On Monday, June 21st, the longest day of the year, starting at 3 p.m., the Shelby County Commission, confronting a meager attendance and an agenda that seemed lean to the point of perfunctory, managed, as if on a dare, to extend its regular meeting to the point of nightfall.
The confounding issue was the matter of a final tax rate for Shelby Countians. Early on, County Mayor Lee Harris put in an appearance to express the well-intentioned wish that the body pass a tax rate of $3.45 — the rate, certified by the state of Tennessee, that would generate the same amount of revenue from the county’s latest real-property appraisal as was previously paid by local taxpayers.
The problem was that the commission had settled on a rate of $3.46 at its June 7th meeting as a result of an equally well-intentioned move to add to the certified rate one cent (equivalent to $2.3 million in tax receipts) to pay for a mental health program for youth and adults. To remain at the revised $3.46 rate would require a final vote in July; if it reverted to the $3.45 rate, the commission could finish its preparations for fiscal 2022 this week.
To accept the $3.45 rate would have one serious disadvantage: It would edge out the aforementioned $2.3 million that had been allocated for mental health, unless some way could be found to replace that much money.
At length, after much discussion, a way was found. Through a process of redistributing fund sources, the burden of the odd $2.3 million for mental health was shifted from the county’s general fund to federal funds allocated under President Joe Biden’s American Recovery Plan (ARP). And the tax rate of $3.45 was duly voted in by all nine members present. Mission accomplished.
• Speculation on the electoral politics of 2022 has started up big-time — especially on the matter of the 9th District congressional seat now held by Democrat Steve Cohen. It is generally assumed that Cohen will seek re-election, for the eighth time since he first won the seat in 2006.
Though Cohen normally has a nominal Republican opponent in the fall, his real race has always been in the Democratic primary, where, as a white man in this predominantly African-American district, he has turned aside one name Black candidate after another, usually by overwhelming margins.
So who will take him on next year? A recent text poll circulated in the district feeds the conjecture. Cohen is polled against four potential opponents — City Councilman JB Smiley, outgoing Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, County Commissioner Tami Sawyer, and County Mayor Harris. It is assumed that one of the four commissioned the poll, whose authorship remains uncertain.
• Harris’ future is a frequent subject of political gossip. One strong rumor has him mentioned as a possible appointment to the seat of Court of Appeals Judge Bernice Donald, who is about to take senior (i.e., semi-retired) status. Until Harris announces his plans for re-election, no Democrat is likely to declare for county mayor, though Strickland aide Ken Moody and County Commissioner Van Turner are possible entries for an open seat. Republicans interested in running include Memphis City Council members Worth Morgan and Frank Colvett, as well as County Commissioner Mark Billingsley.
