Sergeant Arms, would you please call our December 2nd, 2025 Council meeting to order?

I would like to recognize our chaplain of the day, Reverend Patrick Harley of Evergreen Presbyterian Church, invited by Councilman Dr.

Warren.

Reverend Harley, would you please lead us in prayer?

Gracious and holy God, we give you thanks for this incredible city.

God, I pray this day that you give them wisdom and courage and compassion with the work that is before before them, that that seems small and even that that is very, very big.

God, we pray this holiday season for those who are just holding on to a hope that they will not face eviction, that they will be able to make ends meet, be able to offer gifts to those they love, be able to stay warm, be able to live a life of dignity and do the good that is theirs to do for those especially who might be facing threats of violence for those who might be facing deportation for those who might be facing job losses.

We pray that we can use our influence, our privilege and the compassion and the calling that you have granted us to care for them, to care for one another.

Uh and our police department worked with them program, which is where they take people's guns and make them into garden instruments, uh, which I think our entire council is interested in.

And so I'm going to read a little bit of his resolution, greetings, and hereby be it known that Reverend Patrick Harley in recognition of a life of the exemplary qualities outstanding service to the city, meritorious involvement in humanitarian affairs and demonstrated concern for the governmental process has been appointed chaplain of the day of Memphis City Council and is hereby entitled to all honors rights privileges, prerogatives appertaining to this office and to the display of this certificate given this day from our chairman for canale and myself, Jeff Warren.

Thank you, Reverend.

Councilmember Carlisle, Cooper Sutton, Easter Thomas, Ford.

Smiley.

Spinoza Swearington Washington.

Present.

Mr.

Chairman, you have a quorum.

Thank you, Madam Countroller.

Is present.

Thank you.

I believe Chairwoman Elect Swords in Washington has read our meeting minutes from November 18, 2025.

Thank you, Chairman.

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

I move for the adoption of the November 18th, 2025 meeting minutes.

And I so move.

Seeing the members in the queue, please prepare our voting screen.

Carlisle, yes.

Easter Thomas, yes.

Green, yes, Logan, yes.

Smiley, yes, Spinoza, yes.

Swamrington, Washington, yes.

Walker, yes.

Warren, yes.

White, yes.

Chairman Canale, yes.

Welcome to all those in attendance and those listening online to our December 2nd, 2025 regular meeting of Memphis City Council.

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

The Sergeant Arms has meeting agendas available up front, as well as comment request cards for members of the public wishing to be heard on a specific item.

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

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.

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

Members of the audience and persons addressing the council will not be permitted to engage in gossip, make defamatory, personal, slanderous, or profane comments, or use abusive or vulgar language.

Chairperson of the Council may maintain order by giving any persons who are in violation of the stated rules of decorum a warning to cease any violence of conduct in order to leave the council's chambers or by giving an order for security personnel to remove any disruptive person in the council's chambers who refuses to leave voluntarily.

These rules are posted on the doors as you enter the chamber and as you pick up comment cards.

An example of an 11 by 17 poster is also posted on the door.

Signs larger than the permitted size are prohibited and will be removed from the chamber.

All that to say, let's have a good meeting.

We have some important business ahead of us.

Some housekeeping items holds items three, twenty-two, and twenty-eight are held until December 16th, 2025.

Madam Comptroller, would you please call item one?

Item number one is a resolution recognizing Deputy Chief Joe Oakley for his retirement from the Memphis Police Department after 36 years of service.

This resolution is sponsored by Councilman Smiley.

Um Councilman Smiley, you're recognized.

Thank you, Chairman Canale.

Um as we were you know getting ready to um present this uh resolution.

Um asked to be on as a co-sponsor.

Councilwoman Logan in particular said, What?

He left.

Oh no, this is terrible.

So um Deputy Chief, I just want you to know you're well loved by this council.

We appreciate your service to the city of Memphis, but not just to the city of Memphis, to each and every person who calls this place home, and I will start off the resolution.

Whereas on occasion, the Memphis City Council has the honor of recognizing city personnel who have dedicated many years of service to the city of Memphis and its residents, and the Deputy Chief Joe Oakley is certainly worthy of celebration following his retirement from the Memphis Police Department after 36 years of service and he began his distinguished career with the Memphis Police Department on June 5th, 1989, entering the training academy as a police recruit upon completing basic training on October 20th, 1989, he was assigned to the organized crime unit and later transferred to the uniform on for the patrol division at the North Precinct, serving with commitment on both Alpha and Bravo shifts, whereas on August 29th, 1996, Joe Oakley was promoted to the rank of sergeant, where he provided leadership and professionalism within the security squad and the Eternal Affairs Bureau.

Whereas on August 29th, 1996, Joe Oakley was promoted to the rank of sergeant, where he provided leadership and professionalism within the security squad and the Eternal Affairs Bureau.

Whereas on July 12th, 2000, Joe Oakley earned a promotion to lieutenant and continued to demonstrate exemplary service while assigned to Central Precinct, Northeast Precinct, South Precinct, Charlie Shift, and the Binghampton Coact unit.

Whereas on September 13th, 2005, Joe Oakley was promoted to major, serving the Ridgway Station, one of my favorites.

On both the Alpha and Bravo Shifts, the Inspectional Services Bureau and the Rain Station, Charlie Shift with steadfast dedication.

He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and assigned to Ridgeway Station Administration, where he continued to uphold the highest standards of leadership.

And whereas on July 21st, 2015, Joe Oakley was appointed to the rank of colonel and served with distinction in Airway Station and Mount Moriah Station Administration.

And we're at whereas on August 9th, 2021, Joe Oakley was appointed Deputy Chief of Information Technology, where he provided strategic guidance and oversight essential to the department's technological advancement.

And close it up.

Whereas on October 31st, 2025, Deputy Chief Joe Oakley retired from the Memphis the police department after 36 years of services, two years younger than me.

Colluding a career marked by exemplary service, outstanding leadership and dedication to the safety and well-being of the citizens of Memphis.

On November 1st, 2025, he was sworn in as a reserve officer.

Kept going.

Reserve officer volunteer on details for the safety of special events and technology support.

Thank you.

Thank you, ladies.

Wow.

Well, first of all, I want to thank all of you for this.

It was quite unexpected.

I think there wasn't a day gone by in the past 10 years that I wasn't either on the phone with some of you or email to work out issues, get you cameras, crime data, et cetera.

So it was fun.

We had a good time.

So we introduced my wife Leah for the past 10 years.

She's been my cheerleader and my sister-in-law Shayla, who's a judicial commissioner, and she's also running for judge.

She'll vote for Shayla and my great brother-in-law fish.

So, and so without my family, wouldn't have been where I was.

My dad, he was a policeman.

That's why I'm here.

So thank you very much.

Come on, council.

Come down, come down, come down.

What do you mean?

He's suited and moving on.

The entire council's like we love each other.

We need to do shoes.

Wow.

I didn't think he was happy.

Hey, buddy.

Well, I'll believe that though.

Council McCormick, come on.

All right, we ready?

All right, y'all.

Say Oakley.

Oh, back in, slide back in, slide back in.

One, two, three.

Got it.

Wow.

Thank you.

Thank all of you.

Have a great time.

Thank you.

I know you will.

You're gonna miss me by people on the game.

That's why I brought y'all up.

Oh mission.

Congratulations.

Thank you very much.

Congratulations.

I bet you do.

Thank you for doing this.

I think the role of that.

Yeah, you know that.

Yeah.

Or if you don't, I guess I'm thinking.

Madam Camproller, would you please call item number two?

Item number two is a resolution approving the closure of a portion of Louisiana Street extending south from its intersection with West Macley Moore Avenue.

This resolution is sponsored by the Division of Planning and Development.

The case number is SAC 25-04.

Madam Vice Chair, you recognize thank you.

The committee meant there was a favorable recommendation for this item.

And I so moved.

Item two was moved by Smiley Jr.

and seconded by Spinoza.

Seeing no members in the queue, please prepare the voting screen.

Carlisle, yes.

Easter Thomas, yes, Green, yes, Smiley, yes, Spinoza, yes.

Swearing in Washington, yes, Walker, yes, Chairman Canale, yes.

Thank you.

Madam Cap Troller, would you please take us to the MLGW fiscal consent items five through 21?

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

For same night minutes.

Thank you.

Item number five is a resolution awarding contract number one two six five nine.

MLGW Control Center Planning and Designing Services to Robert E.

Lamb in the funded amount of five million one hundred and eleven thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars.

Item number six is a resolution awarding contract number one two six five six transmission planning process interconnection study support and facility rating support and advisory services to GDS Associates Inc.

in the funded amount of seven hundred and seventy-five thousand five hundred dollars.

Item number seven is a resolution approving renewal to contract number one two four zero eight environmental consulting services with BHM Environmental Consultants Incorporated to renew the current contract in the funded not to exceed amount of eight million four hundred thousand dollars.

Item number eight is a resolution approving renewal to contract number one two four four six environmental abatement services with Northwest Contracting Services Incorporated to renew the current contract in the funded not to exceed amount of eight million dollars.

Item number nine is a resolution approving renewal to contract number one two four zero seven environmental abatement services with general construction services incorporated to renew the current contract in the funded not to exceed amount of one million nine hundred and thirty-two thousand dollars.

Item number ten is a resolution approving extension, scope change, and increase to contract number one two six four nine, Newtonic support and maintenance with CDW government LLC to extend, expand the scope and increase the current contract in the funded amount of $725,000.

Item number 11 is a resolution awarding contract number 12617, phase two, private side lead service line replacement to ACUF Enterprises Inc.

in the funded amount of five million one hundred and seventy-five thousand seventy-five dollars.

There is a request for same night minutes for item number 11.

Item number 12 is a resolution approving increase to contract number 12655, ARP Administration Engineering Services with ABES Engineering Inc.

to increase the current contract in the funded amount of $50,000.

Item number 13 is a resolution renewing change number three to contract number one two four two four water well production drilling with National Water Services LLC to renew the current contract in the funded amount of six million five hundred thousand dollars.

Item number 14 is a resolution approving ratification and renewal to contract number 12512 master paving program sections one and three with Lehman Roberts Company to ratify and renew the current contract in the funded amount of 10 million three hundred seven thousand eighty-seven dollars and forty cents.

Item number 15 is a resolution approving ratification and renewal to contract number 12540 master paving program section two with BUCON LLC to ratify and renew the current contract in the funded amount of $6,968, 115.36 cents.

Item number 16 is a resolution awarding purchase order for 750 KCM cable to universal scaffold and equipment in the amount of 379,121 dollars.

Item number 17 resolution approving a lease agreement with Parma Logistics Assets LLC for approximately 160,000 square feet of warehouse space located at 440 through 4500 Quality Drive Memphis, Tennessee, and the total funded amount of $2,704,930 and 20 cents.

There is a request for same night minutes for item number 17.

Item number 18 is a resolution approving ratification and renewal to contract number 12532, video management and hardware maintenance with convergent technologies LLC to ratify and renew the current contract in the funded amount of 350,000 dollars.

Item number 19 is a resolution awarding purchase order for connector set screws with engineered sealing components in the amount of 283,000 and 80 cents.

Number 20 is a resolution approving scope change increase and extension to contract number one two two four nine e-source membership agreement with TBPPA to e-source companies LLC to expand the scope, increase and extend the current contract in the funded amount of one million eight hundred eighty-one thousand four hundred and ninety dollars.

And our final item is number 21, a resolution approving renewal to contract number one two five six six chart well membership with chart well inc to renew the current contract in the funded amount of eighty thousand four hundred and seventy dollars.

Mr.

Chairman, that concludes our MLGW fiscal consent items.

Thank you, madam counter.

One minor correction in item 19, it's 283,080.

283,080 for the record item number 19.

Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Councilman Spinoza, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Committee Met recommends approval.

And I so move.

Item was moved by Spinoza seconded by swearing from Washington, Councilwoman Cooper Sutton.

You're recognized.

Thank you, uh Chairman.

Oh, don't re say my.

If I could call uh President uh McGowan up to answer a few questions, and I think I've already just to answer a few questions for us, please.

I would appreciate that.

Thank you.

Thank you, President McGowan.

Ms.

Maybe the questions is sitting around the lead, and I know we have the same nine minutes on there, but I just want to ask you just some questions that the constituents have some concern about, and we just want to clear the air so there will not be any misinformation and my due diligence as a council member uh to ask these questions and thank you for uh coming up.

Sure.

The first question is who will be getting the right of entry for phase one pilot at a 23% agreement to replace the rate.

Okay, can you repeat the question?

Okay, the question is who is getting the right of entry their phase one pilot and had a 23% agreement to replace the rate.

I'm not sure I understand the 23% agreement to replace the rate.

I think the question is that's why you're getting the the right of entry in the city of or excuse me.

We will be getting the right of entry in the city of or excuse me, Memphis Lake Ass and Water, a partnership with our contracted partner, will be seeking the individual's right of entry.

We have a communications plan for the 600 homes that we have planned.

We have reached out to them directly with correspondence asking these homeowners and residents for their willingness to opt into the program.

And when they opt in, they will sign a right of entry form.

I think what's being referenced is during the initial pilot that we did, there was a low acceptance rate for the right of entry because it was brand new.

Now I think there's better information out there.

So uh we believe we're going to correspond with these individuals four times to make sure that they're given the opportunity to have all the information they need to opt in to have us replace the line for them.

Okay, and I think you are correct.

It was only a 23% engagement rate that you had.

And so are you setting up community meetings so that people can understand and know you know what's happening and what's the reason why behind this?

Sure, we can we can certainly do community meetings if we see that need, but rather than having a broader community meeting, we are targeting 600 individual homes.

Uh these are homes that previously had the public side led service line replaced, and they still have a private side led service line.

So, very much like we did with the Weaver to Gill, where there were 720 homes that were impacted, we're doing that same kind of engagement with the individual homeowners and residences of those homes so that they have as much information as necessary to allow us.

And what they're allowing us to do is simply enter their property and replace the lead service line with a non-led service line.

So we think that's going to be a recipe for success to get the acceptance rate up for these homeowners.

And there is uh a deadline.

Am I correct?

For the expenditure of this ARPA money, it's September of 2026.

So that's why we're asking for the same nine minutes to get the contract, uh, get the contractor moving.

We can still meet the deadline, but we can't waste uh much time in order to get this done.

Okay.

And are any of the local organizations have you all communicated or engaged with them with this process moving forward?

We have like YGG or POA.

Sure.

We have a uh two things.

We had a round table that I hosted last fall uh to provide information, or excuse me, last I think it was the summer time to provide information about lead service line overall, and what our plan was was to do the pilot and then also to do this phase one, and we shared with them, and they've also shared with us helpful information about other sources of funding.

So it's been very helpful and cooperative and collaborative.

Um, I have agreed to host another uh round table with that group who will come and provide input to us based on this phase one.

Um, and certainly their information has been helpful.

They are advocates for us to get this done.

They've been advocates uh to help us receive fund additional funding from the state in a form of revolt state revolving loan funds.

So uh in recently we had a community advisory council that some of those organizations were represented at, and we shared an update on lead service lines during that meeting with all of our partners.

So we've had some direct correspondence with representatives of each of those uh organizations.

So I think there's a good dialogue happening.

All right.

Well, this is a question just popped in my mind as I'm talking to you and asking you these questions.

Who would be responsible if there's a water break or what in the future if something happens?

Who responds?

I just thought about that, just talking to you.

The work is warranted for uh one or two years, like you would have any work warrantied, so the homeowner is not obligated for that, but after a period of time it would revolve back to the homeowner because it is at the end of the day a private line that it would typically be the responsibility of the homeowner, but for the period of warranty after the work is done, uh that would be covered completely by our contractor if there's a failure in the first few years.

And that's one to two years.

I'll get the exact whether it's a one or two-year warranty, and hopefully my team will text that to me while we're talking.

So yes, and that information will be shared with the 600 homes.

Absolutely.

Okay, all right.

Thank you.

Thank you, President McGowan.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Councilman.

Thank you, President McGowan.

Yes, sir.

All right, colleagues.

Um voting screen is up for the MLGW fiscal consent reminder that items 11 and 17 both have the same light minutes.

Please catch your votes.

Carlisle, yes, Cooper Sutton, yes, Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, green, yes, Logan, yes, Smiley, yes, Spinoza, yes.

Swearing Washington, yes.

Warren, yes, white, yes.

Chairman Canale, yes.

That item walker's a yes, please.

Please show council member walk with voting yes.

That item passes.

Madam Countroller, would you please take us to our consent agenda, which would just be items three and four, and item three is held.

So it'll just be item four for our consent agenda.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

On our consent agenda, we have one item is up for a second reading.

Ordnance number 5965 is sponsored by council members Swearing Washington and Carlisle.

Mr.

Chairman, that concludes our consent agenda items.

Madam Vice Chair, you recognize.

Thank you, Chair.

The committee met there was a favorable recommendation for this item, and I so move.

Consent was moved by Swears from Washington, seconded by Carlisle.

Seeing the members in the queue, please pair a voting screen.

Carlisle, yes, Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, Green, yes, Logan, yes, Smiley, yes, Swearing Washington, yes, Walker, yes, Warren, yes, white, yes, Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

Madam Countroller, please take us to our add on agenda starting with item 34.

My pleasure, Mr.

Chairman.

Item number 34.

We can get it up on the board.

Is a resolution to accept Wolf River Bottoms Task Force Phase 1 recommendations, districts one, two, five, and seven, super district nine.

This resolution is sponsored by councilwoman Logan, and there is a request for same night minutes.

Councilman Smiley, you recognize.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Committee may recommend approval and I thought move.

34 was moved by Smiley, seconded by Spinoza.

Seeing no members in the queue, please pair our voting screen.

Carlisle, yes, Cooper Sutton, yes, Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, Green, yes, Logan, yes, Smiley, yes, Spinoza, yes, Swearing, Washington, yes, Walker, yes, Warren, yes, White, yes, Chairman Canalee, yes.

That item passes.

Madam Countroller, please call item 35.

Item number 35 is an appointment to the Memphis and Shelby County Sports Authority Board.

Maya Siggers.

There is a request for same night minutes.

Councilwoman Dr.

Easter Thomas, you recognize.

Thank you, Chair.

The committee may recommend approval for same night minutes, and I so move.

35 was moved by Easter Thomas, seconded by Spinoza.

I have one comment card, Mr.

Joe Kent.

Name and address.

You have two minutes, Mr.

Kent.

Joe Kent, 511 flamingo.

What is the deal with the explicit pipeline from the failed MATA board to the sports authority board?

Backwards, it makes no sense.

Thank you, Mr.

Fulton.

Michael Fulton for your chaired MATA board leadership and subsequent MATA botch with this sports authority board appointment.

As far as Ms.

Seegers goes, I don't care if she's a Supreme Court Justice.

Sigars was part of a MATA board that did not know how many people ride the bus.

And I was very supportive of the new MATA board until they did nothing to include not knowing how many people ride the bus and did nothing to support increased efficiency by addressing empty bus routes.

All they did was to ask for the council, come to the council and ask you for 20 million more dollars.

That's all they did.

Same broken system.

So Sigars and the rest of the board did nothing.

Therefore, stop the public botching board appointment pipeline by rejecting the Sigars appointment.

Or at least at the very least, wait a while.

If you want to support public botching pop up pipeline, just wait a while to where it's not so explicit.

You know, pretend like you're not trying to do that.

But really, Mr.

Chairman, I'm asking you this question.

Can you explain the public botching board appointment pipeline?

The rationale behind it.

Why is this happening?

Why do we appoint people that are part of former botches and say, hey, we're gonna award you with another great board a board appointment on the sports authority?

It's idiotic.

Thank you.

Please explain though.

Thank you, Mr.

Colleagues.

Please cast your votes for item 35.

While we wait for the vote, uh is that Bill Drees, I see sitting in the audience.

Welcome back to the council chambers.

You do still exist in human form.

It's good to see Carlisle, yes.

Cooper Sutton, yes, Easter Thomas, yes, board, yes, green, yes, Logan, yes, Smiley, yes, Spinoza, yes, Swearing Washington, yes, Walker, yes, Warren, yes, White, yes, Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

Madam Couch, please call item 36.

Item number 36 on our add-ons is a resolution to amend the fiscal year 2026 operating budget.

All council districts.

This resolution is sponsored by the administration.

There's a request for same night minutes.

Councilman Carl, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

The committee Matt sent this down with no recommendation, and I so move.

Electronically, please.

36 moved by Carlisle, second uh smiley.

Seeing no members in the queue, please prepare the voting screen, madam comptroller.

Hold the hold the voting screen.

Council McCarlay recognized.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Is this today's item uh to amend the operating budget by 1.7 million?

Okay.

I'm sorry, where do we where do we leave this?

I thought we were gonna have we have we had ADC coming.

What's it now?

Yeah, Mr.

Chairman.

I think we had five people in the queue that were upstairs and kicked them down.

Colleagues that were in the queue upstairs, would you please re-enter yourself into the queue to ask your questions for item 36?

Starting with councilwoman White, you're recognized.

Thank you by Logan.

Thank you.

I know where we left off was trying to figure out kind of the path forward for it.

So I wasn't sure if we were going to try to move forward with it, if we were gonna hold it, we're gonna do more discussion.

I know that councilwoman Green made the recommendation for us to go back and look at salaries.

I think I said this out loud earlier, but I can't remember.

Um, outside of the 2.2 million dollars that was discussed, I think um Councilman Carlisle kind of explained, hey, that's kind of rewashing the same money, and that needs to go back into fund ballot.

So then I would go back to the previous proposal that I had, which is for it to just come out of the overtime line item, where right now there's the 969,000.

Um, you know, if it's approved, then let it come from that space from from the overtime line item.

So I'll make a motion for the um 1.7 million plus whatever the amount for pension, I think estimate 200,000 to come from overtime.

Can you want to wait and make your motion after the other council members to speak or do you want to go ahead and put your motion on the floor?

Yeah.

I'll wait until other council members speak.

All right, councilman warren.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, you know, as we do budget processes, uh what we do is our administration makes their best faith effort to determine how much it's going to cost to run each department.

That includes the number of people that are hired, their expenses, uh, you know, how much things you want to cost, in addition to their salaries, and usually those things are not a hundred percent accurate from the very moment that we sign off and vote on them.

And what we found, at least I found when I've been on the board is people tend to err a little bit cautiously and put in a large enough budget to do what they think they're gonna need to do if they're fully staffed and they're fully doing everything, and we've not been fully staffed for quite some time.

Uh, we always tend to have extra money in the budget that isn't going to be spent.

That's not like finding money, it's money that was budgeted in a place and it hasn't been spent.

So uh I don't think we're making money.

Uh we're not pulling money out of places, and what happens is every year we go through and we need some extra funds, and people go through, and the mayor asks his his staff, please look in your budget and see what you haven't spent now, and what can we get from your department because we have this need in another department that we have to fill.

And I think that's pretty much what the mayor's team told us today when they came down.

They said, We've looked through the budget.

Here's a place we think we found money that hasn't been spent, and we would like to allocate it for the two percent raise per prior that we did not give, and had talked about giving five percent for two years initially, and the council did not approve that this year.

So I think we talked about it when we didn't approve it, and we gave everyone three percent.

And one of the things we said was we wanted to look at this mid year and see if we could find money that we could replace that money for our fire department, and I think you know, Mr.

Pearson and uh Mayor Young came down and said they think they found where they can do these funds appropriately by finding money from other parts of the budget that won't be spent.

So, for that reason, I would like to try to see if we could honor our previous thoughts when we made the budget and go ahead and up the fire department to the previous amount.

So I would encourage my colleagues for that reasoning, uh, realizing that all budgets are not a hundred percent accurate from the minute you make them.

You don't always spend as much as you need, sometimes you need more, and we have to move things around, and this is one place I think we as a council will be wise to move it around.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Councilman Warren.

Council McCarla, I recognize thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

As chief person in the office audience, Chief, would you please come down?

As chief person is coming down.

Uh I I'll say a couple things.

I respect the comments of Dr.

Warren's budgets aren't accurate, they're a guiding document.

You manage to them, you manage for them, they are an evolution.

Um, she could come on over this way.

Um yes, they are often off target, and every industry, every business has a miss window.

If if we missed here by 10%, we'd miss by 80 million dollars.

Actually, I think 85 million dollars, right?

You miss about one percent, that's eight million dollars.

You think about how much it costs to build an affordable housing unit, that's you know, 250,000 a unit.

So you start to see you know, a million dollar miss is four affordable housing units you could have built, right?

And so again, we keep using the term budget budget, budget, budget, budget, budget, budget.

Budget, budget, budget, budget budget.

And that we move money around, quote, within the budget.

There is one item line item at the end of the year if you want to know your fiscal health.

If you didn't amend a drawdown, which is the unassigned fund balance, you may not have this, and so I apologize.

If you do, I will be heavily impressed because it's good recall.

Do you know what our ending unassigned fund balance has been every year since like for the last four or five years?

And I guess the simple phrase is has it increased or decreased.

Walter Persson, CFO 125 North Maine, and unfortunately, I do not have recall for our all the most recent years.

I will say that it has decreased.

Let me say this again.

You can be within budget and be in the rep at the same time.

It's called deficit spending.

Companies do it often, they then go out and look for increased sources of revenue, credit, which is a nice way of saying a lender.

We increased our revenue two years ago by raising taxes.

Like rather, we increased it artificially, so to speak.

Now we're on the natural cycle.

On the natural cycle, our expenses are going up.

Stop conflating the budget and moving money around.

At the end of the day, every year, we are having less money in our unassigned fund balance, and we continue to spend that way.

Like there is some big thing.

I don't know if you caught it earlier, but the mayor basically said after five years of Mayor Strickland saying big bucket of money at the end of the rainbow, that there wasn't that much in it.

And don't worry, I caught it very next meeting.

I plan to ask what that number looks like.

And we're gonna dive into it.

Mr.

Kitt, if you need to talk on the phone, could you please go outside in the lobby?

I'll do it.

Not by me.

I know Dr.

Warren's got somewhere to go.

Uh look, this this I hate these issues because it ends up putting us against employees or an entity versus entity.

When at the end of the day, we cycled in here for a bunch of a comedy of errors.

But from a purely budgetary standpoint, Dr.

Warren, what I wanted to conclude is I respect your perspective on that and wanting to hear the mayor and chief person.

My position in my official capacity as the budget chairman is that I wholeheartedly disagree with their position.

And honestly, don't want to press into it too much out of courtesy, is the nicest measured way that I can say it.

I am, however, 100% open to like Councilman Green said, any solution within the current budget over time would be a place because here's the trigger.

If they don't manage to overtime, guess what happens?

They have to come back at the end of the end of the year.

Now it's likely, not even likely.

Walter, or excuse me, chief person has already said they're coming back with a four million dollar ask.

So you can't be good to the million in the same business and down four million in the same business at the same time.

I keep spinning my wheels over and over again, and I know you all want support fire.

Like I can feel it.

I know people want this huge win.

I can feel it.

I know that it's only two million dollars.

The amount of times I've heard it's the it's only dot dot dot down here is how we end up 15, 16, 20 million in the hole.

It's not the big things that get us, it's the little nicks.

I've said it, it's death by a thousand cuts down here.

And the last thing that I'll say, at least for me, is that I've approved almost 35% increases for fire since I've sat in this seat.

If that doesn't buy me goodwill to the end of this fiscal year, I don't know what does.

I want to put the entity, the city of Memphis, including its employees, ahead of all the politics.

If we're serious about finding a path to GC, we can do it.

You want to know how I do it?

We commission this compensation study.

Every uh every employee of the city of Memphis would say if that's an unbiased compensation study, we'll accept the results of that.

Because the whole point of the compensation study is to say, are you competitive in your salary and benefits from an expert?

But yet somehow we have a compensation study that sits shelved every year in HR, except for the non-represented employees, and then it becomes the wild west for 60 days.

And I fully intend to spend my time doing it.

I don't know how we're gonna end up, but I can't continue to go down the road.

It's not in the best interest of the city.

It's kind of like when we first got here, every division director used to sit down here with their senior brass.

It was probably three and a half million dollars worth of overhead just sitting here every Tuesday.

I couldn't believe it.

So to land this airplane, I'm all for a solution that is in the budget that requires the administration to administer and manage to it by going into an unassigned fund balance or fund balance is some sort of etheral cash.

To transfer it today, you can transfer from parks.

If you transfer a million bucks from park today and they manage to their budget, they're gonna come ask for a million bucks at the end of the year, guarantee it.

Because the money's not there.

I cannot say this a different way.

Like we're flat all the way across the board or down.

Expenses are increasing.

You cannot find additional money.

You can find it, quote, to budget.

So I'm gonna say this the last time, then I'll be quiet.

To councilman Warren's point, you absolutely can do it to budget.

But the only reason we budgeted what we did.

Remember, the mayor is transferring four and a half million dollars from his his budget into an unassigned fund balance because it was so low.

But the only way that we ended up where we were is because we thought we had the expected revenues, or else I promise you the mayor would have proposed even more for unassigned fund balance at the end of last year.

So I don't want to make this some big fight between us and somebody else.

This is about managing the city's money and the city's best interest, which is honestly in the charter, one of our two jobs zoning, budget.

We need to get back to that.

I yield the floor, councilwoman Logan.

Thank you, Chair, and um like to thank uh budget chair Carlisle for um his comments this morning as well as today.

Um, the discussion has really you know brought to light some things that we've expressed all year, particularly in budget season, that the the finding pockets of money is is really um concerning, and from you know, discussion today, we realized that we actually not finding pockets of money is money that's already been allocated or spent or it should go somewhere or somebody else's money.

Um, so the entire process we really are gonna have to look at.

Um, but for the the vote on hand, or whether we held it or held hold it or vote today.

I'm really concerned that you the fund balance, you know, we just use it as a piggy bank, and we've discussed at length during the budget season when we did our little um round robins.

I know we talked about specifically making sure that we shore that up and um everybody was on board, but we seem to keep pulling from it.

Um we do want to honor our word, honor what you know we said, but that was anticipating that we had real information and real numbers and we were gonna review it, thinking that we were getting current and accurate information, but we're finding out today it's not exactly what we thought it was.

So, you know, we don't want to be in a position to where we have to raise taxes again, but money just can't come out of the sky.

You know, our revenue comes from the majority of our revenue comes from taxes, and if our fund balance or if we don't have enough money to pay where we need to, that's what it's gonna look like.

But no one in here, none of us, we don't we don't want to do have to do that again.

So we really have to think about the decisions that we're making along the way.

I know you know, for this this decision, the mayor has said that he's found the money uh or they can take it from somewhere, and um, so everything will be fine, and it's just 1.7 million, and we definitely all want to be on one accord, but it's very concerning the process that we are going through to get to this point.

So, with that, I yield back and just hope that moving forward we can find exactly where this is gonna come from so that we won't have to take it out of the fund balance.

I yield back.

Thank you.

Thank you, councilwoman.

Councilman Smiley.

Thank you.

Um, with due respect to every council member up here.

I think I think my position is real simple.

I've been on this body since 2020, and what the council has consistently done when we pass resolutions, it'll say some some appropriate language, something like we'll take it out the general fund unless the administration find a more appropriate place.

And every resolution we pass, well, significant number of resolutions we pass, we pull forth that language.

And what we always do, we'll trust administration to find places to um support the things that this body wants.

I just don't understand that why when it comes to supporting literally the best fire department in the country, we want to take a different position.

If the administration says they're going to find the money, shouldn't we just trust them to find the money?

It's 1.7 million dollars.

I think that they can find it, find the money.

They're telling us they can find the money.

For me, I'm gonna support it base because we consistently say we we trust this administration.

This administration has been more forthcoming than the previous administration.

Um for the most part, they're good partners.

I think we should just trust them and also should be supporting fire in this situation.

So I'm gonna support support the uh amended budget.

And um, I was gonna call the question, but I see there's two more people in the queue.

So yeah, I'd be supporting this.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman.

Councilwoman White.

I feel like I said most of what I needed to say in committee earlier, but then after I heard Councilman Smiley's um point of view, he as he says he always loves a good debate.

Here I am again with what I've said at committee earlier and what I said at committee last week.

We use these words like we're gonna find money to do this, we're gonna find money.

Here I have a and I'm just gonna do a quick recap of just the the facts.

Here are the facts, and I'm gonna make it quick.

We said here during budget season, and we said we're not we're gonna grant equally three percent raises, and I understand that there was an agreed upon five percent.

I said it earlier, now say it again.

I am super grateful to our fire department.

They you all are absolutely the best.

I will go and scream it from any mountaintop, and I put my weight behind it in the in voting for the budget and voting for the raises in the two years that I've been here.

This is not about gratitude, this is about governance.

Here we go.

We said that we need to see where our numbers are later on in the year, so that we can determine if it's fiscally responsible to grant a two percent increase later.

Being good stewards of our finances, we got a quarter one report.

That quarter one report revealed that we are down in projected revenue by seven million dollars, that we are on trend to spend more in expenditures 10 million dollars more than we projected.

Earlier today, Chief Person said that it's not a 17 million dollar anticipated deficit, but a seven million dollar one.

Either way it goes, it's a deficit.

We can't create money, we're not, and it's so interesting because and and I don't want to throw anyone under the bus.

I never want to do that, never want to be that person.

But let me say this.

We keep saying when we keep comparing things to MATA and how like it's a public entity that felt like, oh, they can replace this money.

What we're saying right now, or what I'm hearing is the same thing.

Just trust them to do a good job.

Um we didn't even have the actual numbers until about 30 minutes ago.

But let's just trust to do a good job.

And and this is no no strike on the administration at all.

I think that the that our mayor is great.

I think that his staff is amazing.

I think they are brilliant.

I think that they can figure out a lot of things.

But at the end of the day, it is our responsibility as council members to balance to make sure that we have a balanced budget.

It is our responsibility to make sure that we are keeping a hold of the purse strings, and what we know right now today is that we are trending towards a seven at least a seven million dollar deficit, which I anticipate will be more based on the rising cost across the world.

Again, I am not against the raise.

All I'm saying is we need to have a a definitive pocket of where it's going to come from and how, and not a I think, or we may, because we are not like a private entity where we can go out and increase our prices.

We have limited ways, limited means for revenue, primarily property taxes, and we all know that we don't want another property tax increase.

And so just like everyone else, large corporations, if you look, they are look they are like this with their purse strings right now.

A lot of people are doing cuts.

And as a government entity right now, we're considering a raise, and not just a raise, but a raise on top of a raise that we had just given a few months ago.

Again, not that our fire department is not deserving of it.

I absolutely believe that they are, but I think that to be responsible, like I said earlier, I couldn't vote on it until I had a real number because it's irresponsible to say I'm gonna grant an increase and I don't know how much the increase will cost.

So now that we have an estimate number, I'm still saying we need to make sure that we have a clear way, a clear path to be able to make these raises happen, but without putting ourselves in a bigger deficit.

So with that said, if if it is the will of this body, what I would propose is that it comes from the overtime line item.

That would be my proposal.

But I'm open to whatever else.

I just want to be clear that that's my position.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Councilman Ward.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Mr.

Person, could I possibly ask you to come back up?

I had a couple questions.

I just want to make sure that you're getting your exercise today.

I'm putting my doctor hat on here.

Thank you.

Give you a chance to think while you're walking up.

Recently in our county, have we had other uh municipalities that have raised taxes?

Are you aware of that?

I believe some of the outlying, the smaller municipalities have raised taxes for Germantown, Carrierville, and those those places.

Do you have any do you remember what percentage they raised their taxes?

I think there were varying percentages, but I don't recall the exact amount, sir.

You know, when we brought or to your budget to us, uh and to Mr.

Carlisle.

Um when you brought that to the budget committee, uh, and you presented it to us, it was a good faith effort to try to say how much it was going to cost, correct?

It was okay.

And at the end of the year, over the past two years, three years that you've been here, uh, and even before when you were here with Ms.

Ford.

Did we always have departments that didn't spend all the money that was allocated to them?

Um, yes, there were there were some departments that had some left.

There are other departments that overshot, and we have to move money around to cover their so we move money around.

Did we make money?

We didn't make any money, no, right?

So we just moved the money around.

How would this be different from what we did during that time?

Why is this a different thing to Mr.

Carlis more worried about?

Well, uh, you know, I I can't necessarily speak to how it would be different.

From that.

Um I can say is that um we we you know, I I understand the point of view.

Yeah, I get I understand his point of view too.

We don't want to spend money that we can't get.

You know, we don't want to have that.

We don't want to, you know, at the end of the year be in a budget deficit and lower our you know savings plan, you know, or uh, but the issue also is that moving this around at this time does a few things that I think helps the city because we're in a lawsuit that we won't have legal expenses for if we do this, those things get dropped.

Our unions won't be in a position or where they're going to be pressured, I think, uh, in the same way they are with administration.

And you know, uh, in my mind, I'm not sure how this is any different, and I was hoping you could tell me why it might be different, because Mr.

My colleague, Ms.

Carl that you know, I love is telling me that this is a different thing.

This one vote is different from all those other votes that we've just taken money from different departments.

So I'm wondering why it's different.

And maybe you can't answer that, and I'll ask Mr.

Carlo if he could when he comes up, but I don't see how it's different.

And in my mind, it seems like this solves a bunch of problems, uh, and it's not going to change the budget deficit at the end.

Thank you.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Councilman.

Councilwoman Cooper Sutton.

Thank you, Chair.

Well, I can answer that for you.

Um, what makes this different than any other time?

My colleague just said something that he's been on this council for since 2020.

And so what that tells me, and what that brings me to the point is the behavior of handling money in this city has always been the same.

And trying to do something different, it's hard for people to change.

We are in different times now.

This is 2025.

I think my colleague uh Councilwoman White and Carlisle specifically said we are in different times.

And this is my first, this will be my second budget, but it's always about, and it's the same players, it's the same gatekeepers that comes here asking for money for a poor city.

Our numbers, we never get out of debt, and I don't understand that.

Last year, when we said this, when we did budget, the administration didn't want to give you anything.

You had zero.

Zero.

We decided to not give to override the administration.

We keep doing business with the same people and the same players sitting in the same seats doing the same thing all the time.

Everybody just wants, won't rape this city, the same players, the same faces come here and you rape and you rape and you take and you take and you take and you take from this city since I've been living here.

I'm not a native Memphian, but I've been here and I've watched it over and over and over again.

We're in a lawsuit right now with all these unions, and because of this and that, and certain unions are carrying the waters of other union people.

Why can't we just not just do what's right?

And what's righteousness, I'm gonna go right back to it and just do what's right.

How much more?

You like like you don't even want to see this city prosper.

Lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit.

You got the Memphis Police Association suing.

You got the Memphis Fire Department suing.

We got lawsuits here and probably lawsuits that we don't even know about.

But however, the University of Memphis has deemed this place poverty.

But all you all out there still looking the same.

Ain't nothing changed about it.

And guess what?

Next year budget, you'll be coming back.

And we ask you all to work with us.

That this year may have been just a little tight, just a little tight.

But no, you're so greedy.

And I'm not against any of you.

I don't have a dog in the fight.

I'm not political.

I don't have, I don't grow up, I'm not any of that.

I'm for what is right.

None of you voted for me, probably, because you didn't know me.

None of you, not one, none of you gave me a dime.

So it made me neutral to be able to say what I'm saying.

And what the budget chair has said, and he said it over again.

Carla and I have had our differences, but when he's right, I'll ride with him to the wheels fall off.

When it comes to finances, I don't know how much more you want.

Just draining this poor city.

But you love Memphis.

You love it.

Yeah, I'm talking directly to who I'm supposed to be talking to.

Because I've sit here and I listen, I've been on this council for a year, 12 months, and two days.

And the only thing you all want, and it's the same gatekeepers, the same players.

The Memphis Fire Department deserve every dime of it.

And I'm not anti-union, but what I am, anti BS.

And when you study coming down the pipeline with it, and nobody says anything, because you all got friendships and partnerships that you all have made through the years.

You deserve every two percent of it, but the numbers don't add up.

And I was gonna vote yes, because I'm sick and tired of y'all, and I want the lawsuit to go away because of the taxpayers' dollars.

Because you don't give a flying food about it.

But you're gonna raise the taxes, you study throwing it out there on the poor people, the poor people in the city.

Y'all deemed it poor.

So I'm saying this.

Like Councilwoman Green said, pull the money from somewhere else.

We can get it from somewhere else, but you all gotta do y'all gotta come differently next year budget.

Because you're coming back next year.

You're coming back for some more money.

You're coming back.

I know you're coming back.

Because guess what?

We're gonna find the money like we always do instead of deal with actual numbers and facts.

We are not, this is not 1968, 1970, 1972, 73, 74, 75.

This is 2025.

And Memphis is still rocking and rolling the same exact way.

You're greedy.

And you want what you want because you think you can do it, and you're wrong.

That might not change any of that, and I don't care whether it changed, whatever they they're gonna vote the way they vote, but you're wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, and God see your intentions, and he sees your hearts, and he's gonna deal with each and every one of us accordingly.

I yield.

Thank you, Council.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I'll be brief.

Um, I hear my colleagues not, I know when it's time to get to the vote, but I will offer one amendment.

If the administration is so sure that they can manage this budget, I will support it retroactively.

We can call the day the down date, two percent, everybody can be paid in arrears, and I will come up with a with a series of metrics that you will hit at the end of this calendar year, this fiscal year.

And when you hit those, which basically means you're gonna do everything that you guys represented and warranted that you said you were gonna do over the last two weeks, you've been lobbying this body.

You can pay every single firefighter their two percent with full benefits retroactive to this date.

But if you don't, you can't pay them.

And you know who put that puts that onus on?

It puts the onus on the administration to manage to the budget.

I don't have to worry about going to find the money.

Firefighters are set, their two percent is there, and if the administration doesn't do their job, they don't get their money.

If they do, they get their money.

You know who approved it?

The council.

We don't have anything left to do.

Well, I need I wanna run this by my attorney real quick because I was on an on-the-fly deal.

I don't know the legal ramifications of retroactively approving.

But here, but here's the deal.

Here's the deal.

Here's the deal.

I'm here this look, let's back up.

Is that let me give it, let me give attorney wait a second to catch his breath.

The two sides are the two sides are we trust the administration because they say they they can do this yet, have been presented, and I mean this factually.

No real hard, I don't have a single document in front of me right now that has a hard number.

I don't have a written letter from the mayor or the CFO that says you have our best faith guest estimate that we can do the following.

I'll tell you why.

Short memories down here.

So attorney Wade, I know that we have raised and lowered salaries throughout our years with the legal right to do so.

Can this body approve a salary today through a series of performance metrics for the administration that would be retroactive?

So basically they would accrue and then pay the cash bonus out or the cash incentive out, which would be the pay raise at a period of time that would probably fall somewhere between 30 to 60, 90 days at the end of the fiscal year.

It would account for the entirety of the benefits, the entirety of the raise, and the entirety of the ADC contribution.

The only way, and I and the metrics would basically be the administration has to do exactly what they said they were gonna do.

They're gonna manage to the budget, we're gonna have some windfall of cash, and I'll answer Dr.

Warren's question.

Jeff, when a for-profit business continues to go in their piggy bank, they go out of business.

When you're a government entity, you just keep taxing the same people.

You know what happens?

They leave.

We're down to 600,000 residents.

We lost 20,000 residents over the last 10 years.

So that's your economic indicator.

But but that is true.

It is an economic indicator.

It is an economic indicator because when you raise taxes, you're raising the tax burden on the same base, less people.

So attorney Wade, if you had a moment, I would propose, or we can hold this for two weeks and I can come back.

Which I don't I'd rather take it today, personally.

But I think if you want to be fair to the taxpayers and you want to be as responsible as you say you are, then let's make it retroactive.

And the administration can come back and do what they say they're gonna do.

Okay, um you can condition any appropriation you want.

And if you condition it to be paid after the conditions are satisfied, you can do that.

So you can do exactly what you said.

Uh I think you would probably need to have some specificity, however, on these metrics that you uh that you mentioned.

I don't know anything about those.

Yeah, so I mean it's an available option.

Admittedly, I would need time.

I'm not gonna sit everybody and try and do this on the fly.

I really don't like coming back for two weeks, but I'd much rather spend my time coming up with a reasonable, responsible solution that protects this entity and tries to meet firefighters where they are on the ground.

And for the record, by the way, I didn't vote for impasse this year.

So I really keep saying, y'all, I know the body accepted the recommendation, but it never approved it.

It just accepted it.

We accept reports all the time.

I just want to clear that for the record.

Um so this idea of like there was some sort of crawl fishing is just not true.

I'm the budget chairman, I would know, I never voted on that.

When we wrapped up the budget, Councilman Walker presented a three percent increase, and that's what the budget was approved by.

It's why impasse has got to change.

So, Mr.

Chairman, I know this is unusual.

I could make a motion and force a vote, but I will defer if you'd like to have an open conversation for a minute.

Or councilman smiley, I mean, Mr.

Chairman, the floor is yours.

I I'll yield it back, but I'll I'll either make the motion today or I'll move to hold it and bring it back with a with a recommendation.

But I defer to you or the body.

All right, so if you're going to make a motion today, we would have to have something in in writing with some metrics before we vote on it, right?

Attorney Wade.

So without objection, we can hold it for two weeks, or somebody can hurriedly write some parameters and we can vote on them tonight.

Can we just make the motion vote?

Here's another thing I'll do.

Point of order, or point of order.

Don't we don't green?

Don't we still have the motion from councilwoman white?

She ever made it.

She never made it.

Okay.

Anyone who's basically smelly recognized.

All right, so here's my issue where with all of it.

No matter what, if we if we decide as a whole for two weeks, if we entertain councilman Carlisle's motion, we're gonna be having the same discussion in two weeks.

No matter what, when we had a same discussion in two weeks, whether we entertain a motion in two weeks or whether we entertain the motion now.

My preference is if we voted up or down today.

That way we dispose of this matter.

The body's gonna do what the body's gonna do.

You know, we've been at it for a while now, for a considerable amount of time.

Let's just dispose of it today.

Whether you can make your motion, if your motion to hold pass, we hold for two weeks.

But if your motion to hold fails, that means the body's ready to dispose of it.

Let's just figure out what the body wants to do.

But you know, let's see.

All right, council McCarla, you ready to make a motion?

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I am, I appreciate that.

And there's a that's a very fair comment from my from my former chairman.

So here's the deal.

I I will bring back, I'm gonna make a motion to hold this item, and I'm gonna bring back a set of parameters that I believe will be a good compromise.

I recognize the body.

The one thing I would take issue is is that this is only the second week that this has been in front of the body, everything else has been out in the press uh and and in press releases.

So let's not sit here and say we've like hammered this thing down.

And I again I'm not against anybody.

I want everybody up here to win.

I want everybody out there to win.

But eventually we've just got to start putting some accountability features in that are not unfair.

Like, don't forget where we are.

Like we put ourselves on the clock.

We're gonna be in budget season.

The mayor's already working on his budget, he's gonna present it in 120 days to the public.

We're gonna be in one-on-ones in less than 60 days.

So the idea that you're not gonna know kind of where we're gonna be is it's crazy.

So I moved to hold for two weeks.

And I've got an objection from my colleague.

And so, Mr.

Chairman, with that, because I just don't feel it'd be irresponsible to say that I could come up with a series of metrics that that and stand behind that.

So uh I would I would that's that's my good faith offer is that I'll come back with a solution to try and figure out some sort of trigger that gives police and or excuse me, that gives fire what they're looking for and some sort of certainty, should and then they can hold the administration accountable.

Like that's the kicker, right?

They keep coming back to us.

Like we appropriate money for MATA.

It's the administration not MATA, but well, it could be, but it you know, it's administration's job to administrate, but whenever the money's not there, they've got to come to us, and then it becomes our problem again.

So what I'm saying is it's fine.

Let's appropriate the money, but it ain't gonna be my problem when the administration doesn't administrate.

It's gonna be their problem.

So with that, I move the hold, Mr.

Chairman, for two weeks until the next meeting.

All right, Carl's made a motion, he needs a second.

All right, Madam Comptroller, would you please prepare?

We can't do it without objection, right?

No.

Okay, Madam Computer, would you please prepare special item one, which will be a vote on the hold.

White.

Or Logan.

I think it was white.

Cooper Sutton.

Why does it move by a second?

So special item one will be a vote on the hold.

All right.

We're voting to hold, right?

This will be a vote as soon as she goes to the voting stream.

This will be a vote vote to hold for the metrics.

Correct.

All right.

Carlisle, yes, Cooper Sutton, yes, Easter Thomas, yes, no, green, no, Logan, yes, Smiley, no, Spinoza, no.

Swearing Washington, yes, Walker, yes, Warren, no, white, yes, Chairman Canalie, yes.

Thank you.

That item passes this item will be held for two weeks.

All right, madam comptroller, would you please take us to item 23 on our regular agenda?

We get a new fake cursed up here.

Item number 23 on our regular agenda is a joint ordinance of the city of Memphis and County of Shelby County, Tennessee, enacted pursuant to the community redevelopment act of 1988 and the uniformity and tax increment financing act of 2012, providing for the amendment of the Cleveland Street Corridor Redevelopment Trust Fund up for third and final reading.

Ordinance number 5960 is sponsored by Councilwoman Easter Thomas.

Councilwoman Green, you're recognized.

Thank you, Chair.

The committee met recommended approval and I so move.

Are you okay?

Can you move it?

Councilwoman White, you're recognized.

Thank you.

I'll be recusing from this matter as I'm special counsel for the county commission.

Please share White is a recusal councilwoman.

Dr.

Easter Thomas, you're recognized.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, I just want to say to the folks over there on our right-hand side.

If y'all can wave y'all's hands that are waiting on this, uh, we're really looking forward to after this snafu is done.

Um, the great developments that y'all are going to bring to the Cleveland area through the TIFF.

So very uh happy to have put this back forth and to support this, and we're just looking forward to what the crosstown development and CRA is going to do in this area.

Thanks, y'all.

I just wanted to say thank you.

All right.

Item was moved by Green, seconded by Easter Thomas.

Seeing no other members in the queue, please take us to our voting screen.

Carlisle, yes, Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, Green, yes, Logan, yes, Smiley, yes, Spinoza, yes, Swearing, Washington, yes, Walker, yes, Warren, yes, White, recused.

Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

Madam Council, please call item 24.

Item number 24 is an ordinance to amend ordinance number 5595, Title 5, Chapter 40 of the Memphis Municipal Code to renew the Memphis Tourism Improvement District.

Up for third and final reading, ordinance number 5961 is sponsored by the administration.

Councilman Carlisle, you recognize.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

The committee map recommends approval and I so move.

24 was moved by Carlisle, seconded by Spinoza.

Seeing no members in the queue, please take us to the voting screen.

Carlisle, yes, Cooper Sutton, yes, Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, Green, yes, Logan, yes, Smiley, yes, Spinoza, yes, Swearing, Washington, yes, Walker, yes, Warren, yes, White, yes, Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

Madam Countroller, please call item 25.

Number 25 is a joint ordinance amending the 2021 Memphis and Shelby County Building Code so as to amend storm shelter requirements for educational buildings and add a new appendix related to optional middle scale housing construction requirements.

Up for third and final reading, ordinance number 5962 is sponsored by the administration.

Madam Vice Chair, you're recognized.

Thank you, Chair.

The committee met there was a favorable recommendation for this item, and ISO move.

25 is moved by Swear Engine Washington, seconded by Warren.

Seeing the members in the queue, please take us to the voting screen.

Hold the voting screen for a second.

Councilman White.

I did I clicked it on here, but I needed to say it vocally that I'm recusing from number 25 as it's a joint ordinance, and I'm special counsel for the county commission.

Okay.

Note White as a recusal, and you can go ahead and release the voting screen.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Carlisle, yes, Easter Thomas, yes.

Ford, yes, Logan, yes, Spinoza, yes, Swearing, Washington, yes, Warren, yes, White recused.

Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

Madam Council, please take us to item 26.

Item number 26 is also a joint ordinance, amending the 2021 Memphis and Shelby County existing building code so as to amend storm shelter requirements for educational buildings and optional middle scale housing construction requirements.

Up for third and final reading, ordinance number 5963 is sponsored by the administration.

Madam Vice Chair, you recognize.

Thank you, Chair.

The committee met there was a favorable recommendation for this item, and ISO move.

26 moved by Square and Washington.

Need a second, please.

Second by Spinoza.

Councilwoman White, you're recognized.

Thank you, Chairman.

I'll be recusing from this matter as well as having special counsel for the county commission.

Please note white as a recusal and take us to the voting screen.

Carlisle, yes, Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, Logan, yes, Spinoza, yes, Swearing, Washington, yes, Walker, yes, Warren, yes, White recused.

Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

Madam Countroller, please call item 27.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Item number 27 is an ordinance amending the 2021 edition of the International Code, Council International Fire Code, including certain appendixes in that code and other local amendments and amending chapter 14 of the City of Memphis Code of Ordinances up for third and final reading.

Ordinance number 5964 is sponsored by the Division of Planning and Development.

Madam Vice Chair, you recognize.

Hold on.

All right.

Okay.

John Zina, Chief of Development and Infrastructure.

Um, with an assist from Attorney Owens, uh, you have a uh amended ordinance for this item.

There are some uh very brief minor amendments that are necessary uh related to referencing the section of uh the 1985 code.

Did I get the you're right?

1985, thank you.

Um, and specifically that this references the section on amendments in chapter 14 that's reflected on the first page uh of the uh amended ordinance and then on the back page the second page uh a uh uh a new clause noting that uh any amendment that's contained in section 54 of the 1985 code that conflicts with the uh amendments that are before you here uh would be superseded by this ordinance.

Uh and so that language was uh requested uh to be presented to you by attorney owens and um bring that forward to you as amended.

Thank you, sir.

Good job, attorney Owens.

So colleagues, uh I want you to make sure everybody understands the language difference in 27 is before you, and that's what you'll be voting on.

Madam Countroller, please take us to the voting screen.

Carlisle, yes, Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, Green, yes, Logan, yes, Spinoza, yes, Swimrington, Washington, yes, Walker, yes, Warren, yes, Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes as amended.

Madam Camtrover, please call item twenty nine.

Item number twenty-nine is a resolution to accept, allocate, and appropriate port security grant program funds from the Department of Homeland Security Operations Safety in the amount of nine hundred and fifty-five thousand eight hundred and eleven dollars to purchase a rescue fireboat.

All council districts.

This resolution is sponsored by the administration.

Councilwoman White, you're recognized.

The committee met in recommended approval and I so move.

And twenty-nine was moved by White, seconded by Warren.

Seeing the members in the queue, please take us to the voting screen.

Carlisle, yes, Ford, yes, Green, yes, Logan, yes, Spinoza, yes, Swearington, Washington, yes, Warren, yes, White, yes, Chairman Canale, yes.

Madam Countroller, please call item 30.

Item number 30 is a resolution to accept, allocate, and appropriate assistance to firefighters grant program funds from the Department of Homeland Security Operations Safety in the amount of $76,960 and 36 cents to be used for the purchase of 120 powered suction devices.

All council districts.

This resolution is sponsored by the administration.

The committee met in recommended approval and ISO move.

We don't have 30 on the screen.

All right.

30 was moved by White, seconded by Warren.

Seeing no members in the queue, please take us to the voting screen.

Carlisle, yes, Cooper Sutton, yes, Ford, yes, Green, yes, Logan, yes, Spinoza, yes, Swearington, Washington, yes, Warren, yes, White, yes, Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

Madam Countroller, please call item 31.

Item number 31 is a resolution to approve interagency response automatic aid agreement between the Memphis Fire Department of City of Memphis and Bolero Refinery Fire Department District 6.

Super District 8.

This resolution is sponsored by the administration.

Councilwoman White, you're recognized.

The committee met in recommended approval and I so move.

31 was moved by White, seconded by Spinoza.

Seeing the members in the queue, please take us to the voting screen.

Yes, that's correct.

Carlisle, yes, Cooper Sutton, yes, Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, green, yes, Logan, yes, Spinoza, yes.

Swearendon, Washington, yes, Warren, yes, White, yes, Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

Madam Countroller, please call item 32.

Item number 32 is a resolution to approve interagency response automatic aid agreement between the Memphis Fire Department of the City of Memphis and Federal Express Rural Metro Fire Department.

District 3, Super District 8.

This resolution is sponsored by the administration.

Councilwoman White, you're recognized.

The committee met in recommended approval.

And ISO move.

Seconded by Spinoza.

Seeing the members in the queue, please take us to the voting screen.

Members, please cast your votes for 32.

Carlisle, yes, Cooper Sutton, yes.

Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, Green, yes.

Logan, yes, Spinoza, yes.

Swammerton, Washington, yes.

Warren, yes, Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

Item number 33 is a resolution amending the task force on city employee compensation and directing the preparation of a compensation review package.

All council districts.

This resolution is sponsored by Councilwoman White.

Councilwoman Dr.

Easter Thomas.

Thank you, Chair.

The committee may recommends approval and I so move.

33 was moved by Easter Thomas.

We move it again, please.

Second above Warren.

Seeing the members in the queue, please take us to the voting screen.

Cooper Sutton, yes, Easter Thomas, yes.

Ford, yes, green, yes, Logan, yes, Spinoza, yes.

Swerrington, Washington, yes.

Warren, yes, White, yes.

Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

Colleagues, that brings us to the end of our agenda and to the same night minutes.

I believe Madam Vice Chair has this ready.

Thank you, Chair.

Our same nightmare items are items 11, 17, 34, 35, just those four items.

36 was held.

Once again, that's 11, 17, 34, and 35.

And I still move.

Same night minutes moved by Swearinger in Washington, seconded by Warren.

Single members in the queue, please take us to the voting screen.

Members, please cast your votes for same night minutes.

Carlisle, yes.

Cooper Sutton, yes.

Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, Green, yes, Logan, yes.

Please show council member Spinoza's voting, yes.

Warren, yes, White, yes, Chairman Canale, yes.

That item passes.

All right, colleagues.

It brings us to our public comment portion.

Kristen Fox Troutman, you're up first.

Name and address for the record.

You have two minutes.

Hello, good evening, Chair and members of the council.

My name is Kristen Fox Troutman, Executive Director of Samaritan Counseling Centers of the Mid South.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today about our FY community grant application and to thank you for your past support of our work.

For nearly 45 years, Samaritan has provided high quality affordable mental health care to Memphis residents.

This past year, nearly nine out of ten of the 3200 counseling sessions we provided were subsidized by charitable charitable contributions to make care accessible for those who are uninsured or underinsured.

The need in our city for mental health care continues to grow.

Tennessee ranks a deplorable 43rd in the nation for access to mental health care.

Cost is one of the major barriers.

The average counseling session in Tennessee is about 130 to 150 dollars.

And nearly 50% of psychotherapists in Tennessee do not accept insurance for payment.

As a result, nearly half of adults and children with a diagnosed mental health condition go without care.

Your investment helps change that.

Samaritan's model is built on affordability and access.

Offer a sliding scale fee structure, and raise funds to offset low-fee sessions through our client assistance program.

We also work across the city through partnerships in Fraser, South Memphis, Downtown, Midtown, and East Memphis, bringing services directly to communities with the greatest need.

And our free mental health lunch and learn series continues to engage and educate hundreds of Memphians on issues like trauma, loneliness, and teen mental health.

Today we respectfully request $50,000 from the City Council Community Grant Program to continue expanding access to affordable mental health care.

This support will fund our client assistance program, essential technology, and our EHR system, and the administrative staff who ensure our mission is delivered with integrity and excellence.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I would be honored to answer any questions.

Thank you so much for being here and thank you for the work that you all do at Samaritan.

Thank you so much.

Brianna Byrd.

Name and address.

You have two minutes.

Hey, Brianna Birds, 720 Loeb Street.

Um, over the past week, um, I've heard multiple very troubling reports from several homeless members of our community.

In addition to sweeping encampments and forcing these community members to leave their spots, MPD officers have been confiscating their possessions in a callous attempt to discourage them from staying in the area.

This act, taking away the only things in the world that these people can call their own is morally detestable in its own right.

But these possessions include items like blankets, tents, and sleeping bags, which are vital instruments in the struggle to stay alive in the freezing cold streets.

I want all of you, everyone here, to think back to the moment when you walked into this building.

What a relief it was to come in from that intense cold.

Think about the people who rest on those benches across the street.

Uh those people are living in these freezing cold conditions.

There's no reason to make their lives harder.

It's unfathomably cruel.

I do truly appreciate the city for making use of the facility land partnership at First Baptist Church as a warming center last night, and I hope to see warming centers continue to be available to these folks.

But the reality is that many people will not be able to access these facilities for one reason or another.

And the very least we can do is allow them to equip themselves for the winter conditions.

So I urge the city to direct MPD to seize these encampment suites and confiscation of possessions.

No one deserves to die in the streets of exposure.

And while I've got a few more seconds on that same topic, no one deserves to die in the jails either.

Um, in the last 14 days in the Shelby County jail, uh, five people have died.

Um it's unacceptable, and uh that the city has the power to enforce the site and release policy for nonviolent misdemeanors and um at least take a small step in addressing this issue of overcrowding.

Umxandra Farmer Alexandra Farmer, 1044 Bruce Street, 38104.

Good evening, council members.

Um, I want to start my comment by just saying thank you to everyone who's co-sponsoring our referendum ordinance.

Um, you have a lot of library workers who are really happy right now and really grateful who've been fighting for months, um, as you all know for this.

I plan to spend tonight talking about all of the work my coworkers and I have done to get here and heaping deserved praise on all of you for hearing us.

But instead, my coworkers and I feel we should speak to some questions raised in the committee meeting today.

Since we began organizing MPL Workers United, we've heard a shift a shifting list of warnings from the administration that will all be fired and forced through a rehiring process, that our jobs might suddenly require new degrees, that unionizing will hurt our careers, that we should be patient and just be grateful for what we already received, or that a raise for all city employees should be enough to quiet us.

We recognize these for what they are.

Attempts to discourage us from forming a collective and fighting for better.

The threat of a rehiring process keeps resurfacing, but every library worker has already gone through a competitive hiring process.

Our jobs were publicly posted.

Anyone could have applied.

We know exactly what we're doing and what we're asking for, and we're calling on the administration to work with us to move this forward as well.

Thank you all so much.

Have a good evening.

Thank you, Ms.

Forward.

Jonathan Hill.

Hi, Jonathan Hill, 1350 Concourse Avenue, uh 38104.

Uh so we, as a society, um have used the word unprecedented a lot to describe the times that we live in.

Um, even before the pandemic, and we're now in the midst of powerful growing pains, I think would be the most optimistic way to describe it.

Uh we're in a test of a commitment to liberty and to democracy.

I don't know how well our country is doing with that right now, but right now in Memphis, in our library system, our workers are committed to the cause of freedom and democracy, and it is self-evident in our working and in our efforts to organize.

This moment where we can put forth to our fellow citizens the question of whether or not the library division should be appointed, or if library workers deserve the protections and consistency of civil service and collective power, is a moment which will affect the lives of everyone hired as a library worker going forward from here on out.

It's not just about us right now.

Our news is national news.

Our cause is being acted out in cities across our country.

So let it be here in Memphis, once again in Memphis that we do the work to fight for democracy.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Hill.

Denise Ewell.

Hi, my name is Denise Ewell.

Address is 2939, Bartlett Crest Drive, Bartlett, Tennessee, 38134.

Pardon me.

Since coming to speak here, we've been called polite librarians more than a few times.

But we need to we need you to know we are so much more than that.

Let me tell you who the people of MPL workers united really are.

We are truck drivers, catalogers, sorters, book repairers, delivery people, shelvers, social workers, textile artists, resource operators, clerks, maintenance staff, sales associates, volunteers, tour guides, genealogists, event coordinators, authors, audio engineers, curators, archivists, finders of lost things, workshoppers, problem solvers, storytellers, crafters, robotics engineers, crisis interventionists, and oh yeah, some of us are librarians too.

We're not just one thing.

We're an ecosystem of workers who make the library function.

Only library workers know what it is to be a library worker, and only we know what it takes to make the library the place people rely on every day.

That is why today matters.

This ordinance about recognizing all of us as the civil servants we already functionally are.

It's about making sure our public libraries actually reflect the democratic values we say we believe in.

Thank you to the council members co-sponsoring and supporting Councilman Smiley's ordinance.

You're helping give Memphis voters the chance to finally correct our status and stand up for fairness, transparency, and democracy in our public institutions.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Ewell.

Joe B.

Kemp.

Joe Kent, 511 Flamingo.

At the last uh council meeting, the budget chair blasts the only three people that bothered to come down to advocate for MLGW cost containment.

And then asserts that private MLGW meetings are sufficient in place of public oversight.

How idiotic is that, Mr.

Chairman?

How idiotic is that?

Next, the budget chair claims the council worked hard on the MLGW budget, but was unwilling to critically examine a council that was unwilling to examine the single line item tree trimming in the budget, or ask quant 2026 tree trimming costs are increasing over 2025 when there is no accelerate overgrowth cut need.

Not then.

Decades of MLGW capital under investment.

Not true.

It's not true.

Lowest combined rates in the country.

Not true.

You're not going to have the lowest combined rates in the country if you're 16th or 17th in electrical rates.

It's not gonna happen.

Not gonna happen, guys.

MLGW annual compliance audit would pick up on expensive tree trimming costs.

Wholly unlikely.

Wholly unlikely.

The 2023 tree trimming RFPs and this is what one surprised me.

He challenged us to call and ask for this stuff.

The 2023 tree trimming RFPs and contracts and et cetera are readily available for public review.

Not true.

It's not true.

And finally, I can ced it to all of Mr.

McGowan's data points using his data, and we are still at 56 to 73 million dollar tree trimming ripoff for 20 for years 2026 through 2028.

Any questions?

Thank you, Mr.

Kent.

Praying for your healing.

Do I praying for your healing?

Oh Glinda Hicks.

Good afternoon, Glenda Hicks, 608 Gillies.

Co-founder 21st Century Memphis or Bust.

I'm grateful for the interaction that I was privy to see this afternoon regarding the budget and budget increases and would love to have seen that same bigger and interaction regarding the MLGW budget.

And again, I just want to reiterate the fact that simplistically, simplistically, it was expressed that there is at least 28 million dollars in that tree trimming contract that is unaccounted for.

Again, simplistically, that did not make sense.

It was not accounted for.

And given the situation that our citizenry have experienced with the government shutdown for 43 days, light gas and water wants to come back and offer a 30-day pause on late fees.

What is that supposed to do for the citizenry?

Light gas and water gave up absolutely nothing in restraining or confining their budget to assist the citizens.

Light gas and water is publicly owned.

There should have been some acquiescing on their part to support the citizenry.

And that was all that was simply asked.

But this body did not consider that.

So yes, disappointed to say the least.