Author: Smart City Memphis

Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton has begun once again to lay the groundwork for another legislative session in which he will seek the authority to broaden county government’s tax options, but in truth, even if he gets approval...

On those days when discouraged about the course of Memphis events and with questions about the future that seem to have few answers, I always find encouragement in the realization that the real strength of Memphis does not...

More and more, educational decisions in Memphis and Shelby County are the tail wagging the dog.It’s a strange local phenomenon that it’s not the needs of the nation’s 18th largest school district – Memphis City Schools –...

To continue the conversation about what investments Memphis should make, here’s a few guiding principles:1) Invest in people2) Build state-of-the-art infrastructure3) Treat citizens as customers4) Streamline taxes and...

Just a few additional thoughts on where to invest then and now…+ Clean Up. This is one basic that wasn’t mentioned in the earlier post. Long-time Memphians took special pride in being the “Cleanest City in...

While Mayor Herenton suggests the sale of Memphis parks, Nashville is one of many cities investing in their parkland to make their city more competitive in the knowledge-based economy. Here’s a recent article from the...

The continuing controversy about tax freezes is about to come to a climax with the release of the long-awaited consultant’s report on Memphis and Shelby County’s economic development strategies and its overreliance...

Soon, we will enter yet another budget season for local government, and once again, there will be the regular hue and cry about the tax rate, bonded indebtedness, fund balances and the need for public sacrifice. But for the...

Just when you think you’ve heard it all when it comes to tax freezes, you find out there’s always one more way to give away county tax money.In that parallel universe where $60 million of tax dollars has entered the black hole...

On September 14, we wrote about the “Miracle at Mineola,” spotlighting a Democratic county executive whose brand of direct leadership conquered disastrous budgetary threats and halved the portion of his budget going...