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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Memphis City Council Regular Meeting – July 8, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, July 8, 2025

BodyMemphis, Tennessee

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, July 8, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:36:24

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:13

Sergeant Arms, please call our July eighth, twenty twenty-five council meeting to order.

0:24

All right.

0:26

I would like to recognize our chaplain of the day, Pastor Darren Thomas II of Friendship AME Church, invited by his lovely bride, Councilwoman Dr.

0:39

Michael and Easter Thomas.

0:41

Pastor Thomas, would you please lead us in prayer?

0:45

Let us pray.

0:48

Dear God our God, we first come to use the two best words we could ever use.

0:55

Thank you.

0:57

What a unique opportunity it is to be alive, to have the movement of our limbs, the activity of our brains, the beating of our hearts.

1:12

Yes, they may not function the way we want them to, but we are grateful that you gave them to us as they are now, for it means that we are still in the land of the living.

1:25

Dear God, we thank you for this great place called Memphis, the greatest city ever created, a city with so much potential, a city with so much promise, a city that can rise from whatever the naysayers have to say.

1:50

Now, God, I thank you for these creatures, God, these chosen individuals who you've called to be council members.

2:00

God, it is my prayer that you pour out your spirit upon each one of them and anoint them afresh.

2:09

It is my prayer, God, that you remind them to have the spirit of Proverbs 31.

2:15

Know not the Proverbs 31 woman, but Proverbs 31, eight, and nine.

2:21

Speak up for those who can't speak for themselves.

2:25

Ensure justice for those who are being crushed.

2:30

So God, I pray that they have the courage to speak up for those who are lost, who are without, who have the least, who are struggling.

2:42

God, I pray that they speak out for the future, for the present, and for those who truly need someone to speak on their behalf.

2:55

God, it is my prayer that throughout this city that you rise and that you allow this city to rise.

3:04

It is my prayer, God, that you allow your power to be made present in this place.

3:12

God, it is my prayer that we leave everything that needs to be buried and allow it to be buried so that the new things can rise again.

3:25

Let us not stick to traditional ways of living, but let us have a renewed mindset to revolutionize our city so that we can show the world that Memphis still stands, and that it will stand the test of time and will always rise again.

3:50

And God, now, the same way that we began this prayer, we end it by thanking you for what you've done already, by thanking you for what you're doing, and yes, thanking you for what you will do, for we firmly believe that the latter glory will be greater than that of the former, believing that the best is still yet to come.

4:20

This is the prayer that I submit to you, and let the friends of God say together, Amen.

5:15

Afternoon, City of Memphis and colleagues.

5:18

Come on.

5:22

By the city council, be it hereby known that my handsome husband, Pastor Darren Thomas the second.

5:29

Um, in recognition of a life of exemplary qualities, outstanding service to the city, meritorious involvement in humanitarian affairs and demonstrated concern for governmental process, has been appointed chaplain of the day of the Memphis City Council and hereby entitled to all of the honors, rights, and privileges and prerogatives appertaining to the office.

5:50

Giving under this seal, eighth day of July, Chairman J.

5:53

Foy Canale and presented by myself, Michael and Easter Thomas.

5:57

Um, and you all uh my husband, I hadn't he's been ordained by AME for a while before we were married, but I hadn't invited him yet because he wasn't officially a pastor.

6:09

So recently in December, he was assigned to Pastor Church just a few miles away in Clarksdale, Mississippi friendship AME.

6:21

Um, but we are very, very, very proud of him and our family, and I am too to be able to call him Pastor Darren Thomas.

6:30

So thank you for coming today.

6:32

Thank you.

6:36

I gotta get a picture.

6:44

Pastor Thomas, congratulations to you, my friend, on your new appointment, and thank you for that beautiful prayer.

6:50

We appreciate you being with us and praying over us today.

6:57

Madam Comptroller, would you please call the roll?

7:00

Thank you, Mr.

7:00

Chairman.

7:01

Council members Carlisle, Cooper Sutton, present, Easter Thomas, Ford, Green, Logan, Smiley, Spinoza, Swearington, Washington, present, Walker, Warren.

7:24

White, Chairman Canale, Mr.

7:27

Chairman, you have a quorum.

7:29

Thank you, Madam Comptroller.

7:31

Colleagues, I believe that our vice chair has read the meeting minutes from our June 24th, 2025 meeting.

7:40

Thank you, Chairman.

7:41

I have reviewed the minutes and find them to be in order.

7:44

I move for the adoption of the June 24th, 2025 City Council meeting minutes.

8:16

Green, yes, Logan, yes, Spinoza, yes.

8:19

Swearing Washington, yes, Walker, yes, Canale, yes.

8:26

That item passes.

8:33

Welcome everyone in the audience.

8:36

We appreciate you being with us today and those listening on to the uh July 8th, 2025 regular meeting of the Memphis City Council.

8:46

Meetings of the council shall be conducted in an orderly manner to ensure the public has full opportunity to be heard, and the deliberate process of the council is retained at all times.

8:56

The sergeant at arms making his way back over, has a meeting agendas available up front as well as comment request cards for members of the public wishing to be heard on a specific item.

9:06

All those are wishing to speak on an item must turn in their comment card to the sergeant arms before the item is called.

9:12

If you are not here to speak on a specific item, you can note your request to give general comment at the end of the meeting.

9:17

As chair, I will only recognize citizens that properly registered to speak by submitting a completed comment request card to the sergeant at arms.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████29%

Zoning Ordinance████████████████████████24%

Personnel Matters████████8%

Community Engagement████████8%

Miscellaneous███████7%

Public Transportation██████6%

Public Safety█████5%

Engineering And Infrastructure███3%

Parks and Recreation███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Memphis City Council Regular Meeting – July 8, 2025

The Memphis City Council met on July 8, 2025, for a regular meeting. The session opened with a prayer led by Pastor Darren Thomas II, roll call, and approval of the June 24, 2025, minutes. The council observed moments of silence for fallen first responders (Firefighter Jason Driver and an off-duty firefighter) and victims of Texas flooding, and recognized the deployment of Tennessee Task Force One to assist in rescue efforts. Several routine items were approved on consent, and the council heard a contested appeal regarding a subdivision on South Third Street, which was ultimately held. Public comments addressed MATA operations, the blight remediation ordinance, and concerns about the same subdivision.

Consent Calendar

Approval of Minutes – June 24, 2025, council meeting minutes (unanimous).
Item 3 – Zoning ordinance for 2572 Park Avenue (RU-1 to RU-3, second reading) – approved.
Item 4 – Engineering plans for Phillips Farms Plan Development Area 2A Phase 1 – approved.
Item 5 – Accepting public improvements for Legends Park Senior Building and releasing bond – approved.
Items 7–10 (MLGW Fiscal Consent) – Ratification of purchase orders and contract changes for generators, inspection services, software, and employee app – approved.
Item 6 – Acceptance of FY21 grant funds from Shelby County ($26,839.66) – approved (Councilwoman White recused).
Item 25 – Honorary street name change for Lieutenant Jeffrey Todd Norman (Arkansas Street from West Burdock to South Parkway West) – approved by acclamation.
Item 21 – Appointment of Susan Holland as Memphis Animal Services Director – approved.
Item 22 – Appointment of Melanie Neal as Community Enhancement Director – approved.
Item 24 – Resolution approving a one-time bonus of $2,950 for city retirees (as amended, with September 1, 2025, effective date) – approved.
Item 23 – Appointment of Justice Bolden as Memphis Parks Director – approved.
Item 26 – Plan development approval for 1609 Corning Avenue – approved.
Items 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18 – Various resolutions (appointments, land bank authority, surplus property sales, grant fund adjustments) – all approved.
Item 2 – Plan development approval for 2925 Basket Industries – approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

Mr. Ridgeway (address not provided) – Spoke against the MATA funding resolution (Item 19), citing lack of ridership data, inefficient fixed-route buses, and need for expanded on-demand service. He called for public hearings on the forensic audit of MATA.
Amber Sherman (6070 North Belgrove Cove) – Opposed the blight remediation ordinance, stating it allows unannounced interior inspections, uses vague and racially charged definitions (e.g., “urban blight”), criminalizes poverty, and lacks a meaningful appeal process. She urged the council to delete or significantly amend the ordinance.
Winnie Hardaway (4624 Honeysuckle, Memphis) – Expressed concerns about both the subdivision at 4696 South Third Street (Item 1) and the blight ordinance. She argued the applicant’s initial plan for an oil change facility threatens the Save-A-Lot grocery store in a food desert and noted the property lies in a wellhead protection zone. She also echoed opposition to the blight ordinance.

Discussion Items

Item 1 (Appeal – 4696 South Third Street) – The council heard an appeal by Dr. Lynette Williams (Aqualina Lakeview Gardens CDC) to overturn the Land Use Control Board’s approval of a resubdivision creating a 0.82-acre lot from the Save-A-Lot property. The applicant (Wesley Wardridge, Renaissance Group) stated the subdivision was intended to help the owner reduce property tax burden and attract customers to the grocery store, with no current use planned. The community feared the lot could be sold for an oil change facility or other incompatible use, threatening the only grocery store in the area. Council members expressed concerns about lack of transparency and potential harm to the neighborhood. The item was held until the September council meeting to allow further negotiation between the community and applicant.

Key Outcomes

Items 14 and 15 – Held to August 5, 2025, and October 21, 2025, respectively.
Item 1 – Held until September 2025 council meeting.
All other agenda items were approved by unanimous or near-unanimous votes.
Appointments confirmed: Susan Holland (Animal Services), Melanie Neal (Community Enhancement), Justice Bolden (Parks), and Lynn Fall (Memphis Land Bank Authority – Item 13).
Retiree bonus approved (Item 24) – $2,950 one-time payment, effective September 1, 2025.
Honorary street naming – Arkansas Street segment designated “Lieutenant Jeffrey Todd Norman Street” in honor of the fallen firefighter.

Meeting Transcript

Sergeant Arms, please call our July eighth, twenty twenty-five council meeting to order. All right. I would like to recognize our chaplain of the day, Pastor Darren Thomas II of Friendship AME Church, invited by his lovely bride, Councilwoman Dr. Michael and Easter Thomas. Pastor Thomas, would you please lead us in prayer? Let us pray. Dear God our God, we first come to use the two best words we could ever use. Thank you. What a unique opportunity it is to be alive, to have the movement of our limbs, the activity of our brains, the beating of our hearts. Yes, they may not function the way we want them to, but we are grateful that you gave them to us as they are now, for it means that we are still in the land of the living. Dear God, we thank you for this great place called Memphis, the greatest city ever created, a city with so much potential, a city with so much promise, a city that can rise from whatever the naysayers have to say. Now, God, I thank you for these creatures, God, these chosen individuals who you've called to be council members. God, it is my prayer that you pour out your spirit upon each one of them and anoint them afresh. It is my prayer, God, that you remind them to have the spirit of Proverbs 31. Know not the Proverbs 31 woman, but Proverbs 31, eight, and nine. Speak up for those who can't speak for themselves. Ensure justice for those who are being crushed. So God, I pray that they have the courage to speak up for those who are lost, who are without, who have the least, who are struggling. God, I pray that they speak out for the future, for the present, and for those who truly need someone to speak on their behalf. God, it is my prayer that throughout this city that you rise and that you allow this city to rise. It is my prayer, God, that you allow your power to be made present in this place. God, it is my prayer that we leave everything that needs to be buried and allow it to be buried so that the new things can rise again. Let us not stick to traditional ways of living, but let us have a renewed mindset to revolutionize our city so that we can show the world that Memphis still stands, and that it will stand the test of time and will always rise again. And God, now, the same way that we began this prayer, we end it by thanking you for what you've done already, by thanking you for what you're doing, and yes, thanking you for what you will do, for we firmly believe that the latter glory will be greater than that of the former, believing that the best is still yet to come. This is the prayer that I submit to you, and let the friends of God say together, Amen. Afternoon, City of Memphis and colleagues. Come on. By the city council, be it hereby known that my handsome husband, Pastor Darren Thomas the second. Um, in recognition of a life of exemplary qualities, outstanding service to the city, meritorious involvement in humanitarian affairs and demonstrated concern for governmental process, has been appointed chaplain of the day of the Memphis City Council and hereby entitled to all of the honors, rights, and privileges and prerogatives appertaining to the office. Giving under this seal, eighth day of July, Chairman J. Foy Canale and presented by myself, Michael and Easter Thomas. Um, and you all uh my husband, I hadn't he's been ordained by AME for a while before we were married, but I hadn't invited him yet because he wasn't officially a pastor. So recently in December, he was assigned to Pastor Church just a few miles away in Clarksdale, Mississippi friendship AME. Um, but we are very, very, very proud of him and our family, and I am too to be able to call him Pastor Darren Thomas. So thank you for coming today. Thank you. I gotta get a picture. Pastor Thomas, congratulations to you, my friend, on your new appointment, and thank you for that beautiful prayer. We appreciate you being with us and praying over us today. Madam Comptroller, would you please call the roll? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Council members Carlisle, Cooper Sutton, present, Easter Thomas, Ford, Green, Logan, Smiley, Spinoza, Swearington, Washington, present, Walker, Warren. White, Chairman Canale, Mr. Chairman, you have a quorum. Thank you, Madam Comptroller. Colleagues, I believe that our vice chair has read the meeting minutes from our June 24th, 2025 meeting. Thank you, Chairman. I have reviewed the minutes and find them to be in order. I move for the adoption of the June 24th, 2025 City Council meeting minutes.

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