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.

The resolution was a different version of a resolution that was voted down Monday by the commission.

Commission chairman Sidney Chism called Friday’s special meeting after confirming that commissioner James Harvey would be present. Harvey’s early exit from Monday’s meeting was the cause of the six-six tie vote that led to the resolution’s defeat.

The resolution was amended Friday to put the mayor’s office in the role of negotiator in place of the commission.

“We can’t afford to gamble with the interests of the taxpayers,” said commissioner Walter Bailey who sponsored the measure that specifically addresses what some transfer of schools by lease or sale -- at market value, “fair” value or for free -- would do to the county’s debt and whether it would require future school debt for county government. “It’s an insurance policy almost.”

Luttrell said he was already moving ahead in negotiations that would work toward an agreement for how the school building might be transferred and what the impact would be on county debt.

But the debate before the 7-5 vote in favor of the resolution highlighted differences between him and commissioners who believe there should be an agreement before the Tennessee legislature acts on legislation that would require the buildings to be transferred at no cost to a new municipal school system.

“I don’t know that I see the gravity of the situation that you do,” Luttrell told commissioners during their debate when several pushed him on how soon he would begin talks and hope to have an agreement. “I do believe Nashville needs to stay out of our business.”

Commissioner Henry Brooks, a former state representative, agreed with the second part but expressed concern over Luttrell’s feeling that suburban Shelby County legislators in Nashville can be worked with.

“Nashville has contributed to the divisiveness in this city,” Brooks said, complaining of “over the top big brother paternalism” by the legislature.

“Why don’t we let the school board decide what to do with the schools instead of our friends in Nashville?” asked commissioner Mike Ritz. “I don’t think there’s a more idiotic way to proceed than what’s proposed by our friends in the General Assembly.”

Commissioner Steve Mulroy pushed a timetable of a few weeks to get an agreement done.

Luttrell said that would require “the fastest negotiation in the world.”

Commissioners opposed to the resolution argued Luttrell should veto it and that the commission shouldn’t be involved.

They continued to insist municipal school districts should get school buildings for free because the Memphis City Schools system got school buildings at no cost whenever the city annexed territory that had been in unincorporated Shelby County.

Commissioner Chris Thomas accused other commissioners of being “suburb haters.”

“This is about the money and the power," he said. "You are trying to stick it to the suburbs."

Ritz said the past transfer of schools wasn’t as simple as giving the buildings away. He said the county commission wrote in language about such transfers to prevent from paying twice for the same buildings.

The commission vote on the resolution was 7-5 in favor.

Voting yes were commissioners Bailey, Brooks, Ritz, Mulroy, Harvey, Chism and Melvin Burgess.

Voting no were commissioners Thomas, Wyatt Bunker, Terry Roland, Justin Ford and Brent Taylor.

Commissioner Heidi Shafer was absent.