August 19, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Memphis City Council

The Memphis City Council held its regular meeting on August 19, 2025, at 10:15 AM. The meeting covered a wide range of items including resolutions honoring community figures, land use permits, fiscal consent items for Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW), an ordinance regarding artificial intelligence property (XAI facility), and public comments on transportation, library worker protections, and municipal accountability. Several items were approved, with notable amendments and discussions.

Consent Calendar

• Item 2: Resolution honoring the life of Reverend Dr. Herbert Brewster Sr. and the 100th anniversary of Brewster Theological Seminary. Approved by acclamation.
• Item 3: Resolution approving closure of a 400-foot portion of a public alley between South Third Street and Barton Street. Approved unanimously.
• Item 4: Special use permit at 4465 Poplar Avenue (case PD 25-06). Approved with conditions. Councilman Carlisle recused due to a family financial conflict.
• Item 5: Special use permit at 436 South Front Street (case SUP 25-11). Approved unanimously.
• Items 11–18 (MLGW Fiscal Consent): Resolutions approving contracts and renewals, including voice/data services ($518,840), EMS SCADA ($5,510,660), wireless maintenance ($1,110,000), material storage building ($6,378,900), on-call consulting ($1,063,602), service center repaving ($786,260.85), security enhancements ($1,221,330), and customer communication ($2,286,500). All approved unanimously.
• Items 7–9 (Consent Agenda): Engineering plans for Woodlands Plan Development Phase One, honorary street name changes on South Bellevue Boulevard and for BJWT 7. All approved unanimously.
• Items 10 & 32 (Fiscal Consent): Grant funds from the state ($430,500) and ARPA interest revenue allocation. Approved unanimously.
• Items 26–34 (Add-ons): Resolutions including use of Accelerate Memphis bond interest, consolidated plan approval, solid waste vehicle financing ($5.1 million), drainage channel lining funds ($987,940.67), federal grant for Democrat Road signal ($2,761,321), bridge repair funds ($77,353), ARPA interest revenue ($1,900,000), and request for Shelby County Land Bank properties for the Building Home Program. All approved unanimously; Councilman White recused on item 34.

Public Comments & Testimony

• MATA Transit Issues: Noah Nordstrom (6224 As Grove Dr) described his experience as a full-time MATA rider, citing over 20-minute delays, missed buses, and the burden on low-income residents. He challenged council members to ride the bus. Randy Trong (37 S Rembrandt St) reported waiting two hours for a bus that never came and highlighted risks for undocumented residents who rely on buses for protection. Both urged full funding of MATA.
• XAI/Data Center Ordinance (Item 20): Jasmine Bernard (5074 Cana Rd) and Cergen (1058 Madison Ave) criticized the ordinance for excluding the Whitehaven facility (two-lane location) and demanded 100% of property tax revenue be directed to affected communities, no $100 million cap, and a community advisory board. Councilwoman Cooper Sutton noted the Whitehaven location was added to Exhibit A. Sarah Houston (1910 Madison Ave, Protect Our Aquifer) supported the ordinance but expressed disappointment that the 75% amendment failed. Kimberly Owens Pearson (1110 Starline) voiced anger over environmental harms in Westwood and the lack of community input.
• Library Workers: Four library employees (Emiline Rogers, Samara Solomon, Laura Bontrager, David Christie) requested reclassification from appointed to civil service status to gain job protections and the option to unionize. They emphasized the essential public services they provide and the insecurity of appointed positions.
• Other: Marvis M. Rogers (3059 Victoria Park) described denial of a pothole damage claim due to the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act. Sybil Presley (1056 Linden Ave) raised confusion about road maintenance responsibilities on Elvis Presley Boulevard. Celeste Grimaldi (8342 Trondheim Dr) called for a city resolution condemning federal actions. Paul Brooks (6301 Village Rose) criticized unequal development in black communities. Janice Mundy (2509 Extra Ave) demanded a forensic audit of MATA and questioned $600,000 in consulting fees. Alexis Agnew (4321 E Lane Ave) supported library workers and suggested new construction incentives for EV chargers, water bottle stations, and green spaces. Joe Kent (511 Flamingo) requested a detailed readout of Accelerate Memphis spending and criticized MATA transparency.

Discussion Items

• Item 19 (Transit Funding Ordinance): Third reading of an ordinance to amend funding dedicated to transit and mobility. Moved by Councilman Ford Sr. and approved unanimously. Public comments on MATA reliability were heard before the vote.
• Item 20 (Artificial Intelligence Property Ordinance): Ordinance providing for allocation of tax revenue from AI property (XAI facility) to public purposes. Extensive discussion and amendments:
  • Councilwoman Walker proposed an amendment (special item 1) to allocate 1% of the 25% public purpose fund for education and environmental sustainability. Mayor Young expressed support. The amendment passed 12-0 (Councilman Carlisle recused based on earlier recusal? Actually item 4 recusal; item 20 vote later showed all yes).
  • Councilwoman Cooper Sutton proposed an amendment to increase the public purpose allocation from 25% to 75% and establish an advisory board. The amendment failed for lack of a second. Later, she moved to add an advisory board via resolution, which was accepted by the council. The ordinance as amended (with Walker's amendment) passed unanimously.
  • Public commenters raised concerns about exclusion of Whitehaven facility (later added), cap of $100 million, and need for stronger community oversight.

Key Outcomes

• Item 20 (Ordinance 5953): Passed unanimously as amended, including the 1% set-aside for education/environmental sustainability. The council agreed to create a resolution for an advisory board to oversee fund allocation.
• Library Worker Reclassification: Multiple public comments requested council action. No immediate vote, but council members acknowledged the issue; no decision recorded.
• MATA Funding: No specific vote on increased funding, but public comments highlighted systemic issues.
• Same Night Minutes: Approved for items 7, 8, 9, 10, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 (Councilman White recused on 34).
• Adjournment: Motion passed after public comments.

Additional Notes

• Councilman Carlisle recused from item 4 (special use permit) due to a family member's financial conflict.
• Councilman White recused from item 34 (Shelby County Land Bank properties) as special counsel for the Shelby County Commission.
• The meeting included a roll call, adoption of August 5, 2025 minutes, and recognition of the chaplain of the day.