Memphis City Council Regular Meeting - August 18, 2026

The Memphis City Council held its regular meeting on August 18, 2026, beginning at 10:15 AM. The meeting featured multiple resolutions honoring individuals and organizations, unanimous approval of consent and add-on agenda items including a first reading of a data center moratorium, and extensive public comments on data centers, transit, and other community concerns.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the August 4, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously.
• Item 1: Resolution recognizing and honoring Black-owned businesses in honor of National Black Business Month, sponsored by Councilwoman Easter Thomas. Honorees included A&R Barbecue, Aviation Pediatric Dentistry, and others.
• Item 2: Resolution approving an honorary street name change for Samuel Henderson (Adams Avenue between North B.B. King Boulevard and Fourth Street to be honorarily known as St. Peter Sam Avenue), sponsored by the full council.
• Item 3: Resolution honoring Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. for his 45 years of service, sponsored by Chairwoman Swearingen Washington.
• Item 4: Resolution honoring Reverend Dr. Noel G. L. Hutchinson Jr., sponsored by Councilwoman Cooper Sutton.
• Item 5: Resolution honoring volunteers at Plough Towers, sponsored by Councilwoman Green.
• Items 6-10, 25 (Consent Agenda): Unanimously approved. Included:
  • Item 6: Ordinance 5980 (zoning, second reading)
  • Item 7: Ordinance 5981 (joint ordinance, second reading)
  • Item 8: Ordinance 5979 (zoning, second reading)
  • Item 9: Final plat for Pleasant Acres (with same-night minutes)
  • Item 10: Supplemental agreement for Lake Las Cruces Plan Development (with same-night minutes)
  • Item 25: Ordinance 5982 declaring a temporary moratorium on permits for data center developments (first reading). Passed unanimously.
• Item 11 (Fiscal Consent): Resolution accepting $7,600 from the Tennessee Arts Commission for the Arts for All Grant Program (with same-night minutes). Approved unanimously.
• Items 12-17 (MLGW Fiscal Consent): Approved unanimously:
  • Item 12: Contract for UAV inspection ($1,104,000)
  • Item 13: NERC compliance software ($256,045)
  • Item 14: Purchase order for 500 KCM wire ($504,813)
  • Item 15: Security automation installation ($187,000)
  • Item 16: Emergency HVAC replacement ($2,790,687)
  • Item 17: Safety boot program ($342,000)

Public Comments & Testimony

• Data Center Moratorium (Item 25): Multiple speakers urged the council to pass the moratorium and strengthen protections:
  • Claudia Hyman warned of water contamination risks, citing Jackson, Mississippi and Morgan County, Georgia.
  • Andrea Bell requested updates on basic services in Hickory Hill and raised health concerns about the Colossus data center.
  • Reverend Gordon Myers invoked moral leadership, the Golden Rule, and the Tennessee Constitution to support the moratorium.
  • Rachel Chantel argued that data centers shift costs to ratepayers and called for transparency and cost-of-service studies.
  • Amber Sherman accused Elon Musk of exploiting Memphis and noted that Councilwoman Cooper Sutton removed her name as a sponsor.
  • Brandy Price described greenwashing and warned of subacoustic noise and health effects.
  • Royce Davis documented 69 methane gas turbines operating without permits, 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxides annually, and health impacts in South Memphis.
  • Dylan Duke urged the council to remember that the moratorium does not exonerate past actions.
  • Kashawn Pearson demanded ethical development, citing 10-20 premature deaths and $33-40 million in lost wages from Colossus I.
  • Christian Dennis called for a thorough moratorium including air quality, aquifer usage, and subsidence.
  • Jack Branson, an environmental science student, argued that health should come before corporate profits.
  • Richard Massey listed other regional cities that have regulated data centers and called for action.
  • Jeremiah Smith linked data centers to AI used for surveillance and war, and urged the council to block further development.
  • Wymesia Hyman noted that a water reuse facility was paused and that the XAI Transparency Act was vetoed.
• Other Comments:
  • Andrea Bell asked for updates on Hickory Hill services and the post office.
  • Lucy Chambless questioned MPD’s knowledge of Homeland Security and IRS responding to mental health calls.
  • Tracy Woods complained about pothole repairs and towing debris.
  • Brianna Smith demanded clean air and water, referencing health issues in zip code 38109.
  • Sarah Houston (Protect Our Aquifer) thanked the council for the moratorium and urged continued action.
  • Jasmine Bernard called the data center impacts an environmental genocide and demanded resident voting power on future decisions.

Discussion Items

• Item 2 (Samuel Henderson Street Naming): Councilman Canale presented the resolution. Father Scott O’Brien and Judge Jenny Latta spoke in support.
• Item 25 (Data Center Moratorium): No discussion on the floor; the item was included in the consent agenda and passed on first reading. Councilwoman Cooper Sutton later noted she removed her sponsorship but did not indicate her vote.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous Approval of Consent, Fiscal, and MLGW Agendas: All items passed without dissent.
• Data Center Moratorium (First Reading): Ordinance 5982 passed as part of the consent agenda, triggering a 12-month moratorium on permits for data center developments. Two more readings are required for final adoption.
• Medical Debt Relief: Item 19 (resolution allocating FY27 Community Grant funds) passed, erasing medical debt for over 12,000 families.
• Capital Improvements Funded: Over $7 million allocated for parks, transit, and other projects, including:
  • $3.1 million for Jesse Turner Park
  • $1.25 million for Zoo major maintenance
  • $500,000 for Kennedy Park, Wolf River Greenway Phase 5C, and Overton Park Metal Museum
  • $150,000 for Pine Hill Golf Course netting
  • $750,000 for Levitt Shell improvements
• Transit Funding: $6.325 million transferred from bond appropriations to the Innovation Corridor BRT project.
• Same-Night Minutes: Approved for items 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32.
• Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned after public comments.