Weekly Update

Friends,

Earlier this week, it was with great pleasure that I announced my nominee for our next chief of police. Cerelyn “CJ” Davis currently serves as the chief of police in Durham, North Carolina. Pending council approval next month, she will come to Memphis with a wealth of knowledge and experience after a career dedicated to public safety.

To help share her story and to introduce her to our community, I had the chance this past Saturday to sit down with CJ to discuss her background and her vision for the department. To watch our conversation and learn more about our next chief of police, go here.

Budget Season: As I do each April, this past Tuesday I presented my proposed budget to Council. For the next year, I proposed an operating budget of $716 million (which is largely flat) that included a two percent raise for commissioned police and fire and an additional $16 million in one-time premium pay to full-time City of Memphis employees allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act funds.

As is with all my budget proposals as mayor so far, the is no tax increase.

Additionally, I proposed $89 million in our Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Budget that contains $19.5 million in much needed paving for our city streets and nearly $11 million in capital acquisitions on items for core city services, such as, more police cars, fire trucks, and dump trucks.

In my remarks, I summarized three main points:

1. The limitations on the American Rescue Plan Act Funds
2. Highlights on my proposed operating and CIP budgets
3. The property tax rate that I am proposing

To read my full remarks, go here.

Historic Collins Chapel Connectional Hospital: After many years of working on this project, we had the grand opening of Collins Chapel earlier this week. In a partnership between Room in the Inn and the CME Church, this newly renovated facility will now provide respite care to medically fragile individuals and provide shelter for families experiencing homelessness.

This project is the filling one gap in providing care to those experiencing homelessness but it is a true testament of what can be accomplished with partnership. I want to thank our partners who made this project possible—the Memphis City Council, Shelby County Board of Commissioners, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Director Paul Young of City of Memphis Housing and Community Development and the staff, Self-Tucker Architects, Chris Woods Construction, Regions Bank, the CME Church, and Room in the Inn. I would also like to thank our federal partners—Congressman Steve Cohen, Congressman David Kustoff, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and former Senator Lamar Alexander for making these funds available through the CARES Act passed in March 2020.

To watch short video about the project, go here.

Amazon delivers—again: After making an announcement early last year of an Amazon fulfillment center in Frayser, the company shared yesterday they will be adding an additional delivery station directly behind its current Frayser site.

During a time when Memphians are in need of more quality, good-paying jobs, Amazon continues to deliver. From day one they have been such a great partner, and we’re so happy they are continuing to expand their footprint in Memphis.

Enjoy your weekend!

Yours,