OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Memphis City Council Regular Meeting – May 26, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 26, 2026
BodyMemphis, Tennessee
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:29:52

Transcript — Verbatim
9:04

There we go.

9:07

Please call our May twenty sixth, twenty twenty six meeting to order.

9:18

All right.

9:20

I would like to recognize our chaplain of the day, Arnell Morris of the Memphis Fire Department.

9:27

He has been invited by Councilman Spinosa.

9:30

Mr.

9:30

Morris, please lead us in prayer.

9:33

Go to the podium.

9:36

Shall we pray?

9:42

And for every for the many things that you've done for us.

9:45

We actually look upon this meeting and give grace to every person that's here.

9:50

The leadership of this city.

10:00

We give you praise and glory.

10:03

In your son's name we do pray.

10:05

We all can say amen.

10:08

Thank you.

10:08

Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

10:27

Councilman Spinoza, you're recognized at this time.

10:40

Thank you so much.

10:44

Thank you, Madam Chair.

10:46

Greetings, be it hereby known that Chaplain Arnell Morris in recognition of a life of exemplary qualities, outstanding service to the city, meritorious involvement in humanitarian affairs and demonstrated concern for governmental process has been appointed chaplain of the day of the Memphis City Council, and is hereby grant entitled to all the honors, rights, and privileges and prerogatives appearing to the office and to the display of this certificate given under this seal this 26th day of May 2026, signed by Chairwoman Gina Swearing in Washington and myself.

11:18

Thank you, Madam Chair.

11:19

Good to see you, sir.

11:20

Thank you for all you do.

11:35

Thank you so much.

11:36

Madam Comptroller, if you will please call the roll.

11:39

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.

11:40

Council members Canale, Carlisle, Cooper Sutton, Easter Thomas, Ford Green, Logan, Smiley, Spinoza, Walker, President, Warren, White, Chairwoman Swearing Washington.

12:08

Present.

12:08

Madam Chair, you have a quorum.

12:10

Thank you.

12:12

Councilman Canale, I believe you've reviewed the minutes.

12:17

Yes, Madam Chair.

12:18

I have reviewed the meeting minutes from the May 12th, 2026 meeting and find them to be in order and move for their adoption.

12:28

Okay.

12:29

It has been moved by Councilman Ford Canale, second by Councilman Spinoza.

12:37

Madam Comtroller, if you will please prepare the screen for the vote.

12:52

Council members, you may cast your votes.

12:58

And please cast your votes for the minutes.

13:08

Cooper Sutton, yes.

13:09

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

13:14

Smiley, yes, Spinoza, yes, Walker, yes.

13:18

Warren, yes.

13:20

Chairwoman Swearing Washington, yes.

13:24

That item passes.

13:25

Welcome to the May 26, 2026 regular meeting of the Memphis City Council.

13:32

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

13:46

Our council staff has meeting agendas available up front with Mr.

13:51

Clay.

13:52

Clay, please raise your hand, as well as comment request cards for members of the public wishing to be heard on a specific item.

14:01

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

14:09

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

14:17

As chair, I will only recognize citizens that properly register to speak by submitting a completed comment request card to council staff.

14:29

Okay, items 28.

14:32

No, that's going to be withdrawn.

14:33

We do have a presentation.

14:35

Colleagues, I want to take a point of privilege to recognize Mr.

14:39

Mason Todd and his beautiful family that are joining us here today for his innovation, compassion, and commitment to serving others through technology.

14:51

Where are you?

14:53

Mr.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████24%
Public Transportation██████████████████████22%
Mental Health Awareness█████████9%
Historic Preservation████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Educational Institutions█████5%
Public Safety█████5%
Public Engagement████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Memphis City Council Regular Meeting – May 26, 2026

The Memphis City Council convened its regular meeting on May 26, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. The meeting included recognitions, a public hearing, approval of consent agendas, resolutions on a mayoral veto, fiscal adjustments, and public comments on public transit and police accountability.

Recognitions and Proclamations

  • Councilwoman Logan presented a resolution honoring Mason Todd for developing an AI-powered health application to assist low-income families in accessing healthcare resources.
  • Councilman Canale sponsored a resolution recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Representatives from Alliance Healthcare noted that 43 of their 45 beds were full over the weekend and 13 individuals walked in from crisis on the streets.
  • Councilwoman Cooper Sutton sponsored a resolution to honorarily designate a portion of Horn Lake Road as Reverend Doctor Gerald Rayborn Sr. Drive.
  • Councilwoman White sponsored a resolution recognizing Peyton Gibson, Carter Holmes, and Ty Miller for winning national recognition in the 2026 C-SPAN StudentCam Documentary Competition for their documentary "The Pursuit" on immigration reform and DACA recipients.

Public Hearing

  • Item 4 (SUP 26-03): Resolution approving a special use permit at 2342 Frazier Boulevard. Councilwoman Easter Thomas initially withheld her vote but after discussions with the applicant, she supported the project, citing the developer's standard of compliance. The resolution passed unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 5-11 (ordinances and resolutions including a tourism development zone, street name change, engineering plans, etc.) were approved unanimously.
  • Item 12: Acceptance of a $90,692.98 donation from the LOE's Bishop Irrevocable Trust for the Memphis Animal Shelter for heartworm treatment and adoption subsidies, approved unanimously.
  • Items 13-27: MLGW fiscal consent agenda (contract awards, scope changes, purchase orders totaling millions) approved unanimously.
  • Item 31: Resolution to accept $1,303,991 in additional grant funds from the U.S. Department of Justice through the U.S. Marshals Service, approved unanimously.

Resolutions on Mayoral Veto and Impasse

  • Item 32: Resolution allowing the mayor's veto of Ordinance 5969 to stand and establishing an impasse ordinance review committee. Passed with 11 yes votes.
  • Item 33: Resolution to schedule an impasse presentation before the full council for the ASME labor union on June 8, 2026. Passed with 10 yes, 1 abstention.

Regular Agenda Items

  • Item 28 was withdrawn by Councilwoman Easter Thomas.
  • Item 29: Resolution to amend the FY 2026 general fund operating budget by $575,000 for the Memphis Parks Division. Approved unanimously.
  • Item 30: Resolution for a third quarter budget neutral adjustment. The item was held for two weeks due to a request for further explanation.

Public Comments and Testimony

  • Multiple speakers from Better Transit for a Better Memphis (Dorothy Connor, Marley Uniguez, Susan Neely Barnes, Ron Davis) urged the council to increase city investment in public transit from $32 million to $52 million for the next fiscal year. They cited economic benefits, ridership growth from 40,000 to 50,000 daily riders after fare-free travel, and the need to catch up with peer cities.
  • Transit advocates Cynthia Bailey, Johnny Mosley, and Sammy Hunter criticized MATA service cuts and management, requesting more oversight and a timeline for new buses. They highlighted that route adjustments were made without a full board, which they argued violates the city charter.
  • Jessica Miller of Indivisible Memphis raised concerns about excessive force by Memphis Police Department and the lack of timeline for completing the internal investigation into the No Kings event. She noted that two people had been killed by law enforcement in the past two weeks.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent agenda items and resolutions on the mayoral veto and impasse were approved.
  • The special use permit at 2342 Frazier Boulevard (Item 4) was approved.
  • Item 28 was withdrawn.
  • Item 30 was held for two weeks.
  • Council members Easter Thomas and Cooper Sutton committed to following up on MATA concerns, with Sutton already conducting unannounced bus rides to assess service.
  • The council adjourned after public comments.

Meeting Transcript

There we go. Please call our May twenty sixth, twenty twenty six meeting to order. All right. I would like to recognize our chaplain of the day, Arnell Morris of the Memphis Fire Department. He has been invited by Councilman Spinosa. Mr. Morris, please lead us in prayer. Go to the podium. Shall we pray? And for every for the many things that you've done for us. We actually look upon this meeting and give grace to every person that's here. The leadership of this city. We give you praise and glory. In your son's name we do pray. We all can say amen. Thank you. Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilman Spinoza, you're recognized at this time. Thank you so much. Thank you, Madam Chair. Greetings, be it hereby known that Chaplain Arnell Morris in recognition of a life of exemplary qualities, outstanding service to the city, meritorious involvement in humanitarian affairs and demonstrated concern for governmental process has been appointed chaplain of the day of the Memphis City Council, and is hereby grant entitled to all the honors, rights, and privileges and prerogatives appearing to the office and to the display of this certificate given under this seal this 26th day of May 2026, signed by Chairwoman Gina Swearing in Washington and myself. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good to see you, sir. Thank you for all you do. Thank you so much. Madam Comptroller, if you will please call the roll. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. Council members Canale, Carlisle, Cooper Sutton, Easter Thomas, Ford Green, Logan, Smiley, Spinoza, Walker, President, Warren, White, Chairwoman Swearing Washington. Present. Madam Chair, you have a quorum. Thank you. Councilman Canale, I believe you've reviewed the minutes. Yes, Madam Chair. I have reviewed the meeting minutes from the May 12th, 2026 meeting and find them to be in order and move for their adoption. Okay. It has been moved by Councilman Ford Canale, second by Councilman Spinoza. Madam Comtroller, if you will please prepare the screen for the vote. Council members, you may cast your votes. And please cast your votes for the minutes. Cooper Sutton, yes. Easter Thomas, yes, Ford, yes, Green, yes, Logan, yes. Smiley, yes, Spinoza, yes, Walker, yes. Warren, yes. Chairwoman Swearing Washington, yes. That item passes. Welcome to the May 26, 2026 regular meeting of the Memphis City Council. Meetings of the Memphis City Council shall be conducted in an orderly manner to ensure the public has the full opportunity to be heard, and the deliberate process of the council is retained at all times. Our council staff has meeting agendas available up front with Mr. Clay. Clay, please raise your hand, as well as comment request cards for members of the public wishing to be heard on a specific item.

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