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Revised guidance on the use of federal funds in the city of Memphis budget has raised tens of millions of dollars worth of questions.
The city of Memphis and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland s administration is trying to figure out how it can find $23 million. This comes after funds from the American Rescue Plan Act the city had planned to use were thrown into doubt by new guidance from the federal government.
The city is now unclear what it can do with $18 million of the $160 million it is receiving under the stimulus bill. That $18 million was planned for the city s general fund.
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The council, which has an eight-member Black majority, passed the resolution Tuesday afternoon.
The resolution, which has no legal power, is in response to a bill that Tennessee General Assembly passed this month that would allow the state to withhold funding from school districts that teach …an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously.
The Tennessee bill is not alone nationwide. It is among several bills and efforts from Republican lawmakers to restrict the teaching of critical race theory. When the bill passed in Tennessee, lawmakers did not cite a single school district teaching critical race theory, an academic school of thought that examines the lingering effects of slavery and analyzes systemic racism within institutions.
Tax breaks, grants and assistance programs are among the enticements cities use to lure companies to relocate.
The City of Memphis has for years debated the need for corporate incentives and how they should be doled out. Reid Dulberger, President and CEO of Economic Development Growth Engine, says it’s crucial to keep incentives because it makes financial sense for businesses that would otherwise settle in other communities, some adjacent to Memphis.
Dulberger joins Memphis City Council member Worth Morgan for this week’s WKNO-TV
Behind the Headlines with host Eric Barnes and
Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries. Guests discuss programs and incentives to obtain new business in Memphis, as well as the debate surrounding such practices.
BTH: Tax and the City -- a Tale of Enticement wknofm.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wknofm.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
They chose to do the right thing, but why did they just want to confuse Memphians on what they re doing
Memphis City Council had a meeting about the new health directives, even though they do not dictate what is in the directives. Author: Mike Matthews Updated: 5:08 PM CST December 22, 2020
MEMPHIS, Tenn
This Memphis City Council meeting didn’t make any sense. Yes, that can be said about a lot of city council meetings, but it was true here. It just didn’t make sense.
They met to vote on something that they have no power over. The Shelby County Health Department already announced tougher restrictions on businesses and restaurants to deal with the exploding number of COVID cases.