewrite all of this,” Hart concluded.
Here is the timeline – to date – of the ongoing schools showdown:

82. MCS Seeks New Court Order For $57 Million - Monday, February 07, 2011

City leaders responded to a new filing by Memphis City Schools in the ongoing funding dispute between the two by saying the city intends to pay the $57 million two courts have ordered it to pay MCS.

83. Norris Schools Surrender Bill Clears Senate Committee - Thursday, February 03, 2011

There would be no countywide referendum on school consolidation under an amended proposal on schools consolidation offered Wednesday by state Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville.

84. Words Chosen Carefully in Schools Standoff - Thursday, February 03, 2011

The best indication of just how carefully Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam chose his words this week in the schools standoff is in the very different interpretations of the comments in the Memphis and Shelby County political community.

85. Commisson to Consider Electrolux Incentives - Monday, January 24, 2011

Shelby County commissioners vote Monday on delivering $22 million in county incentives for the Electrolux plant and on a new economic development entity to improve on the system for luring companies like Electrolux to the city.

86. New School Merger Option Emerges - Friday, January 21, 2011

A second quicker path to school consolidation opened this week, the same night the Memphis City Schools board made a bigger splash by voting down a compromise offer from the Shelby County Schools system.

87. Council Approves Bonds for Electrolux, EDGE Formation - Thursday, January 20, 2011

Bonds totaling $22 million that represent the city of Memphis’ financing for the Electrolux plant in Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park have been approved by the Memphis City Council.

On another economic development front, the council approved the formation of EDGE (Economic Development Growth Engine) as the county’s consolidated economic development agency.

88. Electrolux Incentives and EDGE Framework Clear Committee - Thursday, January 20, 2011

A vice president of Electrolux Home Products Inc. on a two-day tour of city and county governments got a few questions from Shelby County commissioners Wednesday but mostly glowing comments during a committee session.

89. Electrolux Incentives and EDGE Framework Clear Committee - Wednesday, January 19, 2011

A vice president of Electrolux Home Products Inc. on a two-day tour of city and county governments got a few questions from Shelby County commissioners Wednesday but mostly glowing comments during a committee session.

90. Council Approves $3M in Triangle Noir Funding - Thursday, January 06, 2011

Memphis City Council members have appropriated $3 million in federal funding to begin demolition of the Cleaborn Homes public housing development.

The demolition work, slated to begin in February, is part of a more ambitious 10-year $1 billion development plan called Triangle Noir. While the council approved the funding, some council members said they want to see a new name for the plan, which would take in the area south of FedExForum and move into South Memphis.

91. Eye on Efficiency - Tuesday, January 04, 2011

“Faster, higher, stronger,” is the motto linked to the Olympic Games that inspires athletes from around the world.

Someone could use a similar phrase to describe Memphis and Shelby County governments as they navigate the tricky obstacle course of providing public services, paying obligations and promoting economic development.

92. Cleaborn Homes Tops Council’s Agenda - Tuesday, January 04, 2011

The first Memphis City Council meeting of 2011 features a light agenda.

Among the items is approval of a $3 million appropriation of federal funding for the redevelopment of the Cleaborn Homes public housing development.

93. Cohen Forecasts "Difficult" Year In Congress - Monday, January 03, 2011

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen said earmarks have turned into “phonemarks” in the new Congressional reality. And that new reality will be “difficult” for the city.

94. Councilman Lowery to Host New Year’s Breakfast, Brunch - Thursday, December 30, 2010

City Councilman Myron Lowery will host his 20th Annual New Year’s Day Prayer Breakfast and his 17th Annual Jazz Champagne Brunch Jan. 1 at the Holiday Inn Select Memphis International Airport, 2240 Democrat Road.

95. Council Marks Year’s End With Full Agenda - Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Memphis City Council members end their year Tuesday with an agenda that includes final approval of the Power Center planned development in Hickory Hill.

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

96. Business Owners, Politicos Meet at NAWBO Dinner - Thursday, December 16, 2010

At the end of a busy political year, the annual dinner of the local chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners included several kinds of survivors.

On one side of the room at the Crescent Club in East Memphis was Memphis City Council member Jim Strickland. On the other side was fellow council members Edmund Ford Jr. and Myron Lowery. It was an off election year for all three. Next year won’t be and Lowery will become council chairman.

97. MPD Nears Goal With 13 New Officers - Friday, November 12, 2010

Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin will get all 50 of his new police officers courtesy of federal stimulus funding still in the pipeline.

98. Lowery Named New Council Chairman - Thursday, November 11, 2010

Myron Lowery is the new Memphis City Council chairman for 2011 and Bill Morrison is slated to be vice chairman. Lowery was the only nominee at Tuesday’s council session, as was Morrison.

99. City Anti Discrimination Ordinance Clears First Reading - Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Memphis city council members approved an anti-discrimination ordinance on the first of three readings Tuesday. And they requested a study of city hiring policies to determine if there is discrimination in city government hiring practices.

100. New Chairman, Anti-Discrimination On Deck for Council - Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Council member Bill Boyd is favored to become the next City Council chairman when council members vote Tuesday.

Boyd is favored due to tradition because he has served for the last year as council vice chairman. The chairmanship rotates on an annual basis by council custom.