Thumbnail: Memphis’ neighborhood poverty continues to be the leading problem facing the city. The Economic Innovation Group summed it up in graphic terms in its May, 2020 report, The Persistence of Neighborhood Poverty – Examining the power of inertia and the rarity of neighborhood turnaround across U.S. cities. Memphis is one of six cities spotlighted in the report.
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Thumbnail: To compound the revenue shortfall caused by Covid-19, Memphis also saw the assessed value of property fall by $23.6 million. Shelby County saw a really small increase – less than one-half of 1%. It is a troubling sign for the future.
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Thumbnail: Since March, the rich may not have gotten richer, but the poor has definitely gotten poorer. Overall, the picture is grim. Memphis is not part of the national trend showing improvement.
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Thumbnail: Graceland’s dogged efforts to tell Memphis what it’s own documents mean, Liberty Park may be the next Volunteer Park, and big news at the Port of Memphis.
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Thumbnail: Despite the regular talking points about PILOTs, City Hall – in a bubble surrounded by people who benefit from the tax breaks – has no way of knowing if the tax breaks are justified. If city mayors want to hand out PILOTs, Shelby County Government’s taxes should be exempt because they support safety net programs and education.
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Thumbnail: The Board of Adjustment vote on the proposed gas station/convenience store in the Broad Avenue Arts District is about more than a project. It is a vote on whether the vision captured in Memphis 3.0 it more than empty words.
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Thumbnail: While the results of the current poll about consolidation makes for interesting cocktail conversation, a campaign to merge city and county governments is a distraction that keeps us from dealing with issues that matter. It’s not government structure that matter. It’s leadership.
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Thumbnail: The current PILOT programs are not improving key indicators for Memphis workers and calls for a greater commitment to fiduciary duties for Memphis City Council and Shelby County Board of Commissioners. Here are 10 suggestions for helping make that happen.
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Thumbnail: Memphis and Shelby County PILOT programs raise questions on their return on investment, failing to improve key measurements of success. And yet, the programs remain largely unquestioned by elected officials and others who have fiduciary responsibilities for local government.
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Thumbnail: If the Memphis economy is to reboot after the pandemic, the focus needs to be on structural issues that are ice on the wings of the recovery. After the Great Recession, Memphis returned to business as usual and squandered the chance to fundamentally improve the economy. Hopefully, history will not repeat itself.
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by Bill Day. Memphian Bill Day is two-time winner of the RFK Journalism Award in Cartooning. His cartoons are syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons. Cartoons Archive →