Building Together: City of Memphis Weekly Newsletter

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As Mayor of Memphis, I spend a lot of time talking about the positive attributes of our city, but I spend even more time talking about the positive attributes of our region - because when it comes to economic development and recruiting businesses and talent, Memphis isn’t competing against Germantown, Southaven or West Memphis, we are competing nationally as the MidSouth region - as a team with Germantown, Southaven, and all of our sister municipalities. 

When a new business or person moves into our region - not just our city, but our region - we all win. You can think about it like this, let’s say a car manufacturer, battery plant, or tech company plants a business in Memphis. Some of their talent recruitment will come from the city of Memphis, some from Germantown, some from West Memphis or Arlington. And some of their recruits will likely come from out of market. Those transplanted employees might purchase houses in one part of the region, shop and dine in another. Our region benefits from all of this growth. My job is to help position us to do more recruiting into our region. 

In the MidSouth region, we have a unique opportunity to leverage the strengths and resources of six counties and 39 municipalities across three states. When it comes to pitching our collective assets, applying for grants, or recruiting talent, we are often better together. I believe the power of working together across city and county lines has never been more critical if we want Memphis, and the MidSouth region, to win. 

The Power of Regional Collaboration. Regionalism is more than just a buzzword; it’s a call to action. It invites us to look beyond individual communities and recognize the strength we gain when we unite with our neighboring cities and counties. In the Memphis region, we have the privilege of engaging with Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas, all of which contribute to our shared economic and cultural fabric. This collaborative spirit is crucial as we tackle challenges and seize opportunities that no single community could address alone. 

In recent months, we've seen optimism and enthusiasm flourish throughout our region. A significant milestone was the successful relaunch of our regional development organization, the MidSouth Development District (MDD), which provides leadership in our regional economic development strategy. With more municipal leaders eager to engage than ever before, our region is carving out a path that emphasizes collective impact over political affiliations.

The MDD team recently secured a $21 million grant from the USDA, which will benefit all six counties in our region. This tri-state application is a testament to what we can achieve when we come together and leverage our shared resources. The MDD team is actively pursuing more federal funding opportunities from agencies like HUD and the DOT, aiming to create a ripple effect of growth and resources across our entire community.

To guide our efforts, we can look at other examples of regional collaboration. The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) in Kansas City stands out as a gold standard. Their approach to bi-state cooperation has led to transformative projects in transportation, emergency services, and climate action. MARC’s ability to unify diverse stakeholders under a common vision has resulted in tangible benefits for residents across the region. We can adopt similar strategies, fostering partnerships that transcend state lines to enhance our own community’s infrastructure and services.

Regional Wins. In one of my past positions, I had the opportunity to work on a particularly powerful regional project. Between 2011 and 2014, I was lead on the 2014 MidSouth Regional Greenprint plan, which connected greenways, parks and trails across four counties and three states. In that example, 18 jurisdictions ultimately adopted the plan. The Greenprint is a 25-year plan to create 500 miles of greenway trails and 200 miles of bike paths across parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. The collaboration and attention to detail required was massive: some 82 organizations from Shelby, Crittenden, DeSoto, and Fayette counties participated.

The Greenprint plan was born from a $2.6 million regional planning grant secured in 2011 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Currently at its 10-year anniversary, this grant will continue to serve our community by connecting green spaces to more residents, thus improving quality of life. New and expanding businesses seek out that high-quality of life and bring more jobs. Jobs create opportunities for our residents and can attract more people to our region. The Greenprint was more than a series of trails. It was an opportunity for our region to become stronger. 

More recently, in February of 2024, I signed the Mid-South Climate Action Plan, an eight-county effort to begin comprehensively addressing our region’s contributions to climate change. Climate change is one of those issues that can’t be solved by only one player. Climate change will take a collective all-in effort. The strong regional support for this plan will ensure our policies and municipal efforts are aligned. 

In partnership with MDD, we are now convening all of the regional police chiefs at a  quarterly Law Enforcement Roundtable to discuss regional issues, best practices, and recent wins. 

The Road Ahead. As we look to the future, we must continue to engage in open dialogues with our regional partners. We must seek innovative solutions and remain transparent about our intentions. We can’t afford to miss the opportunity to address shared issues collectively, whether it’s economic development, education, or public safety.

My hope is that together, we can foster a culture that embraces collaboration and eliminates barriers so that we can build a stronger, more resilient Memphis and MidSouth. Working together, we can establish our region as a beacon of progress and innovation, unlocking potential that will enrich the lives of all our residents and develop a stronger, safer, more future-ready Memphis and MidSouth.

Good News!

Weekly Crime Trend

The report below provides our weekly update on Part 1 Crimes. It updates daily and shows a continuous rolling 7-day total compared to the prior 7-day total. The charts on the right show the calendar week trend, comparing 2023 to 2024.

(We maintain two crime dashboards, the Weekly Crime Trend report can be found here, and the Crime Analytics dashboard can be accessed here.)

Our Strike Team worked in the following zip codes this week: 38117, 38122, 38134. 

Community Engagement:

Safer Communities Program Progress. The city of Memphis is proud to announce the award of $1 million in funding to 39 organizations through the Safer Communities program, which was launched in August 2024. We received a total of 81 applications requesting more than $3.2 million. We look forward to working with these organizations to make our communities safer! 

Shelby County Assessor's Townhall. Shelby County’s Assessor of Property, Melvin Burgess, invites the community to attend a series of meetings leading up to the 2025 appraisals to learn about the process and impact reappraisals have on property value. Attend the next meeting on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, from 5pm to 6pm at the Glenview Community Center. 

Type 1 Diabetes Screening Day Announced. The city of Memphis is teaming up with local diabetes doctors and educators to declare November 8 as Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 Screening Day in the City of Memphis as part of National Diabetes Awareness Month. Share and see more details here.

Social and Community Shout-outs:

Veteran’s Day Brunch. Join the Memphis Parks Aquatics Department for their Veterans Day Brunch on Friday, November 8 from 11am-1pm at the Hickory Hill Community Center! We look forward to honoring veterans for their bravery, sacrifice, and service. See full details and register here.

MPD Community Awareness Forum. Join the Memphis Police Department on November 19, from 12:15pm to 1:30pm at Lucille McWherter Senior Center for the Community Awareness Forum. See full details and share here. 

Free Health Screening. Care Access is offering free screenings to the community November 4-6 at the Venue Event Center located at 3945 Summer Avenue. They will be testing for Lp(a) at no cost and no insurance will be required. See more details and sign up here. 

Memphis Public Libraries Inger Conference. Join Memphis Public Libraries on Saturday, November 2 from 10am-1pm at the Inger Upchurch Infant and Early Childhood Conference. There will be workshops, resources, giveaways, food and more! See more details and register here.

Home for the Howl-idays. Join Memphis Animal Services this Sunday, November 3rd from 11am to 1pm at Overton Park, as they team up with Hollywood Feed to help pups find loving homes! Adoption fees for this event are just $5! See more and share here. 

Weekly round-up

in partnership and progress,

Paul A. Young