Shelby County Commission approves $5 million racial reparations review
The commission approved a resolution Wednesday, Feb. 22, on an 8-3-2 vote to fund a $5 million feasibility study “to establish, develop and implement reparations.”
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The commission approved a resolution Wednesday, Feb. 22, on an 8-3-2 vote to fund a $5 million feasibility study “to establish, develop and implement reparations.”
The commission meets at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, when it will vote to change its meeting schedule to allow for a meeting seven hours later.
The two resolutions approved unanimously drew criticism from activists because they are not binding on law enforcement. Commissioners are exploring ways to draft them as ordinances that could be more binding on the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert pledged the Riverdale branch office would open by the end of 2022. It’s not open yet, and Halbert told county commissioners Monday she doesn’t know when it will be.
The two resolutions signal a return to the issue of use of force by law enforcement for the commission as well as the Memphis City Council nearly three years after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis prompted votes by both bodies on a series of similar resolutions.
Environmental activist Justin J. Pearson followed up his Tuesday victory in the District 86 Democratic primary with a 9-0 county commission vote Wednesday, appointing him to the open seat in the Shelby County delegation.
The unanimous Shelby County Commission vote Monday for the moratorium came despite county attorneys warning the commission might be overstepping its authority. Winner of District 86 primary to get an extra day’s jump on appointmentRelated story:
The County Commission will vote Wednesday on a move to make the primary winner of the District 86 special election the appointee until the uncontested March election results are certified.
The moratorium on the Monday, Jan. 23, agenda is the latest indication that commissioners want to reexamine land use and property transfers in blighted areas.
The County Commission acted on several fronts at its first meeting of the year Monday on the broader issue of the rules for tax sales and other transfer of parcels by the county. Low turnout in special elections draws questions, complaints from County CommissionRelated story:
The State House District 86 primaries have drawn 275 early voters through the weekend, out of the 45,000 in the district, which has raised questions.
The commission’s earlier resolution urging the Tennessee Legislature to approve a rental registry for Shelby County was voted down last month after four commissioners recused themselves.
The Shelby County Commission passed the TIF trust fund to collect increased property city and county property taxes and use the revenue for Klondike redevelopment. The plan next goes before the Memphis City Council.
The Shelby County Commission will appoint the winner of the Democratic primary election Jan. 24. Since there are no Republican or independent challengers in the special March election, the appointee will effectively be the Tennessee House District 86 representative.
A public hearing highlighted skepticism about past efforts to bring blighted areas back to life, and fears the North Memphis neighborhood’s current residents could be displaced.
The 8-5 vote by the commission came after an emotional debate and crossed party lines. It is the second of four votes on the deal that would transfer the namesake elementary and middle buildings to Germantown’s school system and greenlight the sale of Germantown High.
The Shelby County Commission meets Wednesday, Dec. 14, to talk about making an appointment to the State House District 86 seat ahead of the special elections.
The agreement will be reviewed next week by Shelby County Board of Commissioners, City of Germantown, Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education and the Germantown Municipal School District Board of Education.
The $1.3 million is one-time money for the city’s bus system. Meanwhile, commissioner Henri Brooks voted against three grants made by other commissioners.
Some Shelby County Commissioners didn’t care for how terms of the deal that would transfer two Germantown namesake schools to the City of Germantown were made public.
MSCS leaders say they may be going to court. Meanwhile, the commission has delayed what was to be a final vote on a TIF district for redevelopment of Klondike.
Commissioner Henri Brooks, whose district includes Klondike, sought again to delay the second of three votes on a TIF district for the redevelopment of the residential area. Other Democratic commissioners on the body moved forward.
The resolution approved Monday calls on the state to allow the city and county to tax single-family rental portfolios of 50 or more homes at a higher commercial property tax rate. Four new judicial commissioners appointed to new 24-hour bail courtRelated story:
The Shelby County Commission have appointed five more judicial commissioners as the criminal court system gears up for a new round-the-clock bail court.
The resolution, which would ask the Tennessee Legislature and Gov. Bill Lee to change state law, is an alternative to a registry of rental property owners.