In a two-month period, Shelby County government has decided to add ambulances to the services provided by the Shelby County Fire Department after years of regular debates about the wisdom of contracting with private companies for the service.

2. County Commission Votes on Bringing Ambulance Service In-House - Monday, October 17, 2016

Shelby County government could be in the ambulance business with a set of three votes Monday, Oct. 17, at the county commission meeting.

Commissioners vote on a $5 million amendment to the county fire department budget to pay for providing a base crew of 60 firefighters cross-trained as paramedics and emergency medical technicians. And the commission votes on another $2.5 million in capital outlay notes to buy a fleet of 10 ambulances.

3. Luttrell Vows Ambulance Service Solution by Year’s End - Monday, August 29, 2016

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell says he should have some kind of final decision on continuing ambulance service by the end of the year in the unincorporated county and Millington, Arlington and Lakeland.

4. Luttrell Appoints Kneeland Deputy County Fire Chief - Saturday, December 26, 2015

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell has appointed Glen Kneeland as the Shelby County Fire Department’s deputy fire chief.

5. Luttrell Appoints Kneeland Deputy County Fire Chief - Thursday, December 24, 2015

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell has appointed Glen Kneeland as the Shelby County Fire Department’s deputy fire chief.

6. Council Confirms Putt as New Fire Director - Thursday, December 4, 2014

Memphis City Council members on Tuesday, Dec. 2, approved veteran firefighter Michael Putt as the city’s new fire director.

7. Council Embraces New Pension 'Concept' - Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Memphis City Council members are still weighing their options on pension plan changes after another alternative emerged Tuesday, Dec. 2, and the “concept” got eight votes on the council.

8. City Council Could Close Pension Debate - Tuesday, December 2, 2014

At their next-to-last meeting of the year Tuesday, Dec. 2, Memphis City Council members could put to rest the dominant issue they have faced in 2014 – changing the unsustainable trajectory and liability of city employee benefits.

9. Benson Appointed County Fire Chief - Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell has appointed the director of the Memphis Fire Department to be the new Shelby County Fire Department chief.

10. Budget Reality Informs Response to Sick-Outs - Thursday, July 10, 2014

For about a year, Memphis Fire Department Director Alvin Benson has been taking ladder trucks out of service to deal with firefighters on vacation and on sick leave at much lower levels than those that surfaced Wednesday.

11. Benson Says Fire Absences Cause Concern But Not Alarm - Thursday, July 10, 2014

Memphis Fire Director Alvin Benson admits the 65 firefighters out sick Wednesday, July 9, is “the highest number we’ve had off sick in one day for some time." However, he declined to call it a job action.

12. City Could Consider Blue Flu a Strike - Thursday, July 10, 2014

At some point, if enough Memphis Police officers call in sick, the job action underway since the end of June could be considered a strike by the city of Memphis. And that would signal a new phase in what is the most significant job action by Memphis Police since the 1978 police and fire strikes.

13. Blue Flu Tops 550 Cops Out - Wednesday, July 9, 2014

As Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong has watched the number of police officers on sick leave grow and top 550, so has much of the city.

Armstrong and the administration of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. have gone public in not just talking about the impact but putting numbers to it.

14. Armstrong Confirms Blue Flu, Wharton Seeks Alternatives - Saturday, July 5, 2014

More than 400 Memphis police officers called in sick during the Fourth of July holiday week in what Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong acknowledged Sunday, July 6, is most likely an organized work slowdown by officers upset over cuts in health insurance benefits.

15. City Budget Dispute Remains Staring Match - Thursday, May 22, 2014

It was the first thing Memphis Fire Director Alvin Benson told Memphis City Council members Tuesday, May 20, during budget committee hearings.

16. Council Hesitates Over Fire Recruit Class Funding and Charter Restrictions - Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Memphis City Council members discussed a new recruit class Tuesday, May 20, for the Memphis Fire Department that is not in Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s budget proposal.

But council members voted down a plan to come up with the $1.7 million for the class of 100 fire recruits from a $3 million cut in the line item for fire department sick leave, proposed by council member Kemp Conrad.

17. Police, Fire Directors Discuss Budget With Council - Thursday, February 6, 2014

Memphis City Council members got deeper Tuesday, Feb. 4, into the specifics of Memphis Police and Fire Department budget decisions.

But they didn’t get a clearer picture of what the direction forward will be as they and Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. prepare to make some hard decisions about public safety in dealing with the city’s unfunded pension liability.

18. Council Hears More on Police and Fire Budget Decisions - Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Memphis City Council member got deeper Tuesday, Feb. 4, into the specifics of Memphis Police and Fire Department budget decisions.

But they didn’t get a clearer picture of what the direction forward will be as they and Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. prepare to make some hard decisions about public safety in dealing with the city’s unfunded pension liability.

19. Events - Saturday, September 7, 2013

In-Synk and The Daily News will host a Leadership Lunch & Learn book review and discussion on Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead” Friday, Sept. 6, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Triumph Bank board room, 5699 Poplar Ave. Cost is $20. Visit seminars.memphisdailynews.com.

20. Council Grapples With Attrition Plan Reality - Thursday, July 18, 2013

Every version of a city budget the Memphis City Council and Mayor A C Wharton Jr. considered in June included a plan to lose 300 city employees through attrition for long-term savings toward meeting rising future debt obligations.

21. Council Ponders Use of Reserve To Keep Fire Station Open - Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Memphis City Council member considered briefly Tuesday, July 16, using $1.1 million from the $48 million city reserve fund to keep a North Memphis fire station open.

But they dropped the idea after Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. agreed to keep Fire Station #6, on Danny Thomas Boulevard north of Chelsea Avenue open at least until Labor Day.

22. City Budget Woes Affect 400 Employees - Thursday, June 20, 2013

The numbers at play so far in the Memphis City Council’s long budget season are big.

Council members tallied $24.4 million in city operating budget cuts Tuesday, June 18, in a marathon seven-hour session before an overflow crowd of angry city employees.

23. Council Lowers Property Tax Rate, Approves $609M Budget - Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Memphis City Council members approved a $3.11 city property tax rate Tuesday, June 5, to fund a city operating budget of $609,802,357 and Memphis City Schools to the tune of $64,819,307.

The split council vote came nearly 14 hours after the council’s day started at City Hall with a budget committee session in which the basic elements of the ultimate budget compromise were mapped out before noon.

24. 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.

25. Wharton Ditches Three Division Directors, Retains Others - Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. firmed up most of his division directors Tuesday.

He moved to reappoint seven division directors and notified three others they will not be reappointed in a possible realignment of their divisions.

26. City Council to Consider New Fire Director - Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Memphis City Council today will consider the appointment of Alvin D. Benson as the city’s new director of Fire Services.

Benson, who is deputy director, has been nominated by Mayor Willie Herenton to replace Director Richard Arwood, who recently retired. Herenton also has nominated City Court Judge Earnestine Hunt Dorse to serve as administrative judge of the three divisions of City Court.

27. ON FIRE - Monday, October 9, 2006

Fire blazed through several buildings in Downtown Memphis around 3 a.m. Friday, sending firefighters, employees of nearby businesses and residents scrambling.

It reportedly began at the 113-year-old First United Methodist Church at Second Street and Poplar Avenue, and flaming embers flew through the air to ignite the nearby Lincoln American Tower, Rhodes Jennings Building and Court Square Annex at North Main and Court streets.

28. ON FIRE - Monday, October 9, 2006

Fire blazed through several buildings in Downtown Memphis around 3 a.m. Friday, sending firefighters, employees of nearby businesses and residents scrambling.

It reportedly began at the 113-year-old First United Methodist Church at Second Street and Poplar Avenue, and flaming embers flew through the air to ignite the nearby Lincoln American Tower, Rhodes Jennings Building and Court Square Annex at North Main and Court streets.