Brooke MuckermanMemphis Commercial Appeal
Shelby County Commissioners have approved the contract for architectural and engineering design services for the inmate mental health facility that was approved earlier this year. The previous contract put before the Commission in July but was turned down due to the awardee being a white-owned firm and having identical scores to a minority-owned firm who was denied the contract.
The practice has become commonplace in the Commission chambers, as Commissioner Britney Thornton has made a point to heavily scrutinize contracts given out by the county due to low minority spending from the county government.
The contract for architectural and engineering design was previously denied by the commission because it did not include enough spending on local minority-owned businesses. The new contract includes a 25% spend on minority-owned businesses, the first contract only had a 10% minority spend.
The contract with A2H Inc. is identical to the previous contract.
When the previous contract was denied in July, Commissioners wanted to see a new contract with more minority spending and potentially a minority vendor being the prime contractor instead of a sub-prime contractor. The administration's justification for using the same contractor as before was that the overall project must completed at a rapid timeline.
The money for the facility uses American Rescue Plan Act funds, which if not allocated to designated projects by December 2024 will be returned to the federal government. The money must be spent completely by 2026.
Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. said that the body "has got to do better" with approving contracts and being critical of the contracts that are put in front of the commission during the committee meetings.
Commissioners Amber Mills, Thornton and Ford voted no on the project.
MATA board approves budget with fewer service lines and employees
The Memphis Area Transit Authority approved a $67 million budget for the fiscal year 2025, $20 million short of what was required to keep services the same. The move comes after the transit authority announced they needed to operate within their means, as they face a $60 million deficit and a financial audit.
MATA's operating revenue for previous years was roughly $3 million, but the money they receive from the various government grants is $64 million. The approved budget for the previous year was $77 million.
It is not yet clear who the impacted employees will be, but the proposed budget documents included in the MATA agenda Tuesday indicated it planned to lay off 76 fixed route operators, 23 MATAPlus drivers, 51 call center employees, and 85 administration and support staff.
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There has not been a Tennessee WARN Notice posted for the expected layoffs, but a recent city council presentation said the affected workers would be notified by Aug. 28.
Service line cuts have also not been announced, as the community input meetings that MATA has been holding regarding the service lines have not been completed.
The cuts to the service lines are not yet solidified, but the proposal would have the 23 service lines cut to 16 lines. MATA's Board of Commissioners will consider the service line cuts on Sept. 24, with the expected "go date" for the new fixed route service lines being Nov. 3.
Memphis For All held a press conference on Aug. 29, calling on the Memphis City Council to act and fully fund the transit authority. The speakers recommended the City Council dip into its rainy-day fund, raise property taxes again or raise vehicle registration fees again.
MSCS Board members' final meeting, Sawyer sworn in as Clerk
The outgoing Memphis Shelby County School Board members had their final meeting on Aug. 27. The meeting featured a video from Superintendent Marie Feagins that had short messages from friends and families of the board members.
New board members were sworn in on Aug. 29, and will have their first board meeting on Sept. 17.
Tami Sawyer was sworn in as the first woman to hold the position of General Sessions Court Clerk on Aug. 29 also. Sawyer won the General Election for the Clerk position on Aug. 1 and will have one of the youngest appointed staffs in the office's history, according to Sawyer.
Outgoing commission Chairwoman Miska Clay Bibbs gave an uplifting speech about Sawyer that was mainly about sisterhood. Clay Bibbs was the second Black woman to hold the position of chairwoman of the Shelby County Commission.
Blackburn Renewed Call to Pass AFTER SCHOOL Act
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, again urged Congress to pass the AFTER SCHOOL Act legislation. The bipartisan legislation would establish grant programs for local communities to enhance after-school programs to combat violent crime among juveniles.
“Across the country, 64 percent of violent juvenile crime happens [on] school days...After school programs have the proven effect of keeping youth crime low and keeping our young kids out of trouble. As children go back to school, I’m calling on the U.S. Senate to pass this bipartisan legislation. Let’s give more tools to our local communities to address juvenile crime,” Blackburn said in a press release.
The legislation stalled in March after it was introduced. It has not been moved into committees by Congress.
Catch up on the week
- Secretary of State will not let gun control referendum on Memphis ballots
- TN GOP leadership threatens tax revenue over Memphis ballot measures
- Wanda Halbert moves to have new ouster dismissed, cites standing again
- Ex-DeSoto County jailer arrested in connection with inmate's escape
- Arlington Community Schools former superintendent Jeff Mayo dies
- Memphis gun reform initiates will not appear on November 2024 ballot
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The week ahead
The Shelby County Board of Commissioners will meet for their committee meetings on Wednesday, September 4 starting at 8:30 a.m. Watch thelivestream via the website, or attend in person at Vasco A. Smith, Jr. County Administration Building, located at 160 N. Main St. in Memphis.
