WEBVTT 00:06.740 --> 00:08.108  - (female announcer)   Production funding for 00:08.108 --> 00:10.744  Behind the Headlines   is made possible in part by: 00:11.445 --> 00:13.814  The WKNO Production Fund, 00:13.814 --> 00:15.949  the WKNO Endowment Fund 00:15.949 --> 00:19.186  and by viewers like you.   Thank you. 00:19.186 --> 00:22.155 - The chairs of the city council and county commission 00:22.155 --> 00:24.291 tonight on Behind the Headlines. 00:24.291 --> 00:27.861 [dramatic orchestral music] 00:40.540 --> 00:42.376 I'm Eric Barnes, publisher of the Memphis Daily News. 00:42.376 --> 00:43.610 Thanks for joining us. 00:43.610 --> 00:45.546 I am joined tonight by Heidi Shafer, 00:45.546 --> 00:47.447 chair of the Shelby County Commission. 00:47.447 --> 00:48.682 - Thank you for having me. 00:48.682 --> 00:49.883 - (Eric) Absolutely, and Berlin Boyd, 00:49.883 --> 00:50.851 chair of the Memphis City Council. 00:50.851 --> 00:52.052 hank you for being here again. 00:52.052 --> 00:53.287 - Thank you for having me. 00:53.287 --> 00:54.254 - Along with Bill Dries, senior reporter 00:54.254 --> 00:56.156 with the Memphis Daily News. 00:56.156 --> 00:58.792 Well, we'll talk, it's still early in the new year 00:58.792 --> 01:00.027 and we'll talk about certainly things 01:00.027 --> 01:01.728 that have happened, but I want to just start 01:01.728 --> 01:03.463 generally as you both look ahead to this year, 01:03.463 --> 01:06.400 biggest challenges you face as a county 01:06.400 --> 01:07.901 commission, as a city council and I'll 01:07.901 --> 01:09.770 start with you Heidi, what are the biggest challenges? 01:09.770 --> 01:11.972 I mean, you've got a great economy, 01:11.972 --> 01:14.942 tax revenue is up, but I imagine there are many 01:14.942 --> 01:17.477 things you look at and wonder how you're gonna get done. 01:17.477 --> 01:20.013 - Well, absolutely and I mean it's no secret 01:20.013 --> 01:22.883 that for Shelby County, which includes Memphis, 01:22.883 --> 01:24.384 crime is our biggest issue. 01:24.384 --> 01:29.156 Taxes are second and we're gonna have 01:29.156 --> 01:31.758 to get handle on what's going on with opioids, 01:31.758 --> 01:33.961 which we're pushing very, very solidly 01:33.961 --> 01:36.163 on the county commission, but we're gonna have 01:36.163 --> 01:38.231 to get a handle on it, because in talking 01:38.231 --> 01:41.868 with our sheriffs, almost every single police call 01:41.868 --> 01:44.004 has something to do with opioids and that 01:44.004 --> 01:46.006 is gonna be the biggest challenge, 01:46.006 --> 01:48.375 not just for Shelby County, but for the whole country. 01:48.375 --> 01:50.077 - Yeah, and we'll break down all those, 01:50.077 --> 01:52.879 but for you, Chairman Boyd, your challenges 01:52.879 --> 01:54.381 as a city council. 01:54.381 --> 01:56.817 - We definitely, we're faced with dealing with crime 01:56.817 --> 01:59.820 as an issue, but we're also dealing with what 01:59.820 --> 02:02.689 overall repercussions the City of Memphis may face 02:02.689 --> 02:06.460 by the removal of those monuments. 02:06.460 --> 02:10.197 One thing that we were seeking is expansion of our TDZ, 02:10.197 --> 02:12.432 tourist development zone downtown. 02:12.432 --> 02:15.902 We don't know if our action will cause the state 02:15.902 --> 02:17.804 to frown upon that. 02:17.804 --> 02:19.973 The one thing that we don't have to face 02:19.973 --> 02:21.942 and worry about as much as the county 02:21.942 --> 02:24.478 is the opioid issue. 02:24.478 --> 02:27.180 it affects Memphis, but the county takes on 02:27.180 --> 02:30.083 more responsibility as far as the jails, hospital, 02:30.083 --> 02:32.386 so therefore, it's an issue with Memphis, 02:32.386 --> 02:35.155 but our country counterparts are fighting that issue. 02:35.155 --> 02:36.723 And the one thing that I think that we're doing, 02:36.723 --> 02:39.459 we're looking at, is how we're going to make sure 02:39.459 --> 02:41.261 that we can carry out the plans to increase 02:41.261 --> 02:44.564 funding in our parks and neighborhoods 02:44.564 --> 02:46.133 and libraries throughout the city. 02:46.133 --> 02:47.934 So we're looking for that extra funding 02:47.934 --> 02:51.638 to make sure that we start funding more programs 02:51.638 --> 02:53.674 to make our youth more active 02:53.674 --> 02:55.742 and have productive things to do 02:55.742 --> 02:57.711 rather than just being idle. 02:57.711 --> 03:00.147 - Again, we'll break down a lot of those issues 03:00.147 --> 03:02.082 you brought up, but we'll do the statues, 03:02.082 --> 03:04.418 maybe start there and you reference what people 03:04.418 --> 03:07.287 have talked about, whether the legislature or people 03:07.287 --> 03:10.457 within the bureaucracy within state government 03:10.457 --> 03:14.327 will exact punishment, as it were, 03:14.327 --> 03:17.164 or in some fashion for Memphis removing the statues. 03:17.164 --> 03:20.834 You all, I saw Kemp Conrad, former chair, 03:20.834 --> 03:22.636 maybe he's now vice-chair, but anyway, former chair 03:22.636 --> 03:24.438 in the city council in Nashville last week 03:24.438 --> 03:25.839 at the opening of the legislature, 03:25.839 --> 03:28.942 working with the lobbyists, what have you heard 03:28.942 --> 03:32.813 from Nashville in terms of possible retribution? 03:32.813 --> 03:35.148 - Well, you know our lobby is we have the Ingram Group 03:35.148 --> 03:38.085 for the council to represent us and Kemp chairs 03:38.085 --> 03:40.787 that committee, government relations committee. 03:40.787 --> 03:42.355 And the one thing that we've been doing 03:42.355 --> 03:44.558 is just trying to reach out and be proactive 03:44.558 --> 03:46.460 and let people know all about Memphis. 03:46.460 --> 03:48.161 We're telling the Memphis story. 03:48.161 --> 03:50.764 And I think the one thing that we have to realize 03:50.764 --> 03:52.966 is that a lot of those legislators have never 03:52.966 --> 03:54.267 been to Memphis. 03:54.267 --> 03:56.703 They don't know, they only base Memphis off 03:56.703 --> 03:57.671 what they've heard. 03:57.671 --> 04:00.140 The one thing that we can say, 04:00.140 --> 04:03.543 Memphis gets voted the number one most giving 04:03.543 --> 04:06.780 charitable city every year, year after year. 04:06.780 --> 04:08.448 Those are the type of people that live in Memphis 04:08.448 --> 04:11.585 and I think that overall we're hearing that 04:11.585 --> 04:14.187 they may hold state funding. 04:14.187 --> 04:18.892 They may deny our application as far as expansion 04:18.892 --> 04:20.360 of the TDZ. 04:20.360 --> 04:24.798 So, it's all about who can gain the most media attention 04:24.798 --> 04:26.933 as to retributions on Memphis. 04:26.933 --> 04:29.703 It's our goal to make sure that we are saying 04:29.703 --> 04:31.638 that hey, guys, a lot of people don't even know 04:31.638 --> 04:33.073 about MLK 50. 04:33.073 --> 04:35.542 This is coming up on the 50th anniversary 04:35.542 --> 04:37.944 of Dr. King's assassination and when you spread 04:37.944 --> 04:39.980 that word to some of the legislators, 04:39.980 --> 04:42.349 they say well oh, I didn't realize that. 04:42.349 --> 04:46.319 So the world's media will be on Memphis 04:46.319 --> 04:49.055 during April 4, so we did need those type 04:49.055 --> 04:50.557 of monuments in our city. 04:50.557 --> 04:53.960 - Heidi Shafer, the county commission wasn't 04:53.960 --> 04:56.396 involved in terms of voting or removing the statues, 04:56.396 --> 04:58.431 and Memphis is but one part of Shelby County, 04:58.431 --> 05:00.233 but obviously it's the biggest part of Shelby County, 05:00.233 --> 05:03.003 your take on the legislature or the state government, 05:03.003 --> 05:05.672 things you've heard or haven't heard about 05:05.672 --> 05:08.308 some sort of punishment for the city 05:08.308 --> 05:09.876 for removing the statues. 05:09.876 --> 05:11.478 - So I haven't really heard of anybody 05:11.478 --> 05:13.280 talking about punishing our area. 05:13.280 --> 05:15.849 I have joined a group called West Star, 05:15.849 --> 05:19.019 which is a group of people from every county 05:19.019 --> 05:22.022 in West Tennessee and Memphis, you know, 05:22.022 --> 05:23.990 Memphis Shelby County isn't the only area 05:23.990 --> 05:26.660 that we feel is kind of getting ignored 05:26.660 --> 05:29.296 up in Nashville, it's all of West Tennessee 05:29.296 --> 05:31.131 and what I'm doing is I"m working with a group 05:31.131 --> 05:34.067 of very, very motivated individuals 05:34.067 --> 05:36.469 in each of the counties in West Tennessee 05:36.469 --> 05:39.906 and we're trying to move together to influence 05:39.906 --> 05:42.809 what all of West Tennessee needs in order 05:42.809 --> 05:44.010 to move forward. 05:44.010 --> 05:46.213 We think that middle Tennessee's doing great, 05:46.213 --> 05:48.682 East Tennessee's been doing great for a long time, 05:48.682 --> 05:51.384 West Tennessee needs to bond together. 05:53.186 --> 05:55.855 And I've been amazed at what a good diverse group, 05:55.855 --> 05:59.059 very, very rural and very, very urban, 05:59.059 --> 06:01.795 willing to work together to make sure that in Nashville, 06:01.795 --> 06:04.497 with the legislature that we're well represented 06:04.497 --> 06:07.934 and they see what a huge economic benefit 06:07.934 --> 06:11.004 West Tennessee as a total can be. 06:11.004 --> 06:15.709 - Berlin, I would be surprised if you didn't 06:15.709 --> 06:18.612 anticipate that the legislature might have 06:18.612 --> 06:22.782 some reprisals for the decision on this. 06:22.782 --> 06:25.886 But now that you're hearing specific things 06:25.886 --> 06:29.356 about this, do you in any way regret the decision 06:29.356 --> 06:32.692 to sell those parks and have the monuments come down? 06:32.692 --> 06:34.928 - Absolutely, unequivocally no. 06:34.928 --> 06:36.596 I mean I think it was the best decision. 06:36.596 --> 06:39.866 I think that the political will and the alignment 06:39.866 --> 06:42.569 between the council and the mayor's administration 06:42.569 --> 06:45.972 was there and as we all know that this has been 06:45.972 --> 06:48.375 an issue in the City of Memphis for quite some time, 06:48.375 --> 06:51.645 but the political will and the cohesiveness 06:51.645 --> 06:52.746 was not there. 06:52.746 --> 06:54.714 The stars aligned perfectly. 06:54.714 --> 06:56.449 We had smart attorneys. 06:56.449 --> 07:01.054 Allan Wade is a genius, he never ceases to amaze me, 07:01.054 --> 07:05.225 but we went through the process the proper way. 07:07.994 --> 07:11.765 They set parameters and the sad part, they were 07:11.765 --> 07:14.567 beat by their own game, and so it's kind 07:14.567 --> 07:17.270 of amazing to me they put the parameters in place, 07:17.270 --> 07:18.872 we abided by the parameters. 07:18.872 --> 07:21.641 No one reached out to allow us an opportunity 07:21.641 --> 07:24.878 to mediate this item and so the court dates 07:24.878 --> 07:25.879 were even denied. 07:25.879 --> 07:27.514 So what else could we do? 07:27.514 --> 07:30.350 We wanted those monuments removed before MLK 50 07:30.350 --> 07:31.818 and we got them done. 07:31.818 --> 07:35.955 - Is there a game plan for if the TDZ is denied? 07:38.792 --> 07:41.261 - You know, right now the city is staying focused 07:41.261 --> 07:44.998 on making sure that we have the best plan put in place. 07:44.998 --> 07:46.900 No city in the State of Tennessee has ever 07:46.900 --> 07:49.336 been granted an extension on their TDZ. 07:49.336 --> 07:51.504 If it happens, we will be the first. 07:51.504 --> 07:52.972 We're being optimistic. 07:52.972 --> 07:54.741 We're going to make sure that if not, 07:54.741 --> 07:57.811 we will figure out a way to fund those projects, 07:57.811 --> 08:00.380 to make sure that Memphis can continue to grow 08:00.380 --> 08:02.215 and make sure that we gain energy throughout 08:02.215 --> 08:03.483 the City of Memphis. 08:03.483 --> 08:07.153 - Heidi, Chairman Boyd talked about 08:07.153 --> 08:08.388 working with Allan Wade. 08:08.388 --> 08:10.590 You all have also been working with Allan Wade. 08:10.590 --> 08:11.825 - (Heidi) And he is a genius. 08:11.825 --> 08:16.463 - This involves the opioid litigation. 08:16.463 --> 08:17.764 The last time that I looked in, 08:17.764 --> 08:20.166 Mayor Luttrell had filed a motion 08:20.166 --> 08:23.536 to intervene in the lawsuit that the commission 08:23.536 --> 08:27.440 filed that you authorized in the commission ratified. 08:27.440 --> 08:30.677 Where does that intervention stand now? 08:30.677 --> 08:33.580 Are you still setting the ground rules for that? 08:33.580 --> 08:35.281 - Well, we're moving forward on two fronts. 08:35.281 --> 08:37.650 The front that we care most about is 08:37.650 --> 08:39.185 moving forward with the suit. 08:39.185 --> 08:41.855 And it's extremely important to move forward 08:41.855 --> 08:45.158 with the suit because the opioid crisis is so deep. 08:45.158 --> 08:47.260 Did you know that the average time that it 08:47.260 --> 08:50.163 takes to recover, for your brain to get straight 08:50.163 --> 08:52.632 from an opioid addiction and over half 08:52.632 --> 08:54.667 of those opioid addictions and deaths come from 08:54.667 --> 08:59.239 prescription opioids, not street illegal, prescription. 08:59.239 --> 09:03.109 It takes 18 months to two years to get straight. 09:03.109 --> 09:05.211 So our little 30 to 60 day treatment programs 09:05.211 --> 09:07.914 aren't getting it at all. 09:07.914 --> 09:11.785 The cost for recovery from the opioid problem, 09:11.785 --> 09:14.654 which is deep, which affects our workforce, 09:14.654 --> 09:16.489 which affects how our kids can learn, 09:16.489 --> 09:18.358 it affects babies born addicted, 09:18.358 --> 09:20.427 it affects what we pay for through healthcare, 09:20.427 --> 09:22.929 it affects what we've got to cover in jails. 09:22.929 --> 09:27.033 It's huge and the bill is steep and that 09:27.033 --> 09:28.968 should not rest on my taxpayers. 09:28.968 --> 09:31.004 We didn't create the problem. 09:31.004 --> 09:33.440 That bill, those programs are gonna need 09:33.440 --> 09:35.408 to be funded from somebody and it needs 09:35.408 --> 09:38.411 to be funded from the people who are disregarding 09:38.411 --> 09:42.081 blatantly the rules and the laws 09:42.081 --> 09:44.050 that are already out there what they're supposed 09:44.050 --> 09:46.619 to be doing to make sure there is not an improper amount 09:46.619 --> 09:50.290 of opioid prescription drugs funneling through. 09:50.290 --> 09:51.991 Everybody's been looking the other way 09:51.991 --> 09:53.993 because there's so much money to be made. 09:53.993 --> 09:56.830 So, that money is gonna have to be there 09:56.830 --> 09:58.832 and that's why we're pursuing the lawsuit. 09:58.832 --> 10:01.401 At the same time, we are building, 10:01.401 --> 10:03.236 we're one of the leaders in the nation 10:03.236 --> 10:07.407 in building a very comprehensive opioid prevention 10:09.008 --> 10:11.110 and recovery program. 10:11.110 --> 10:12.612 We're gonna be first in the nation 10:12.612 --> 10:14.247 and we're serious about it 10:14.247 --> 10:15.682 and we're gonna get it done. 10:15.682 --> 10:17.984 - And to be clear, the lawsuit we're talking about 10:17.984 --> 10:21.488 is a circuit court lawsuit that names, I believe, 10:21.488 --> 10:26.292 by my count, 24 opioid manufacturers and distributors, 10:26.292 --> 10:30.463 national names that everybody would recognize on this. 10:31.631 --> 10:34.200 - Yeah, and we're not alone. 10:34.200 --> 10:35.702 We're joined by about what I think 10:35.702 --> 10:38.071 it's up to about 150 other counties in the area, 10:38.071 --> 10:40.440 so we're not alone because we wouldn't be able 10:40.440 --> 10:44.611 to take on this huge group of industries by themselves. 10:45.979 --> 10:48.348 And it's not everybody who's a distributor 10:48.348 --> 10:51.384 or everybody who's a pharmaceutical manufacturer. 10:51.384 --> 10:55.355 There are some who are such outliers in the way 10:55.355 --> 10:57.190 that they are turning a blind eye 10:57.190 --> 11:01.427 and allowing millions of pills to hit the street 11:01.427 --> 11:04.764 and it's a group that either is intentionally 11:04.764 --> 11:07.133 or unintentionally functioning like a drug cartel 11:07.133 --> 11:10.336 and I would stop it if it was on the street corner 11:10.336 --> 11:13.139 and we intend to stop it if it's in the boardroom. 11:13.139 --> 11:16.776 And so in order to protect our people, 11:16.776 --> 11:19.812 both their health and what we have to pay, 11:19.812 --> 11:22.081 we already have the highest tax rate in the state, 11:22.081 --> 11:24.851 this shouldn't rest on my taxpayers. 11:24.851 --> 11:26.786 And so we're going after it. 11:26.786 --> 11:29.556 - We're doing a show on the county's, 11:29.556 --> 11:32.458 we're having Mayor Luttrell and Kenny, 11:32.458 --> 11:34.193 health commission on sometime soon, 11:34.193 --> 11:36.095 we got thrown off because of the storm. 11:36.095 --> 11:37.630 But also when I was in Nashville 11:38.665 --> 11:39.966 at the legislature last week, 11:41.100 --> 11:42.368 it clearly waws a high priority for the legislature. 11:42.368 --> 11:44.437 I don't know what form that will take, 11:44.437 --> 11:46.839 but it clearly is for the governor 11:46.839 --> 11:48.141 and for a lot of legislators. 11:48.141 --> 11:49.108 I wanted to come back to something you said. 11:49.108 --> 11:50.343 We were talking about West Star 11:50.343 --> 11:51.311 and the West Tennessee Coalition 11:51.311 --> 11:52.579 that you're working with, 11:52.579 --> 11:54.013 does that also includes in terms of attention 11:54.013 --> 11:55.949 to West Tennessee the mega site, 11:55.949 --> 11:59.385 the so called Memphis, Tennessee mega site 11:59.385 --> 12:00.653 out it what Hardeman County, Fayette County, 12:00.653 --> 12:02.822 kind of out in that direction that is by 12:02.822 --> 12:04.991 some accounts still $80 million 12:04.991 --> 12:07.126 from being shovel ready, I mean ready to go 12:07.126 --> 12:09.028 and people in economic development in the local area 12:09.028 --> 12:12.665 will say Memphis missed out on a huge, millions 12:12.665 --> 12:13.833 and millions of dollars investment 12:13.833 --> 12:15.735 in a manufacturing plant because that site 12:15.735 --> 12:17.170 wasn't shovel ready. 12:17.170 --> 12:18.838 So is that one of those sites you talk about. 12:18.838 --> 12:20.273 - It definitely is. 12:20.273 --> 12:22.508 Let me go back to one other thing just to clarify. 12:22.508 --> 12:25.845 When you say that it's a huge priority in this state 12:25.845 --> 12:29.048 for opioids, I just want to clarify it by saying, 12:29.048 --> 12:31.117 do you know what their total budget, 12:31.117 --> 12:34.120 what the state's budget is for the entire department 12:34.120 --> 12:37.323 of dangerous drugs, for the whole state? 12:37.323 --> 12:39.759 A half million dollars of state money. 12:39.759 --> 12:41.494 A half million dollars. 12:41.494 --> 12:42.895 So, you know, there's one thing, 12:42.895 --> 12:45.431 and legislators are great at doing this. 12:45.431 --> 12:48.067 And everybody's great about talking around a problem, 12:48.067 --> 12:49.469 but people are sick of that. 12:49.469 --> 12:52.205 They want actual solutions and that's what 12:52.205 --> 12:53.439 we're trying to drive 12:53.439 --> 12:55.441 and we appreciate the help from the city 12:55.441 --> 12:58.778 in being supportive of it because this is the 12:58.778 --> 13:00.446 biggest issue we're gonna face, so now over 13:00.446 --> 13:03.783 to West Star, the mega site is a huge deal. 13:03.783 --> 13:06.786 Workforce is also a huge deal. 13:06.786 --> 13:10.089 One of the realities is if we get a big business 13:10.089 --> 13:14.827 to come that way, do we have people who are capable 13:14.827 --> 13:16.362 of doing the jobs? 13:16.362 --> 13:17.664 Do we have enough people to put towards that work force 13:17.664 --> 13:20.266 and can they pass the drug screens and opioids 13:20.266 --> 13:22.301 are now part of drug screens. 13:22.301 --> 13:23.636 - And the mega site, for people that don't know about it, 13:23.636 --> 13:24.871 we talk about it and write about it a lot, 13:24.871 --> 13:27.006 and the main site is a designated area 13:27.006 --> 13:30.610 that is built, there was middle Tennessee mega site, 13:30.610 --> 13:31.878 an East Tennessee mega site. 13:31.878 --> 13:33.813 And it's really the kind of open land 13:33.813 --> 13:36.249 that has basically the roads and the infrastructures, 13:36.249 --> 13:38.484 the idea for a major manufacturer, 13:38.484 --> 13:40.920 whether it's a car plant, there was talk of a tire plant, 13:40.920 --> 13:43.122 some sort of major, major manufacturing and they're 13:43.122 --> 13:45.224 all over the country, these mega sites kind of waiting 13:45.224 --> 13:48.161 and, you know, local communities, statewide efforts 13:48.161 --> 13:50.363 to populate them with factories. 13:50.363 --> 13:54.167 And there's been some bad feelings that the 13:54.167 --> 13:56.269 West Tennessee site was not completed 13:56.269 --> 13:58.237 after all these years of little bits 13:58.237 --> 14:00.907 of money going into it that it's still $80 million short. 14:00.907 --> 14:02.375 That's a fair description 14:02.375 --> 14:03.776 for people who don't know what the mega site is. 14:03.776 --> 14:05.278 - And that's a very fair description, 14:05.278 --> 14:08.214 which is one of the reasons why a group like West Star 14:08.214 --> 14:10.583 is so important because for a long time, 14:10.583 --> 14:13.386 honestly, West Tennessee has been in my view, 14:13.386 --> 14:15.922 just kind of little bits of counties working 14:15.922 --> 14:17.757 together hither thither and yon, 14:17.757 --> 14:19.125 we need to move with one voice. 14:19.125 --> 14:21.294 We don't agree on everything, but we can agree 14:21.294 --> 14:24.964 on the things that are mostly good for West Tennessee. 14:24.964 --> 14:26.866 And it's time for us to do it and we're 14:26.866 --> 14:29.268 going to do it and I'm just really pleased 14:29.268 --> 14:31.704 with a lot of the leadership that we've got 14:31.704 --> 14:34.407 because I have never seen a time when the 14:34.407 --> 14:36.142 different leaders in West Tennessee, 14:36.142 --> 14:39.011 including my friends over on the city side 14:39.011 --> 14:41.581 have been willing to work together to try advance 14:41.581 --> 14:43.783 our whole regional agenda. 14:43.783 --> 14:45.418 There's always that push and pull between 14:45.418 --> 14:48.588 rural and urban, but you know we can work through that. 14:48.588 --> 14:50.690 - And I guess a question to both of you, 14:50.690 --> 14:53.426 how much coordination is there between you all, 14:53.426 --> 14:54.660 between the council and commission? 14:54.660 --> 14:55.862 I mean there have been periods of time 14:55.862 --> 14:57.163 in the 25 years I've been in Memphis 14:57.163 --> 14:59.398 where they were two different islands. 14:59.398 --> 15:02.502 I mean they were at odds, the county commission, you know, 15:02.502 --> 15:04.804 people had the perception that they represented 15:04.804 --> 15:06.706 suburban interests, and the city council 15:06.706 --> 15:09.008 if focused on Memphis, is there more coordination? 15:09.008 --> 15:11.410 You don't have to agree on everything to coordinate. 15:11.410 --> 15:12.612 Your thoughts. 15:12.612 --> 15:13.813 - Well, the one thing that I can say 15:13.813 --> 15:15.314 that, you know our colleagues over on the 15:15.314 --> 15:17.984 county commission side, they did send a resolution 15:17.984 --> 15:19.719 and support of the monuments being removed, 15:19.719 --> 15:22.955 even though they didn't have any action in that, 15:22.955 --> 15:24.924 but they supported our decision. 15:24.924 --> 15:27.226 We do reach out. 15:27.226 --> 15:29.162 The one thing that I've done, I've reached 15:29.162 --> 15:32.799 out to Chair Shafer over at the county commission 15:32.799 --> 15:35.334 because I want to do a joint retreat 15:35.334 --> 15:38.271 so that we can sit down and brainstorm as 15:38.271 --> 15:41.541 as council and a commission to kind of see 15:41.541 --> 15:43.676 how we can align with issues. 15:43.676 --> 15:45.878 You now you did mention earlier, the city of Memphis 15:45.878 --> 15:48.781 is the largest city within Shelby County, 15:48.781 --> 15:51.450 so a lot of the county commissioners represent 15:51.450 --> 15:54.053 interests of not only county residents, 15:54.053 --> 15:55.621 but city residents as well, 15:55.621 --> 15:57.957 so there should be a level of alignment, 15:57.957 --> 15:59.458 but I think our relationships 15:59.458 --> 16:01.861 with our colleagues is very well. 16:01.861 --> 16:03.462 We reach out when there are issues 16:03.462 --> 16:05.665 that they can help out on and vice versa. 16:05.665 --> 16:09.502 - So, for instance, it's really kind of a personal thing, 16:09.502 --> 16:11.237 which suits Memphis, right. 16:11.237 --> 16:14.974 I mean, I know so many of the city council folks personally 16:14.974 --> 16:16.475 and when there's an issue that I know 16:16.475 --> 16:18.211 somebody's interested in or it's in their district, 16:18.211 --> 16:19.478 I reach out. 16:19.478 --> 16:21.914 I couldn't get half of the things done 16:21.914 --> 16:23.649 for my constituents that I get done like 16:23.649 --> 16:27.520 turning street lights back on and fixing potholes 16:27.520 --> 16:30.122 and when there's a rash of burglaries 16:30.122 --> 16:31.357 in a specific neighborhood, 16:31.357 --> 16:33.559 I reach out to my city council counterparts 16:33.559 --> 16:35.061 and they help me get it done 16:35.061 --> 16:37.797 and in reverse when there's an area that they've 16:37.797 --> 16:39.832 got that's overrun with mosquitoes 16:39.832 --> 16:41.334 which is a county thing 16:41.334 --> 16:43.402 or if they've got a problem that's a county issue 16:43.402 --> 16:46.205 or they're seeing schools that aren't doing well, 16:46.205 --> 16:47.840 they reach out to me personally. 16:47.840 --> 16:50.843 And I'm sure we'll get better at it 16:50.843 --> 16:53.112 as time goes by, but in my experience, 16:53.112 --> 16:56.048 this is the most coordinated the city council 16:56.048 --> 16:57.884 and the county commission have ever been. 16:57.884 --> 16:59.986 - I'll go to Bill. 16:59.986 --> 17:03.022 - As we're recording this program, 17:03.022 --> 17:07.493 Amazon, which is building a $5 million HQ2 17:07.493 --> 17:10.563 as they call it has released their short list 17:11.697 --> 17:13.432 of 20 cities that they are considering. 17:13.432 --> 17:17.536 Memphis is not on the list, Nashville is, 17:17.536 --> 17:19.705 but at the same time this comes the day 17:19.705 --> 17:23.042 after we've had an announcement from Apple 17:23.042 --> 17:26.112 that they plan on building a big campus 17:26.112 --> 17:28.814 somewhere across the country in a similar process. 17:28.814 --> 17:32.251 Your reactions to this, what does this mean 17:32.251 --> 17:35.655 for all of the work that went into the different 17:35.655 --> 17:37.089 sites we have? 17:37.089 --> 17:38.324 - Well, I think it was great because 17:38.324 --> 17:39.725 it was a level of cohesiveness. 17:39.725 --> 17:42.228 Everybody worked together with the Chamber, 17:42.228 --> 17:45.197 with Edge and we were aggressive. 17:45.197 --> 17:47.934 I think that if we had a little bit more support 17:47.934 --> 17:51.103 from the state, from their incentive 17:51.103 --> 17:53.572 for attracting Amazon, we would have been 17:53.572 --> 17:55.107 a little bit more competitive, 17:55.107 --> 17:57.276 but I think it also gives Memphis an opportunity 17:57.276 --> 18:00.680 to start reevaluating and looking at ourselves, 18:00.680 --> 18:02.348 looking at ways that we can improve 18:02.348 --> 18:05.351 because we do have some issues that we need to address, 18:05.351 --> 18:07.053 such as public transportation. 18:07.053 --> 18:10.323 So it's an opportunity for us not to give up 18:10.323 --> 18:13.492 and not to lose hope, but to actually start 18:13.492 --> 18:15.394 improving on the things that we may need 18:15.394 --> 18:18.397 to improve on to become a bit more aggressive 18:18.397 --> 18:22.501 and competitive seeking major sites like Amazon. 18:23.369 --> 18:24.870 - (Bill) Heidi? 18:24.870 --> 18:27.239 - And the sewer honestly plays a big part of this. 18:27.239 --> 18:29.008 I never thought I'd know so much about sewers, 18:29.008 --> 18:32.812 but you know one of the issues the county 18:32.812 --> 18:34.847 is gonna have to grapple with is exactly 18:34.847 --> 18:39.018 whether the fee payers who in unincorporated 18:40.653 --> 18:42.755 who'd be responsible for a new sewer, 18:42.755 --> 18:44.256 whether they're gonna be willing to bear 18:44.256 --> 18:46.258 the $40 million it'll take 18:46.258 --> 18:49.295 to build a new sewer treatment plant. 18:49.295 --> 18:52.932 Without that, the unincorporated area 18:52.932 --> 18:55.468 will not develop anymore and I know some people 18:55.468 --> 18:57.636 think that would be just fine, but others of us 18:57.636 --> 19:01.140 look at it and say that's a death nell for funding 19:01.140 --> 19:02.642 the schools, et cetera. 19:02.642 --> 19:04.777 So, that's gonna be a huge issue that's coming up. 19:04.777 --> 19:07.046 I do think that having that disconnect 19:07.046 --> 19:09.448 and having some uncertainty about whether 19:09.448 --> 19:11.584 if they wanted to locate out in an area 19:11.584 --> 19:13.719 for instance out in, you know, 19:13.719 --> 19:15.488 an area of unincorporated, there was a big pretty 19:15.488 --> 19:18.924 good site out in the Millington area 19:18.924 --> 19:20.593 that was Shelby County, 19:20.593 --> 19:24.096 not having that sewer be a sure thing, 19:24.096 --> 19:25.865 didn't make us look good, right. 19:25.865 --> 19:28.501 And so I think those are things that we can learn from 19:28.501 --> 19:30.403 and we're gonna keep going until we get it right. 19:30.403 --> 19:32.672 - Right, and that goes back to the city saying 19:32.672 --> 19:34.673 last fall that they're no longer gonna do 19:34.673 --> 19:37.410 connections in unincorporated Shelby County, 19:37.410 --> 19:39.545 which we did do a show on right before the holidays 19:39.545 --> 19:41.313 and talked through all that sort of stuff. 19:41.313 --> 19:43.683 We're six minutes left here or so, 19:43.683 --> 19:45.351 I want to move on to some of the things 19:45.351 --> 19:48.687 you all said because there's so much going on. 19:48.687 --> 19:49.855 One is schools. 19:49.855 --> 19:51.490 So the county commission funds the schools. 19:51.490 --> 19:54.126 There's a lot of trouble right now, 19:54.126 --> 19:56.562 some grade fixing and what all, 19:56.562 --> 19:58.998 is the funder, I mean a lot of the money 19:58.998 --> 20:00.566 comes from the state, but the bulk is 20:00.566 --> 20:02.301 coming from the county commission, 20:02.301 --> 20:04.303 what's your take on what happening 20:04.303 --> 20:05.571 with the schools and grade fixing? 20:05.571 --> 20:07.006 Does there need to be more oversight? 20:07.006 --> 20:08.874 Does the county commission need to step in more 20:08.874 --> 20:11.043 or is it a Shelby County School Board issue 20:11.043 --> 20:12.411 and they should deal with it? 20:12.411 --> 20:14.113 - Well, I would say first of all, 20:14.113 --> 20:16.916 it's primarily a Shelby County School Board issue 20:16.916 --> 20:18.751 and an administration issue. 20:18.751 --> 20:21.320 There is a little bit of some gray area 20:21.320 --> 20:23.055 when they talk about grade fixing, 20:23.055 --> 20:24.957 because there are sometimes when 20:24.957 --> 20:26.759 grades are legitimately changed. 20:26.759 --> 20:29.261 Somebody takes a test and they fail it 20:29.261 --> 20:30.996 and they're given the opportunity to take 20:30.996 --> 20:33.399 the test again and that grade is changed, 20:33.399 --> 20:36.102 that's a legitimate way to fix a grade 20:36.102 --> 20:37.970 because the idea of testing isn't to fail kids 20:37.970 --> 20:39.271 and trick them. 20:39.271 --> 20:41.107 The idea is to get them to know the information 20:41.107 --> 20:42.541 so that they can pass the test, right. 20:42.541 --> 20:45.578 As a former teacher, that's a legitimate change, 20:45.578 --> 20:48.981 but there obviously some changes and in some schools 20:48.981 --> 20:51.684 where they've historically had trouble 20:51.684 --> 20:53.419 with exactly these things. 20:53.419 --> 20:56.956 And those kinds of things have to be addressed. 20:56.956 --> 20:59.458 I'm in pretty regular contact with many 20:59.458 --> 21:01.560 of the school board members and the superintendent, 21:01.560 --> 21:05.164 but I will tell you there's a flaw in the way 21:05.164 --> 21:07.032 that our school funding system is set up. 21:07.032 --> 21:11.504 I think we have outgrown the mandatory 21:11.504 --> 21:14.173 same level of funding every year without 21:14.173 --> 21:17.042 any ties to performance, because all it does 21:17.042 --> 21:19.812 is it sets up a school system 21:19.812 --> 21:22.681 that can be totally unresponsive to the taxpayers 21:22.681 --> 21:23.649 who fund it. 21:23.649 --> 21:24.783 - Is that maintenance of effort? 21:24.783 --> 21:26.318 - It is, it's maintenance of effort. 21:26.318 --> 21:28.320 And I really think that, you know it might have been 21:28.320 --> 21:32.191 appropriate at the time, but I think a more suitable 21:32.191 --> 21:35.394 funding mechanism that is somehow tied 21:35.394 --> 21:37.429 to performance is something we definitely 21:37.429 --> 21:38.597 need to look into. 21:38.597 --> 21:39.698 - That would be approved by the state? 21:39.698 --> 21:40.533 - (Heidi) It would. 21:40.533 --> 21:41.867 - Yeah, okay. 21:41.867 --> 21:43.502 And for you, I know you touched on it 21:43.502 --> 21:45.905 and obviously people are concerned about crime. 21:45.905 --> 21:49.008 The mayor did his state of the city this past week, 21:49.008 --> 21:51.277 talked about the graduating class from the 21:51.277 --> 21:54.213 police academy will take them over 2,000 police officers. 21:54.213 --> 21:57.349 He's had a goal of getting closer to the 2500, 21:57.349 --> 21:58.751 I think was the peak number. 21:58.751 --> 22:01.987 Do you agree with the mayor's efforts 22:01.987 --> 22:03.923 in terms of ramping up the number of police, 22:03.923 --> 22:06.759 and two, what does that do from a budget point of view 22:06.759 --> 22:08.928 as you're adding those police officers? 22:08.928 --> 22:10.396 - Well, right now we're looking 22:10.396 --> 22:12.464 at our overtime budget for police. 22:12.464 --> 22:15.367 We had peaked way over $11 million 22:15.367 --> 22:18.204 and then with all the protests and everything, 22:18.204 --> 22:20.472 we peaked over $14 million. 22:20.472 --> 22:24.410 Over time, it's been really hurting the city's budget. 22:24.410 --> 22:26.111 Financially, I think the more officers 22:26.111 --> 22:28.047 we put on the street, it will help with 22:28.948 --> 22:30.583 reduction of our overtime budget 22:30.583 --> 22:32.117 and having to pay that. 22:32.117 --> 22:34.119 But I think that you know crime, 22:34.119 --> 22:35.855 you can put a million police officers 22:35.855 --> 22:38.390 on the street, it won't stop crime. 22:38.390 --> 22:41.026 But I think you have to have a cohesive plan 22:41.026 --> 22:42.394 to attack crime. 22:42.394 --> 22:45.130 Poverty and crime goes together like a hand and glove. 22:45.130 --> 22:48.000 Until you're able to start fixing the poverty problem 22:48.000 --> 22:52.004 by incentivizing, giving vocational training 22:52.004 --> 22:54.640 and finding things for people to do, 22:54.640 --> 22:58.644 the one thing that we have to focus on also is felons. 22:58.644 --> 23:02.848 A felon can't become gainfully employed 23:02.848 --> 23:06.118 in the city once they commit and have a felony. 23:06.118 --> 23:07.886 So they have to eat. 23:07.886 --> 23:09.655 - They serve their time and they're out. 23:09.655 --> 23:12.057 - That's why ban the box was important 23:12.057 --> 23:13.893 because you don't want to check, 23:13.893 --> 23:16.095 because if you check that I'm a convicted felon, 23:16.095 --> 23:18.030 guess what, you're probably not going 23:18.030 --> 23:19.398 to receive employment. 23:19.398 --> 23:22.167 And so it creates a snowball effect 23:22.167 --> 23:23.736 that keeps rolling and growing. 23:23.736 --> 23:26.538 And so those individuals continue to commit crimes 23:26.538 --> 23:29.575 and so you know recidivism is a major problem 23:29.575 --> 23:32.645 in our city as well as if you think about it, 23:32.645 --> 23:36.248 if you're going into a facility 23:36.248 --> 23:38.484 and you're incarcerated, are you really 23:38.484 --> 23:40.786 being rehabilitated or are you just becoming 23:40.786 --> 23:42.855 another product of the system. 23:42.855 --> 23:44.790 So I think those things need to be addressed 23:44.790 --> 23:48.060 as well as, you know, it's great to have more police. 23:48.060 --> 23:52.231 I applaud that, but I think we have to dig deeper 23:52.231 --> 23:53.465 into the issue. 23:53.465 --> 23:55.000 - All right, just two minutes left, Bill. 23:55.000 --> 23:58.771 - So, by April, by budget time, the administration 24:00.272 --> 24:02.908 and some of the city council members 24:02.908 --> 24:05.978 will have a funding plan for universal pre-k. 24:05.978 --> 24:07.880 Do you anticipate that's going to involve 24:07.880 --> 24:11.884 any kind of referendum on the sales tax increase 24:11.884 --> 24:13.118 that we've seen before? 24:13.118 --> 24:15.287 - Well, right now we are just trying to 24:15.287 --> 24:16.855 toss it around to find out how we can come up 24:16.855 --> 24:21.193 with a comprehensive plan to fund it. 24:21.193 --> 24:23.295 Sales tax may come up. 24:23.295 --> 24:24.496 We don't know. 24:24.496 --> 24:26.098 We are just looking throughout 24:26.098 --> 24:28.867 and trying to seek help, 24:28.867 --> 24:32.671 not only from the state but from our county colleagues, 24:32.671 --> 24:36.208 as well as trying to see if we should put 24:36.208 --> 24:38.243 a sales tax referendum out there as well. 24:38.243 --> 24:41.246 - Heidi, should the county have a role in this goal 24:41.246 --> 24:44.383 of universal pre-k in terms of funding? 24:44.383 --> 24:47.052 - You know, I think we've got our hands full 24:47.052 --> 24:49.488 because the city gave us the schools. 24:49.488 --> 24:50.522 I think we've got our hands full. 24:50.522 --> 24:52.391 I'm happy to see the city step up 24:52.391 --> 24:56.662 and do some contributions to pre-k. 24:56.662 --> 24:58.630 We do have some pre-k initiatives, 24:58.630 --> 25:02.735 but honestly, our K-12 mission still needs work 25:03.969 --> 25:06.872 and we have to really focus on that like 25:06.872 --> 25:09.041 a laser beam and you know we're talking 25:09.041 --> 25:10.843 about crime, we're talking about education, 25:10.843 --> 25:13.979 but I just want to reiterate no new news 25:13.979 --> 25:18.150 that the basic, the basis for a good society 25:18.150 --> 25:20.853 is a strong family unit and 25:20.853 --> 25:22.955 that's not something government can legislate, 25:22.955 --> 25:25.557 but it is something that we as a community 25:25.557 --> 25:29.395 need to find a way to encourage is for family units 25:29.395 --> 25:31.864 to be strong, because there's no better teacher 25:31.864 --> 25:34.933 than a good mom and a good dad. 25:34.933 --> 25:36.201 - We can do a whole show on this, 25:36.201 --> 25:39.471 so just briefly, de-annexation, the mayor 25:39.471 --> 25:42.107 has been talking about de-annexing certain parts, 25:42.107 --> 25:44.309 sending it back to the county, out of the city of Memphis. 25:44.309 --> 25:48.213 Is the council aligned with the mayor on this idea 25:48.213 --> 25:49.581 of de-annexing certain area? 25:49.581 --> 25:51.083 - Yeah, we know that that's probably 25:51.083 --> 25:52.885 going to be part of our punishment from the state, 25:52.885 --> 25:54.720 so what we're doing is just making sure 25:54.720 --> 25:57.156 that we can look at a plan and possibly 25:58.323 --> 26:00.192 de-annex areas that really no population, 26:00.192 --> 26:02.261 no population growth that's not a benefit 26:02.261 --> 26:03.195 to the city. 26:03.195 --> 26:04.463 - And how would that work? 26:04.463 --> 26:06.331 Do you need changes in state law to make 26:06.331 --> 26:07.566 that work or does the city council 26:07.566 --> 26:09.001 have the authority now to de-annex it. 26:09.001 --> 26:11.703 - We actually have the authority to de-annex areas. 26:11.703 --> 26:13.071 - That's all the time we have. 26:13.071 --> 26:14.740 Thank you for being here, thank you Bill 26:14.740 --> 26:16.742 and thank you for joining us. 26:16.742 --> 26:18.477 Join us again next week. 26:20.579 --> 26:23.582 [dramatic orchestral music]