Shelby County Commissioners approved an operating budget for Shelby County government Monday and approved on the first of three reading a $4.38 property tax rate to fund that budget.

The votes that signal the end of the county’s budget season came after a prolonged commission debate about the basic role of county government.

2. Funding Conundrum - Friday, May 24, 2013

There were times this week at the Shelby County Commission when the debate over school funding and the schools merger made the superintendent of the consolidated school system more spectator than presenter.

3. Shelby County Tax Rate Endgame Takes Shape - Wednesday, May 22, 2013

To some it’s a calculation with no binding effect on what is to come. To others on the Shelby County Commission it is an indication that a county property tax increase is about to be railroaded through.

4. Commission Approves Certified Tax Rate As Prelude To Tax Debate - Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners established a certified county property tax rate of $4.32 Monday, May 20, after much debate about what the calculation means in a reappraisal year where reappraisal values went down instead of up or staying roughly even.

5. Commission Evades Gun Control Fray - Wednesday, May 08, 2013

From time to time, Shelby County Commissioners hear the siren political call of national issues and movements.

The stronger the lure for some on a commission with deep partisan divisions, the more likely the outcome will be anything but unanimous.

6. Commission Votes Down Second Amendment Gun Resolution - Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners voted down a resolution Monday, May 6, that would have backed the idea of state legislators and county sheriffs across the state “nullifying” federal gun control laws they consider unconstitutional.

7. 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.

8. Commission Receives Schools Financials - Monday, May 06, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners formally get the financials of Shelby County’s two public school systems Monday, May 6, in an action that is not expected to generate much debate.

But the financial statements for the fiscal year that ended June 30 is another step along the path toward the formal merger of both school systems effective at the end of the current fiscal year.

9. Schools Could Get Additional $4 Million - Wednesday, April 17, 2013

When Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell presented his consolidated county government budget proposal last week to county commissioners, he made an important change that may have upped the amount of new revenue available for the consolidated school district.

10. Budget Season Opens With Wharton Proposal - Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. presents his budget proposal Tuesday, April 16, to the Memphis City Council for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

And council members will probably be listening closely for one dollar amount in particular and how Wharton proposes to deal with it.

11. School Board Restructure Next for Federal Court - Wednesday, April 03, 2013

All sides in the federal lawsuit over the schools merger will be getting together soon to talk about the Shelby County Commission’s plan to restructure the countywide school board.

A trio of court filings before and after the Easter weekend set the stage for a decision to come by Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee on the commission’s plan to appoint six new school board members to take office Sept. 1.

12. Commission to Consider Residency Ballot Item - Monday, April 01, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners take a final vote Monday, April 1, on a referendum ordinance that would do away with county government’s residency requirement for employment.

The commission meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St.

13. School Board Restructuring Plan Goes to Mays - Wednesday, March 20, 2013

On the way to U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays is a plan by the Shelby County Commission to convert the countywide school board to a 13-member single-district body effective Sept. 1.

14. School Board Expansion Advanced - Thursday, March 14, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners advanced in Wednesday, March 13, committee sessions a general plan to restructure the countywide school board.

But the plan to turn the 23-member board into a 13-member board on Sept. 1, instead of the seven-member board it is now scheduled to become on that date, is far from complete. And lots of legal questions remain about the details.

15. Funding From Suburbs Suggested - Monday, March 04, 2013

Countywide school board members are not the only players in the schools merger feeling pressure, although they may be feeling more pressure than others.

Shelby County Commissioners whose districts include suburban towns and cities have also been hearing a lot from parents in the suburbs who not too long ago had made peace with the idea that they would be part of the consolidated school district for at least the first school year.

16. Commission’s Schools Debate Has Political Crossover - Wednesday, February 27, 2013

When U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays summoned attorneys from all sides in the schools merger case to his conference room Monday, Feb. 25, there was someone else in the room.

17. Several Paths for School Funding Possible - Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The most important number at a weekend Shelby County Commission budget retreat was not the $145 million in new funding the countywide school board has asked for.

It was a percentage – the projection by Shelby County Assessor Cheyenne Johnson that the 2013 property reappraisal by her office will likely reflect a 4.63 percent loss of value on property for taxation purposes.

18. Commission Mixes Residency With Schools Issues - Monday, February 25, 2013

It isn’t hard to get a debate going on the Shelby County Commission about the coming Shelby County schools merger and separate suburban school districts.

A majority of the 13-member body voted to file the second part of the Memphis federal court lawsuit over the connected issues. But there remains a vocal minority of four to five commissioners on both issues as well.

19. 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.

20. County Commission Debates Schools Merger - Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners marked the two-year anniversary Monday, Feb. 11, of the federal lawsuit over schools consolidation and municipal school districts with a running debate across several items about the upcoming schools merger.

21. Commission to Vote on Teacher Residency - Monday, February 11, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners agree on an issue having to do with the coming merger of schools in Shelby County.

At least nine of the 13 commissioners favor giving Memphis City Schools teachers and other system staff who live outside Shelby County five years to move within the county and keep their jobs with the new consolidated school system that takes effect July 1.

22. Commission to Disband Schools Capital Needs Group - Monday, January 28, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners vote Monday, Jan. 28, on disbanding the nearly 10-year-old Needs Assessment Committee that advised the commission on funding school construction and renovation projects across both public school systems.

23. Commission Finds Barriers to Comparing Pre-K - Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The idea of universal pre-kindergarten in public schools across Shelby County – or at least an expansion of pre-kindergarten access with the coming August merger of city and county schools – is one goal of the schools merger that has a broad consensus.

24. Commission Delays Final Vote on "Wage Theft" Ordinance - Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners delayed Monday, Dec. 17, a final vote on a “wage theft” ordinance.

Commissioner Steve Mulroy, the sponsor of the measure that provides for a county government investigation and possible General Sessions Court proceedings on complaints of wage theft, moved for the delay as he seeks to build public support for the measure.

25. Commission Approves Legal Fees in Schools Fight - Wednesday, December 05, 2012

A week after they won a major argument in the federal court fight over municipal school districts, Shelby County Commissioners approved Monday, Dec. 3, an additional $473,549 from its contingency fund to pay its legal fees in the lawsuit.

26. Commission Approves Pidgeon Land Sale, Weighs Schools Moves - Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners approved Monday, Dec. 3, the purchase of 33.6 acres of land in the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park by Carolyn Hardy for the Hardy Investment Trust.

27. Bartlett Zoning Case Tops Commission Agenda - Monday, November 05, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners take up a proposed assisted living facility at their meeting Monday, Nov. 5, that doesn’t yet require approval from the city of Bartlett but which is in an area Bartlett is seeking to annex.

28. Voter ID Law Controversy Could Continue - Monday, October 29, 2012

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. gave a lawyer’s answer when asked what would happen if the Tennessee Legislature might amend the state law requiring a photo voter ID in light of the Thursday, Oct. 25, Tennessee Court of Appeals ruling on the matter.

29. ‘Behind the Headlines’ Explores Fixes for County’s Election Woes - Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Some early voters in Shelby County are snapping pictures of their completed ballots with their phones to verify their votes. Other voters are delaying their trip to the polls because they anticipate problems in the opening days of the voting period that ends Nov. 1.

30. Commission Argues Racial ‘Resegreation’ With Districts - Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Attorneys on all sides of the federal court case over municipal school districts are waiting for a ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays on issues involving the Tennessee Constitution.

31. Commission Debates Schools Court Moves, Ends Redistricting Case - Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners have dropped their appeal in the Chancery Court lawsuit over redistricting and ended the protracted political dispute.

But the commission also voted Monday, Oct. 8, to replenish its contingency fund with $800,000 for the legal fees in the continuing federal lawsuit over municipal school districts.

32. Shelby County Redistricting Process to Formally End - Monday, October 08, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners will vote Monday, Oct. 8, on putting a formal end to the redistricting process, 10 months after the new district lines were due.

The commission meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St.

33. Election Reform Advisory Board Approved - Wednesday, September 26, 2012

A new Election Reform Advisory Board approved Monday, Sept. 24, by the Shelby County Commission is to report its recommendations by the end of March to the Shelby County Election Commission.

And the Election Commission is under no obligation to act or even accept the recommendations, although election commissioners Steve Stamson and Norma Lester are also on the committee of 12.

34. Luttrell Dumps Garbage Collection Proposal - Monday, September 24, 2012

A proposal by the county administration to start a single system of garbage collection for all of unincorporated Shelby County for a $25 monthly fee is off the table, Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell told a town hall meeting Thursday, Sept. 20, at Bolton High School.

35. Luttrell Scraps Unincorporated County Garbage Collection Idea - Friday, September 21, 2012

A proposal by the county administration to start a single system of garbage collection for all of unincorporated Shelby County for a $25 monthly fee is off the table, Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell told a townhall meeting Thursday, Sept. 20, at Bolton High School.

36. Ritz Settles In as Commission Chairman - Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners had some new seating arrangements and committee assignments Monday, Sept. 10, as commissioner Mike Ritz began his yearlong term as chairman of the body.

Former chairman and Democrat Sidney Chism was seated next to former chairman pro tempore and Republican Wyatt Bunker.

37. Commission to Appoint School Board Members - Monday, September 10, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners will appoint two new members to the countywide school board at their Monday, Sept. 10, meeting.

The commission meeting is at 1:30 p.m. at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St.

38. 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.

39. Nucor Expansion Lease Option Approved - Wednesday, August 15, 2012

There was no debate Monday, Aug. 13, as the Shelby County Commission approved as part of the consent agenda a lease on 41 acres of land by Nucor Steel in the Frank Pidgeon Industrial Park for a proposed expansion of the Nucor Steel plant.

40. County Approves Sales Tax Hike - Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell has told Shelby County Commissioners that he will probably veto a proposed half-cent countywide local sales tax increase bound for the Nov. 6 ballot in Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County.

41. Commission Stands By Commenter Subpoena - Wednesday, August 01, 2012

No matter where they are on the municipal school districts issue, most Shelby County Commissioners were surprised by the subpoena issued last week by attorneys trying to have the municipal school districts legislation declared unconstitutional.

42. Commission Debates Muni Schools Case Subpoena - Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners voted down a resolution Monday, July 30, to stop a subpoena by their attorneys in the municipal schools district federal court case.

The resolution, sponsored by Commissioner Terry Roland would have instructed the attorneys arguing the municipal school districts movement is based on an unconstitutional state law to withdraw their subpoena seeking the identities of readers who commented on stories on The Commercial Appeal website. The newspaper is opposing the request.

43. Commission Tries Again At Electing Chairman - Monday, July 30, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners will try again Monday, July 30, to elect a new chairman after 21 rounds of voting two weeks ago failed to produce someone who could get seven votes.

The four contenders through the balloting were current chairman Sidney Chism, current chairman pro tempore Wyatt Bunker, and commissioners Mike Ritz and Henri Brooks.

44. After 21 Rounds of Voting, Still no Commission Chair - Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners put off electing a chairman for the next year’s term Monday, July 16, after 21 rounds of voting in which no one got seven votes.

The commission will try again at its July 30 meeting.

45. 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.

46. Numerous Issues Drive Early Voting - Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Republicans have the suburban ballot questions on municipal school districts. Democrats have outrage over the voter photo ID state law.

Together the two factors could have more to do with voter turnout in the Aug. 2 elections than any of the candidates on the ballot.

47. Hit Dogs - Friday, July 06, 2012

IT’S NOT RACIAL. IF I’M LYING, I’M DYING. We are lying. And if we don’t realize it, we will die from it.

Annie Laurie Peeler put it best. She was, after all, the best sixth grade teacher in the history of the universe. Really. With all due respect to the sixth grade teacher you love, Mrs. Peeler will spot her or him two eyes in the back of her head, three stories you’ll never forget, and four Southernisms and still beat your teacher like a cloakroom paddling.

48. Luttrell Weighs in On Commission’s Motion - Friday, June 29, 2012

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell termed the basis for a legal motion by the Shelby County Commission seeking to stop the Aug. 2 suburban referendums on municipal school districts inflammatory.

49. House Owned by Steve Jobs At Center of Merger Discussions - Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Some of the veil surrounding the 2009 liver transplant in Memphis on the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs lifted this week as the Shelby County Commission debated whether it should lend its collective voice to a possible merger of the transplant center that worked on Jobs and Tennessee Donor Services.

50. Goldin’s Footnote Heard ’Round Shelby County - Tuesday, June 19, 2012

For many on the Shelby County Commission, last week’s 10-page ruling by Chancellor Arnold Goldin on the new structure of the commission came down to a 25-word footnote in the ruling.

51. Goldin Rules in County Commission Redistricting - Monday, June 18, 2012

Two days after the Shelby County Commission delayed a final vote on a redistricing plan, Chancellor Arnold Goldin approved a motion Wednesday, June 13, setting the new redistricting plan and converting the commission to a set of 13 single-member districts.

52. Goldin Rules in County Redistricting Case - Friday, June 15, 2012

Two days after the Shelby County Commission delayed a final vote on a redistricing plan, Chancellor Arnold Goldin approved a motion Wednesday, June 13, setting the new redistricting plan and converting the commission to a set of 13 single-member districts.

53. Copter Drones Dominate Commission Debate - Wednesday, May 09, 2012

A plan by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to buy two miniature helicopter drones hit some political turbulence Monday, May 7, among Shelby County Commissioners concerned about privacy issues.

“The potential for abuse is great,” said Commissioner Brent Taylor. “They could peer into our private spaces without a warrant.”

54. Redistrict Fight About More Than Map - Monday, May 07, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners begin a fourth effort Monday, May 7, at a redistricting plan that is five months overdue and counting.

But the new effort is more about the Shelby County charter than it is about drawing the district lines for their own districts.

55. Commission Could Reconsider Redistricting - Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners might take another try at approving a redistricting plan for the commission before Shelby County Chancellor Arnold Goldin decides the court case over the new district boundaries.

56. County Redistricting Battle Continues - Monday, March 26, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners will meet privately with their attorneys Monday, March 26, to see whether they have any options left in a redistricting scrap that is now firmly in the courts.

The commission meets in formal open session Monday at 1:30 p.m. at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St.

57. Commission’s Redistrict Debate Moves to Chancery - Wednesday, March 14, 2012

It is now up to a court to decide on a new set of district lines for the Shelby County Commission.

And Chancellor Arnold Goldin is not being asked to approve a simple tweaking of district boundaries that will essentially keep the commission as it is.

58. Commission Sends Redistricting Vote to Court - Tuesday, March 13, 2012

By the Shelby County Charter, the Shelby County Commission voted down a redistricting plan Monday, March 12, when the plan up for third and final reading got seven votes – two short of the nine needed.

59. Redistricting Up for Second Reading - Monday, February 20, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners will see Monday, Feb. 20, if there is still a seven-vote majority on the body to pass a new set of district lines and a new commission structure on the second of three readings.

60. County Commission - Luttrell Clash on Urgency of School Transfer Rules - Monday, February 13, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners approved Friday, Feb. 10, a resolution authorizing Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell to negotiate with the countywide school board on the terms of a transfer of school buildings in the event suburban municipal school districts are formed.

61. New County Of Them - Friday, February 10, 2012

NEW BILL CREATES EIGHT NEW COUNTIES. Continually annoyed about existing law that gets in his way, Tennessee Rep. Curry Todd of Collierville has introduced a bill in the state house eliminating Memphis and Shelby County and creating eight new counties.

62. Fight Fair and We All Win - Friday, January 27, 2012

OKAY, PEOPLE, BREAK IT UP. Are you ready to rumble?

If Terry Roland and the whole Shelby County Commission really do get into it, is it even possible they could get hit hard enough to knock some sense into the whole body?

63. County Commission Starts Over On Redistricting, Resolves Some Turmoil - Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A seven-vote majority for leaving the Shelby County Commission at five districts collapsed dramatically Monday, Jan. 23. And at the same commission meeting a resolution to change the ground rules to permit a majority vote to remove the chairman was withdrawn. Meanwhile, a censure resolution against two commissioners also fizzled as larger differences among commissioners continued to emerge.

64. Commission Takes Up Redistricting and Ouster Rule Change - Monday, January 23, 2012

Shelby County Commission members pick up Monday, Jan. 23, where they left off last Wednesday – in turmoil and possibly headed for a political realignment of the partisan body along something other than party lines.

65. Commission Looks at Power Realignment - Friday, January 20, 2012

For three months, a split among the six Republicans on the 13-member Shelby County Commission has been more evident than the split among the seven Democratic commissioners.

As the commission started over this week on the redistricting process that highlighted the Republican rift, however, the split has evolved into a realignment of political power on the body.

66. Commission Strife Deepens with Censure, Ouster Moves - Thursday, January 19, 2012

A deadlock among Shelby County Commission members on a redistricting plan moved into uncharted and roiling political waters Wednesday, Jan. 18, with a censure resolution and a possible move to oust Sidney Chism as chairman of the body.

67. Commission Strife Deepens with Censure, Ouster Moves - Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A deadlock among Shelby County Commission members on a redistricting plan moved into uncharted and roiling political waters Wednesday, Jan. 18, with a censure resolution and a possible move to oust Sidney Chism as chairman of the body.

68. Commission Restarts Redistricting Talks - Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Shelby County Commission members will start over with their once-a-decade redistricting process Wednesday, Jan. 18, with a committee session and a special meeting of the entire body to pass a plan on the first of three readings.

69. County Commission to Start Over on Redistricting Talks - Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Shelby County commissioners will try to start their stalled redistricting process from square one next week with a special meeting.

Commissioners agreed Monday, Jan. 9, to start the three-reading process of the redistricting ordinance from the beginning.

70. County Commission Could Further Redistricting Talks - Monday, January 09, 2012

Shelby County Commission members avoided the topic at least in the public, on-the-record discussions during committee sessions last week.

But the full commission meeting Monday, Jan. 9, could feature the commission’s first formal discussion of a redistricting plan since three commissioners filed suit over the matter in Chancery Court Tuesday, Jan. 3.

71. County Redistricting Goes to Court - Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Three Shelby County commissioners – one Democrat and two Republicans – filed suit against the full commission Tuesday, Jan. 3, over the body's stalled deliberations on a redistricting plan.

72. Commissioners Fail to Approve Redistricting Plan - Thursday, December 15, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners will try again Monday, Dec. 19, to give final approval to a new set of district lines for the 13-member body.

At a special meeting Wednesday, Dec. 14, a new set of district lines that would keep but tweak the current five-district setup won approval on the second of three readings. But it did not appear to have the two-thirds majority – or nine votes – needed to pass next week.

73. Commissioners Fail to Approve Redistricting Plan - Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners will try again Monday, Dec. 19, to give final approval to a new set of district lines for the 13-member body.

At a special meeting Wednesday, Dec. 14, a new set of district lines that would keep but tweak the current five-district setup won approval on the second of three readings. But it did not appear to have the two-thirds majority – or nine votes – needed to pass next week.

74. County Commission Still Weighing New Districts - Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Shelby County commissioners appeared on their way to setting a new group of district lines by Christmas that would create two more districts but keep the body at 13 members. That changed at the commission’s Monday, Dec. 5, meeting.

75. Commission Approves Flat Bonus, Moves Toward Redistricting End Game - Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Shelby County Commissioners approved a flat $650 bonus per county employee Monday, Dec. 5, after a lengthy debate about what to do with $2.5 million of an $8.7 million surplus from the fiscal year that ended June 30.

76. Luttrell Proposes Employee Bonuses - Monday, December 05, 2011

A one-time pay bonus for county employees the same year that jobs were cut in county government tops the Monday, Dec. 5, agenda of the Shelby County Commission.

The commission meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St.

77. Partisans Debate State Voter ID Law - Wednesday, November 02, 2011

If you voted early or on Election Day in the recent city of Memphis elections, you probably got a piece of paper from election officials about the next elections.

The new state law requiring Tennessee voters to have a valid state or federal government-issued photo ID goes into effect with the 2012 elections starting with the March primaries. And the poll handout was about the new state law and what the new ground rules will be.

78. Commission Begins Redistricting Work - Monday, October 31, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners take the first of three votes Monday, Oct. 31, that will likely change the structure of the 13-member legislative body.

The commission would remain at 13 members representing the entire county, but commissioners are considering two redistricting plans that would change how the districts are configured.

79. Terms of Consolidation Still Taking Shape - Wednesday, September 14, 2011

There is still some uncertainty about the exact terms of the transition to a consolidated countywide school board.

And that was reflected in questions preceding this week’s appointments to the board that takes office Oct. 1.

80. State Sen. Kyle Quizzed on Senate Future - Monday, September 12, 2011

Among the topics explored last week during questioning of those interested in being on a countywide school board was the political future of state Sen. Jim Kyle of Memphis.

81. Commissioners Hear School Board Applicants - Friday, September 09, 2011

The Shelby County Commission’s 10-hour interview session this week with several dozen applicants for appointment to seven positions on the new countywide school board was, at times, more of an education for them than it was an introduction of them to the commission.

82. County Commission Approves Schools Settlement - Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Shelby County Commission has approved the settlement of the schools consolidation case and set the process for selecting seven members of a new countywide school board at its Sept. 12 meeting.

The Monday, Aug. 29, vote was 8-3 in favor with commissioners Wyatt Bunker, Terry Roland and Chris Thomas voting “no.” All three represent a county commission district that takes in all six of the suburban municipalities where opposition to schools consolidation has been the most vocal.

83. Commission Considers Convention Center Buyout - Monday, August 22, 2011

It was May 2009 when the Shelby County Commission sold the county’s share of The Pyramid to the city of Memphis.

At the time, A C Wharton Jr. was Shelby County mayor and Robert Lipscomb was city director of Housing and Community Development. And with commission approval Monday, Aug. 22, of a similar buyout of the county’s interest in the Memphis Cook Convention Center, Wharton will sign the contract as the city of Memphis mayor.

84. Affidavit: Millington Mayor Took Part in Illegal Gambling - Monday, August 08, 2011

Millington Mayor Richard Hodges was into an illegal gambling operation for more than $10,000 and the town’s police chief, Ray Douglas, watched the gambling but didn’t participate, according to an affidavit by a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation special agent filed Friday, Aug. 5, with the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk’s office.

85. Commissioners Plan for 2nd Yr. of Term - Monday, August 08, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners meet Monday, Aug. 8, to set the stage for the second year of their current four-year term of office.

The meeting at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St., begins at 1:30 p.m.

86. Fite Road Design Wins Approval - Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners approved Monday, July 11, funding for design work on the long-awaited improvements to Fite Road in north Shelby County.

The vote came after Commissioner Henri Brooks ran aground in her continuing pursuit of compliance with Title 6, the non-discrimination plan that is part of the Civil Rights Act. Adding language to any resolution involving federal funds to require a Title 6 plan was Brooks’ best known cause during her tenure as a state representative. And she brought the cause with her when she was elected to the commission in 2006.

87. Chism, Bunker Elected Commission Leaders - Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Sidney Chism got his second term as chairman of the Shelby County Commission this week. And he did it with relative ease on the first ballot at the Monday, July 11, commission session.

88. County Commission to Select Leaders - Monday, July 11, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners settle the simmering political question of who will lead the 13-member body for another year at their Monday, July 11, meeting.

On Monday’s agenda is the election of a chairman and a chairman pro tempore for the year-long term that begins Sept. 1.

89. Do The Math - Friday, June 24, 2011

Look for real answers. When our son was in the 10th grade at White Station, he had a substitute math teacher one semester. He was called out of retirement to teach the class and he was older than Copernicus. I know this because I thought he was already 100 when he taught me … or tried to teach me … trigonometry at White Station decades before.

90. Commission Approves Balanced Budget - Wednesday, June 22, 2011

No county property tax hike. No 2 percent pay raise for county employees. The full $400,000 in funding for the county office of early childhood and youth, and no cuts in funding to the Greater Memphis Chamber or Shelby Farms Park.

91. Commission Delays County Budget Vote - Wednesday, June 08, 2011

The Shelby County Commission will probably stay within the parameters of the budget compromise outlined by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell’s administration several weeks ago.

92. Commission to Discuss Retirement Plans, Bridge Repairs - Monday, May 02, 2011

Shelby County commissioners again take up the idea of changing the retirement benefits of future county employees after several delays in voting on a proposed plan D retirement fund.

The item is again on Monday’s commission agenda.

93. County Commission Tightens Attorney-Client Rules - Wednesday, April 06, 2011

The Shelby County Commission could keep legal documents out of the hands of some of its own members if they talk to the public about what happens in closed attorney-client meetings.

The commission passed the resolution Monday establishing that and other sanctions including censure that would have to be enacted with a majority vote.

94. Commission Rejects Paid Leave Restrictions - Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Shelby County commissioners were short of the votes Monday to specifically prohibit county employees from getting paid leave for Christmas shopping days or in exchange for donating blood and other charity work.

95. School District Map on Tap for County Commission - Monday, March 21, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners prepare to churn the roiling waters of the schools consolidation issue this week with adjustments to their maps for a countywide school board.

The commission meets Monday at 1:30 p.m. at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St.

96. Divisions Remain As Schools Talks Continue - Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Memphis City Schools board members continue a series of town hall meetings on the schools consolidation referendum with different opinions about what the ballot question means.

And city schools attorney Dorsey Hopson added a caution about expressing their political opinions at the sessions paid for with public money.

97. County Commission Plans to Appoint Countywide School Board End of March - Tuesday, March 01, 2011

The Shelby County Commission plans to appoint a 25 member countywide school board on March 28 and the line has already starting forming for the appointments.

Commission chairman Sidney Chism said the commission has over 100 applications from those interested in being part of the new and legally questionable board.

98. Commission to Consider Consolidated School Board - Monday, February 28, 2011

Republican state legislators from Shelby County and leaders of the Shelby County Commission are on opposite sides of the schools consolidation issue.

But they have now each used the art of political timing to change the landscape of the issue with very little advance notice.

99. Forums’ Message: Schools Vote More Than About City - Monday, February 21, 2011

In the Bartlett Station Municipal Center last week, Memphis City Council member Shea Flinn asked for a show of hands among the several hundred people at the Mid-South Tea Party forum on schools consolidation.

100. Schools Forums Hit Other Notes In Controversy - Friday, February 18, 2011

Shelby County Commissioner Mike Ritz says Germantown leaders and taxpayers should form a municipal school district now if they are going to.

“I think what they need to do is get immediately very selfish for themselves,” Ritz said at a Memphis Area Association of Realtors forum Thursday.