WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, mapped out strategy with Republican leaders Tuesday, launching a fierce confirmation battle that could remake the court for decades and roil the midterm elections in the meantime.

2. In Supreme Court fight, Dems target 2 GOP Senate moderates - Monday, July 9, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — By themselves, Democrats can't stop the Republican-run Senate from confirming President Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court. But they're determined to make it agonizing for a pair of pivotal GOP senators to back the nominee.

3. Two Large Industrial Portfolios in Southeast Memphis Sold - Monday, May 7, 2018

4049 Willow Lake Blvd., Memphis, TN 38118 (portfolio)

Sale Amount: $21.8 million

Buyer: Faropoint Ventures

Buyer Rep: Brian Califf, NAI Saig Co.

4. Faropoint Grows Portfolio By Nearly 1M Square Feet - Saturday, May 5, 2018

Faropoint Ventures has purchased another batch of properties in the Memphis area, effectively increasing its local footprint by almost 1 million square feet.

NAI Saig Co. executive vice president Brian Califf represented Faropoint in the $21.8 million multiproperty deal.

5. Faropoint Expands Portfolio By Nearly 1M Square Feet - Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Faropoint Ventures has purchased another batch of properties in the Memphis area, effectively increasing its local footprint by almost 1 million square feet.

NAI Saig Co. executive vice president Brian Califf represented Faropoint in the $21.8 million multiproperty deal.

6. Council Talks With Head of TVA, Votes on Two More Ballot Questions - Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Memphis City Council members talk with Tennessee Valley Authority president Bill Johnson Tuesday, Jan. 23, meet Mayor Jim Strickland’s nominee to replace retiring Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division president Jerry Collins and may renew discussions of electric and gas rate hikes proposed by MLGW that it voted down two weeks ago.

7. Ford Appointed City’s New Chief Financial Officer - Saturday, January 6, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has appointed city comptroller Shirley Ford to be the city’s new chief financial officer.

8. Ford Appointed City’s New Chief Financial Officer - Friday, January 5, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has appointed city comptroller Shirley Ford to be the city’s new chief financial officer.

9. Ford Appointed New Chief Financial Officer - Thursday, January 4, 2018

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has appointed city comptroller Shirley Ford to be the city’s new chief financial officer.

10. In a Milestone Year, Gene Therapy Finds a Place in Medicine - Monday, January 1, 2018

After decades of hope and high promise, this was the year scientists really showed they could doctor DNA to successfully treat diseases. Gene therapies to treat cancer and even pull off the biblical-sounding feat of helping the blind to see were approved by U.S. regulators, establishing gene manipulation as a new mode of medicine.

11. Collins Leaving as City's Chief Financial Officer - Friday, November 17, 2017

City of Memphis chief financial officer Brian Collins is leaving the post he’s held for the last five years across two mayoral administrations to become executive director of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, Collins announced Friday, Nov. 17. He is leaving City Hall in January and starts his new job Jan. 8.

12. Experts Differ on Convention Center Hotel Financing - Friday, September 1, 2017

At the end of the final hour-long panel discussion during the two-day Southern Lodging Summit Downtown, Chad Crandell, the managing director and CEO of CHM Warnick – one of the best-known hotel asset management firms and advisers to hotel owners – made his pitch.

13. Hotel Summit Panel Differs On Ways to Finance Convention Center Hotel - Thursday, August 31, 2017

At the end of an hour-long panel discussion at the very end of the two-day Southern Lodging Summit Downtown, Chad Crandell – the managing director and CEO of CHM Warnick, one of the best known hotel asset management firms and advisors to hotel owners in the business -- made his pitch.

14. City Council Approves Beale Hotel, Parking - Saturday, August 12, 2017

The Memphis City Council approved Tuesday, Aug. 8, plans for a five-story, 101-room hotel and a five-level 103-space parking deck in the block of Beale Street between Fourth Street and Danny Thomas Boulevard. Original plans called for a six-story hotel building, but that was later changed.

15. City Council Approves Beale Hotel, Parking - Thursday, August 10, 2017

The Memphis City Council approved Tuesday, Aug. 8, plans for a five-story, 101-room hotel and a five-level 103-space parking deck in the block of Beale Street between Fourth Street and Danny Thomas Boulevard. Original plans called for a six-story hotel building, but that was later changed.

16. Council Approves 5-Year Pact with University for Liberty Bowl Lease - Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Just in time for an Aug. 31 football season opener, the University of Memphis has a new five year contract with the city of Memphis for the use of the Liberty Bowl and surrounding Fairgrounds area.

17. New St. Jude Grad School Welcomes Inaugural Class - Thursday, August 3, 2017

Following years of planning, development of curriculum and recruitment of staff and faculty, the first class of a dozen students has begun studies at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s new Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

18. The Latest: Trump Promises 'Big Surprise' on Health Care - Thursday, June 29, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Republican legislation to repeal and replace the Obama health care law (all times EDT):

2:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump says the Republican health care effort is "working along very well" and suggested there could be a "big surprise coming." The White House did not elaborate on what Trump meant.

19. City Council Pushes Back at Administration - Thursday, June 22, 2017

Sometimes there are seven votes. Other times there aren’t. But Memphis City Council debates increasingly point to different thoughts about the city’s course as outlined by the administration of Mayor Jim Strickland.

20. Council Sets Stage for City Employee Pay Raises - Thursday, May 25, 2017

Memphis City Council members approved Tuesday, May 23, a 1 percent across-the-board pay raise for all city employees setting the stage for a final vote on budget matters at the June 6 council session.

21. Last Word: Sticker Shock Questions, Council Day Recap and Mueller's Move - Wednesday, May 24, 2017

It’s not the final vote on the county property tax rate. But Monday’s acceptance by the Shelby County Commission of the state-certified property tax rate is an important insight into how the state and local governments get together on setting a tax rate that takes into account changes in overall property values from the countywide property reappraisal to set a tax rate that produces the same amount of revenue as the current rate.

22. Last Word: RiverPlay, New City Property Tax Rate and House Republican Rift - Friday, May 5, 2017

The Memphis In May International Festival arrives Friday with the Beale Street Music Festival and hopefully with warmer temperatures than the Thursday chill. Meanwhile, RiverPlay, the conversion of Riverside Drive between Jefferson and Court to a pop-up park linking up Memphis and Mississippi River Parks, makes its debut Friday afternoon.

23. Council Moves to Operating Budget Examination - Thursday, May 4, 2017

Memphis City Council members open budget hearings Thursday, May 5, on Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s $680 million operating budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

24. Council Opens City Hall Budget Season - Wednesday, May 3, 2017

With an eye on the clock in the City Council committee room and rap of a gavel, council budget committee chairman Edmund Ford Jr. opened city budget hearings Tuesday, May 2.

“This is going to be kind of boring,” Ford said of the two afternoons spent by the committee on Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s capital budget -- $158.9 million in spending on one-time non-recurring items, mostly construction projects done in several phases over several years.

25. Setting New Tax Rate After Reappraisal Becomes ‘Moving Target’ - Saturday, April 15, 2017

For local government leaders, the 2017 countywide property reappraisal is about resetting the property tax rate for Shelby County government and all seven of the cities and towns within the county.

26. Setting New Tax Rate After Reappraisal Becomes ‘Moving Target’ - Saturday, April 15, 2017

For local government leaders, the 2017 countywide property reappraisal is about resetting the property tax rate for Shelby County government and all seven of the cities and towns within the county.

27. Setting New Tax Rate After Reappraisal Becomes ‘Moving Target’ - Saturday, April 15, 2017

For local government leaders, the 2017 countywide property reappraisal is about resetting the property tax rate for Shelby County government and all seven of the cities and towns within the county.

28. Setting New Tax Rate After Reappraisal Becomes ‘Moving Target’ - Saturday, April 15, 2017

For local government leaders, the 2017 countywide property reappraisal is about resetting the property tax rate for Shelby County government and all seven of the cities and towns within the county.

29. Setting New Tax Rate After Reappraisal Becomes ‘Moving Target’ - Saturday, April 15, 2017

For local government leaders, the 2017 countywide property reappraisal is about resetting the property tax rate for Shelby County government and all seven of the cities and towns within the county.

30. Last Word: Busy Council Day, County Property Tax Cut Call and Gas Tax Vote Nears - Tuesday, April 11, 2017

The Lawsons – K.J. and Dedric – are on their way to Kansas after leaving University of Memphis basketball they announced Monday. And Markell Crawford confirmed Monday that he will be transferring too. Crawford is the sixth Tiger player to head for the door since the season’s end. What will Tigers basketball look like by the next season?

31. Lenoir Calls for Property Tax Cut Beyond New Certified Tax Rate From Reappraisal - Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Shelby County Trustee David Lenoir says there should be a cut in the county property tax rate beyond the new certified property tax rate to be set as a result of the 2017 countywide property reappraisal.

32. Last Word: Spring Votes, Those Tax Bills and Tim McCarver on Baseball Changes - Friday, April 7, 2017

Look for more details on the specifics of the “Gateway” project to start to emerge now that a crucial if overlooked piece of the geographic puzzle in the north Downtown area has come into public view. The city’s largest hotel, also the city’s original convention center hotel, is about to change hands and go back to flying the Marriott flag.

33. TVA Drilling Controversy May Change Well Actions - Tuesday, February 14, 2017

The controversy over Tennessee Valley Authority drilling water wells into the Memphis aquifer for the new TVA power plant in southwest Memphis is becoming a push for more public notice of such plans and better mapping of the water supply under the city.

34. Last Word: Little Chairs in Longview, Police Pay Raise and Tiger Football Schedule - Friday, February 10, 2017

The toys are in their cubbyholes. No stray Legos yet. The little chairs tucked neatly under little tables. The tall trees with their bare branches are much in need of little eyes inspecting their twisted branches and the shadows they make on the winter ground.

35. State Sens. Harris, Kelsey Critical of TVA Water Wells - Thursday, January 26, 2017

When Odell Johnson goes on business trips he looks forward to seeing water pumping plants in other cities that use surface water for drinking water.

Johnson is the manager for water and engineering operations at Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division. He made the comment Tuesday, Jan. 24, as his tour of the utility’s Sheahan Pumping Station served as a backdrop for the ongoing debate about the Tennessee Valley Authority’s change of plans to cool its new natural gas-fired power plant in southwest Memphis.

36. 8-8 Mediocrity Sounds Good to Titans Fans - Friday, September 9, 2016

On an August morning in 1999, the Tennessee Titans coaching staff and front office personnel awoke to this headline in the local newspaper:

Playoffs or Pink Slips.

It got their attention. Things were quite tense before, during and after practice on that particular day.

37. Rating Agencies, State Comptroller Tout Improved City of Memphis Finances - Wednesday, July 27, 2016

The most outspoken critic of the city’s financial condition said Monday, July 25, that Memphis leaders have made a “remarkable achievement.”

“Just three years ago there was a serious question about whether the City Council would take the necessary steps to control its budget and determine Memphis’ future,” Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson wrote Monday to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Memphis City Council chairman Kemp Conrad. “If you continue on this path, Memphis will reclaim its rightful place among the truly vibrant cities of the world.”

38. EDGE OKs Fast Track PILOT Program - Friday, May 20, 2016

The board of the Memphis-Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine has approved a new tax incentive package designed to give Memphis a more competitive edge against North Mississippi.

The EDGE board green-lighted the Fast Track PILOT program at its Wednesday, May 18, meeting, making it EDGE’s fifth payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program.

39. Last Word: The Airport and Hotels, Loans and Musicians and Underground in Town - Tuesday, May 10, 2016

That didn’t take long. Fired one day, hired the next for Dave Joerger now formerly of the Grizz.

40. Mayor Opposes City Funds for Mud Island - Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says the city may be willing to help fund a $9 billion expansion of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital that is mostly private capital.

41. Last Word: Mall Demo, Defining 'Fringe Element' and Herenton's New Path - Friday, May 6, 2016

Once upon a time there were three “town centers” planned by the city of Memphis.

City facilities like libraries and police precincts would be the anchors and encourage private retail development in them.

42. New City Council Learns Ways of Budget Season Quickly - Monday, May 2, 2016

There are 3,000 miles of street curbs in Memphis. Figures like this are the basic elements of budget season at City Hall.

They are how 13 Memphis City Council members – seven of them four months into their first four-year term of office – wrap their heads around an $85.3 million capital budget proposal and a $667 million operating budget proposal.

43. EDGE Considering Fast-Track Incentive Program, Diversity Spend Changes - Friday, April 22, 2016

The Memphis-Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine has started work on a new tax incentive program that would help Memphis compete with North Mississippi for industrial projects.

At its April 20 meeting, EDGE board chairman Al Bright appointed a committee to evaluate a proposed Fast Track PILOT and hammer out its policies and procedures.

44. AMC U-Turns; Texting in Theaters Now on 'Cutting Room Floor' - Monday, April 18, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oops. The idea lasted about as long as a Snapchat text: the head of AMC Theatres mulled openly about creating texting-friendly movie theaters to appeal to smartphone-addicted youngsters. Two days later, after a backlash on social media, the company says it's leaving the idea on "the cutting room floor."

45. Lenoir Delays County Collection of City Taxes - Saturday, April 9, 2016

Shelby County Trustee David Lenoir has delayed his office’s plans to begin collecting current city of Memphis taxes effective July 1.

46. Last Word: Pastner's Georgia Tech Post-Season, Who Filed and Greensward Invitations - Friday, April 8, 2016

Not so fast with the off-season. There is a Memphis post-season after all.

And the Grizz found it Thursday like a light at the end of a long-tunnel where a lot of people slipped and fell and can’t get up.
The light was Houston flaming out at home to Phoenix without the Grizzlies having to make a basket.
It’s all about the math. Stay in school, young people.

47. Lenoir Says County Collection Of City Taxes Delayed - Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Shelby County Trustee David Lenoir has delayed his office’s plans to begin collecting current city of Memphis taxes effective July 1.

48. City Council Sets Stage for Budget Season - Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Two weeks before Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland presents his first budget proposal to the Memphis City Council, the council and administration are setting the stage for the budget season to come.

49. Last Word: Presidents Day In An Election Year, Minority Business and Spring Training - Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Presidents Day in a presidential election year.
Consider the political kaleidoscope of a foggy office-bound or home-bound Monday in Memphis with former President George W. Bush on the tube in the late afternoon defending his brother’s presidential campaign without once uttering the word Trump.
No further word of a Trump appearance promised for Memphis and some of Donald Trump’s own statements Monday suggested that by the time Memphis is on his schedule, he might be running as an independent.
Then there is the obsession in one corner of social media with Supreme Court history in rich detail.
And heads were turned Monday evening by the excerpt on the Grammys from the Broadway musical about Alexander Hamilton – a founding father born in the West Indies who established the nation’s financial system and the Federalist party. He never became a president, in part, because the vice president killed him. Hamilton wasn’t the only one who had been talking bad about Aaron Burr. The top of the ticket, President Thomas Jefferson, had decided to dump Burr from the ticket in the next election and Burr was trying to transition to become governor of New York.

50. Last Word: Out of Time, Brian Collins and Fear of Heights & A Different No Gang Zone - Thursday, January 28, 2016

I have a confession. Hillary Clinton is not happy with me.
I’ve seen the signs in recent weeks but didn’t want to accept the truth.
Then Wednesday evening, as I was about to put this column together, I got an email from the former First Lady and Secretary of State and Democratic presidential contender.
The subject line cut to the chase: “We’re running out of time, Bill.”
The message itself, on a backdrop of Blue State blue read:

51. Memphis CFO Brian Collins 'Constantly at 50,000 Feet' - Thursday, January 28, 2016

If you think about the city’s chief financial officer at all, you might imagine a robotic figure forever tethered to numbers and a desk, taking a microscopic view of life in search of where to squeeze out a few more dollars here, a few more dollars there.

52. Strickland Proposes Mediation in Greensward Controversy - Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is asking leaders of the Memphis Zoo and the Overton Park Conservancy to enter voluntary mediation over parking in the Overton Park Greensward.

53. After First Meeting, Personality of New Council Emerges - Thursday, January 7, 2016

The judgments began early for the new Memphis City Council, which met for the first time Tuesday, Jan. 5, at City Hall.

State Sen. Lee Harris, on hand to be honored as a former city council member, called the group the “Kumbaya Council,” as it approved 13 appointees by Mayor Jim Strickland, 11 of them with unanimous votes.

54. Council OKs Strickland's Directors, He Defends Pay Raises - Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Memphis City Council members approved Mayor Jim Strickland’s slate of 12 division chiefs and directors Tuesday, Jan. 5, at the first council meeting of 2016. And Strickland defended the pay raises for some of those positions compared to the salaries those appointed positions paid in the Wharton administration.

55. City Hall Shuffle Moves Into Christmas Eve With 8 Positions Cut - Thursday, December 24, 2015

Memphis-Mayor elect Jim Strickland announced on Christmas Eve that he will eliminate eight positions in the current administration, one of them vacant. And a ninth positon will become a part-time position. Strickland will also follow through on his long-held desire to end the city’s involvement in and funding of the Memphis-Shelby County Music Commission.

56. A List of Mayor-Elect Jim Strickland’s Appointments So Far - Monday, December 14, 2015

Memphis Mayor elect Jim Strickland still has some appointments to make, but he is methodically filling key positions in his administration ahead of taking office Jan. 1.

57. Strickland Names 6 Chiefs to Report Directly To Mayor - Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Memphis Mayor-elect Jim Strickland rounded out his team of top advisers and division directors with six appointees who will report directly to him – a structural change to how previous mayoral administrations have worked.

58. Strickland: Police Director Armstrong Stays, For Now - Saturday, November 28, 2015

The city of Memphis eventually will have a new Memphis Police Department director, but, for now, current director Toney Armstrong will continue to hold the job.

Mayor-elect Jim Strickland announced Friday, Nov. 20, that Armstrong will remain in the job while he searches for a replacement.

59. Conrad: Mike Williams ‘Should Be Fired’ - Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Incoming Memphis City Council chairman Kemp Conrad thinks the city should consider firing Mike Williams, president of the Memphis Police Association, for helping recruiters from other police forces set up job fairs in Memphis.

60. Strickland: Police Director Armstrong Stays, For Now - Monday, November 23, 2015

The city of Memphis eventually will have a new Memphis Police Department director, but, for now, current director Toney Armstrong will continue to hold the job.

Mayor-elect Jim Strickland announced Friday, Nov. 20, that Armstrong will remain in the job while he searches for a replacement.

61. Strickland: Police Director Armstrong Stays, For Now - Saturday, November 21, 2015

The city of Memphis eventually will have a new Memphis Police Department director, but, for now, current director Toney Armstrong will continue to hold the job.

Mayor-elect Jim Strickland announced Friday, Nov. 20, that Armstrong will remain in the job while he searches for a replacement.

62. Wharton’s Transition Reveals Lighter Mood - Friday, October 23, 2015

The incumbent’s advantage in Memphis politics often keeps playing out after all of the votes are counted – even if the winner isn’t the incumbent.

A version of that is happening now as Memphis Mayor A C Wharton serves out the rest of his term after losing a re-election bid to challenger Jim Strickland in the Oct. 8 city elections.

63. Memphis City Council to Talk ‘Rooney Rule’ For Minority Contracts - Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Memphis City Council member Edmund Ford Jr. wants to bring the NFL’s “Rooney Rule” to City Hall’s approach to minority business contracting.

The council discusses the proposed ordinance at a 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, committee session.

64. Despite Rhetoric, Florida Game Critical for Tennessee's Butch Jones - Saturday, September 26, 2015

Tennessee’s Butch Jones will coach the biggest game of his three-year tenure with the Vols – and probably the biggest of his entire coaching career – at Florida on Saturday.

Like it or not, Jones is carrying the weight of UT’s 10-game losing streak to Florida on his shoulders.

65. Affordable Homes in an Unaffordable Market - Saturday, August 22, 2015

The gold rush of residential development throughout Middle Tennessee conceals what some in the region say is a growing crisis in affordable housing.

New homes and condos come on to the market every day, and even more are under construction or still in the planning stage, but those homes are often on the higher end of the price scale.

66. College Football Notebook: Nick Saban Needs a Quarterback - Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Another season at Alabama and another battle for quarterback.

Last year’s runner-up, Florida State transfer Jacob Coker, returns for a second shot at the job after losing out to Blake Sims in 2014. Redshirt freshman David Cornwell showed enough last spring to become a contender, and the race may be wide enough open to go beyond these two if neither can assert himself as the leader of the offense.

67. Preseason Analysis: Vols Will Defeat Oklahoma, Finish 8-4 - Saturday, August 8, 2015

Tennessee’s football team has something to prove as it concludes the first week of preseason practices and moves forward to the 2015 season.

The Vols must prove they belong in the national picture in Butch Jones’ third year as coach.

68. Memphis Mayoral Field Set at 10 - Friday, July 24, 2015

Shelby County Election Commissioners have certified the Memphis election ballot for Oct. 8.

These are the names to appear on that ballot for the 15 elected offices.

The commission met hours after the noon Thursday, July 23, deadline for candidates to withdraw from the ballot if they wished.

69. Memphis' Cost for Non-Pension Benefits Still Controversial - Tuesday, July 7, 2015

The amounts are roughly the same at about $1 billion, but there’s a difference between City Hall’s liability for pension and non-pension benefits, including health insurance, for city of Memphis employees.

70. Projects, Issues Spill into Memphis' New Fiscal Year - Wednesday, July 1, 2015

On Monday, June 29, two days before the new fiscal year, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. was in the back of a house on Ridgewood Drive in Whitehaven.

Wharton was marking the start of a 90-day public works project spanning both fiscal years to build a retention pond for the Days Creek area. The $450,000 project includes removing trees and brush from the drainage area, in an effort to prevent flooding. In September 2014, some homes in the area were heavily damaged in a sudden and prolonged downpour.

71. Memphis City Council Approves Pay Raises, Stable Property Tax Rate - Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Memphis City Council members put City Hall’s budget season to rest Tuesday, June 23, with approval of a $656.5 million city operating budget that includes 2 percent pay raises for city police and firefighters and a 1 percent pay raise for all other city employees starting in January.

72. Council to Tackle Police, Fire Pay Raises Tuesday - Monday, June 22, 2015

The Memphis Police Association is asking its attorneys if union police officers are forbidden from going on strike if the Memphis City Council ignores an impasse committee’s recommendation to raise officer pay 3 percent.

73. Memphis City Council’s Distrust of Wharton Boils to Surface - Thursday, June 18, 2015

If it wasn’t obvious in five previous budget seasons, Memphis City Council members made the point clearer Tuesday, June 16, just before they delayed final city budget votes for another week.

They don’t trust the numbers and explanations they are getting from Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. as they try to rearrange his $656.5 million budget that was proposed in April.

74. Memphis City Council Adds Health Benefits Extension to Budget To-Do List - Thursday, June 11, 2015

Memphis City Council members have another decision to make on their list of votes before the fiscal year ends June 30.

The council is weighing extending health insurance benefits through 2016 for city retirees younger than 65.

75. Council Pursues Budget Loose Ends, Votes on Brewery Funding - Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Memphis City Council members will vote Tuesday on $2.5 million in city funding for the Tennessee Brewery redevelopment.

The members also have budget changes to work out before final budget votes later this month. They will tackle those issues during a Tuesday morning committee session.

76. Memphis Budget Proposal Includes More Street Paving, Health Insurance ‘Overhang’ - Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Street paving is the centerpiece of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s capital improvements budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Wharton is proposing a $656.5 million operating budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The administration is taking a $55 million capital improvements budget to the Memphis City Council that will include the most street paving the city has done since the federal stimulus fund of 2008, according to Wharton.

77. Wharton Traces City’s Path in Financial Crisis - Monday, April 20, 2015

City Hall’s budget season in this Memphis election year will be about more than the dollar figures and line items in Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s budget proposal.

It will be about different versions of how the city got into its ongoing financial crisis.

78. City Debt Restructure Isn’t the End of Finance Debate - Thursday, March 19, 2015

The table was rectangular, not round. There was no green felt and nobody had a deck of cards. But when 10 Memphis City Council members, Mayor A C Wharton Jr. and Tennessee comptroller Justin Wilson gathered in the council’s committee room Tuesday, March 17, there were lots of comparisons to a poker game. And lots of money was at stake.

79. Financial Debate Looms at City Hall - Thursday, March 5, 2015

With Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. to present his budget proposal to the City Council in May, some on the council started to set the table this week for an election year challenge of Wharton’s methods for righting the city’s financial condition.

80. Council Delays Financial Votes, Approves Beale Street Authority - Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Memphis City Council members approved a $4.5 million advance Tuesday, March 3, for the Memphis Area Transit Authority to get past a cash flow problem.

But the council delayed for two weeks a vote on a larger mid-fiscal year budget adjustment for city government in general.

81. City Debt Restructure Meets Council Resistance - Thursday, February 19, 2015

First reviews from Memphis City Council members Tuesday, Feb. 17, to Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s plan to restructure the city’s debt payments were harsh and skeptical.

Wharton wasn’t present in council committee sessions Tuesday as council member Jim Strickland played audio of Wharton in 2010 telling council members that the restructuring of city debt then was a “plain vanilla” transaction.

82. Council Critical of Wharton Debt Restructuring - Wednesday, February 18, 2015

First reviews from Memphis City Council members Tuesday, Feb. 17, to Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s plan to restructure the city’s debt payments were harsh and skeptical.

Wharton wasn’t present in council committee sessions Tuesday as council member Jim Strickland played audio of Wharton in 2010 telling council members that the restructuring of city debt then was a “plain vanilla” transaction.

83. Debt, Pension Overhang Top City Council Priorities - Tuesday, February 17, 2015

UPDATE: Council committee sessions are beginning late Tuesday – at 10:30 a.m. – because of weather-related road conditions, and committees will have a condensed schedule, according to council staff.

84. City Talking Debt Restructure Two Years After State Warning - Tuesday, February 10, 2015

The Memphis City Council approved changes to city health insurance coverage in June and pension coverage in December.

But later amendments to both sets of benefits, the city’s debt service payments, a 2010 restructuring of city debt, and the city’s annual required pension contribution are all factors that will influence city finances for years, said city finance director Brian Collins.

85. Harris Goes to Nashville - Friday, January 9, 2015

At his last Memphis City Council session, Lee Harris reflected this week on his three years on the council and the group of politicians he joined.

86. Council Signals Return to Schools Funding Mediation - Wednesday, January 7, 2015

It’s back to mediation Thursday, Jan. 8, in the six-year long schools funding deadlock between the city of Memphis and Shelby County Schools.

That was the next step several Memphis City Council members pointed to after more than an hour behind closed doors at City Hall Tuesday with their attorney as well as city Chief Administrative Officer George Little.

87. 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.

88. Pension Reform Decision Back At Square One - Thursday, October 23, 2014

It happened in the shadow of a change in the pension reform proposal Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. had backed all through the summer and two of three council votes.

As the Memphis City Council got its first formal presentation Tuesday, Oct. 21, of Wharton’s new hybrid pension plan, it settled City Hall’s tumultuous discussion about changes to health insurance coverage for city employees and retirees.

89. Council Bogs Down in Health Insurance Numbers - Thursday, September 11, 2014

When Memphis City Council members meet Tuesday, Sept. 16, they will still be considering alternatives to the health care insurance plan changes they approved in June.

And they probably still will be trying to make sense of a mind-numbing array of conflicting numbers.

90. Different Pension Path Possible in Council Delay - Thursday, July 3, 2014

Memphis City Council members are looking at hybrid pension plans for city employees that could have separate terms for police officers and firefighters and enroll all other city employees in the Social Security plan.

91. Long Council Day Comes With Change, Emotions - Thursday, June 19, 2014

It was apparent early in the long council day Tuesday, June 17, at City Hall that there wouldn’t be many amendments to the $600 million operating budget and $84 million capital budget the council would approve later that evening.

92. Council Approves Budgets, Stable Tax Rate, Health Insurance Changes - Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Memphis City Council members approved a $600 million operating budget and an $84 million capital budget Tuesday, June 17, for the city government fiscal year that begins July 1.

And the council gave final approval to larger changes to employee and retiree health insurance plans designed to make long term changes necessary to right the city’s financial condition.

93. Council to Vote on Insurance Changes, Budget - Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Most of council day at City Hall Tuesday, June 17, will be devoted to closing out most, but not all, of the city’s budget season.

The Memphis City Council should make final decisions Tuesday on a stable city property tax rate and approve operating and capital budgets for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

94. 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.

95. 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.

96. Council Looks to Pinpoint Pension Numbers - Thursday, March 6, 2014

The Tuesday, March 4, discussion Memphis City Council members had with Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson, Tennessee Treasurer David Lillard and consultants from four actuarial firms centered on the city’s pension liability.

97. Wharton Administration Offers First Look at Pension Liability Options - Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Finding $15 million in new revenue each year for the next five fiscal years for the city’s unfunded pension liability will mean “We can’t continue business as usual,” city of Memphis Chief Administrative Officer George Little warned Tuesday, Jan. 7.

98. Ratings Agencies Weigh In on City’s Bonds - Monday, December 30, 2013

Standard & Poor’s, one of the big three bond-rating agencies, has assigned a AA rating to the city’s general obligation bonds and the revenue bonds proposed for use in a city purchase of AutoZone Park, and has given the city’s financial health a “stable” outlook on both fronts.

99. Wharton to Present Pension Plan to City Council - Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. will take a five-year plan for meeting the city’s $709 million unfunded pension liability Tuesday, Dec. 17, to Memphis City Council members during their executive session.

100. Beale Street Deal Would Pay Handy Park Debt - Thursday, October 17, 2013

The settlement of the last remaining item in the bankruptcy petition of Beale Street developer Performa Entertainment hasn’t gone by any of the scripts the administration of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. has written and rewritten.