In this issue
- MSCS next steps
- Speeding up justice
- Challenging the reappraisal
MSCS next steps
MSCS continues to be a major focus area for Shelby County government, and it was the topic of many questions from WREG’s Greg Hurst during a recent Informed Sources interview. (I’ve posted clips from the show here, here, here, here and here, or you can view the entire broadcast on Youtube).
Here’s where things currently stand with the district:
– The General Assembly passed a bill allowing the county commission to place all of the county school board seats on the August 2026 ballot. If we follow through in passing the enabling resolution, it would also extend the commission’s term limits to the school board as well. Commission Chairman Michael Whaley has told media he will be bringing that to the table.
– Based on the information above, the community should be focused on recruiting and supporting school board candidates in every MSCS district starting now.
– The state has committed $6 million to perform a forensic audit of MSCS covering a period beginning 2020. Rep. Mark White says the audit is now underway.
– The two chambers of the General Assembly passed different versions of an advisory board / oversight board bill and did not appoint a conference to combine them. The bill sponsors say they will await the results of the audit before picking intervention ideas back up in January.
– The county commission has a resolution pending that would institute a local advisory board, but with none of the powers envisioned by state legislation.
– The lawsuit brought by Dr. Marie Feagins is still pending in Circuit Court. However, the judge assigned to the case was elevated to the Court of Appeals, and the case record online does not indicate the new judge assigned nor any future hearing dates.
– Since January 30, I’ve been waiting on an open records request I submitted to the district. In a April 25 response, I was informed that the records cannot be produced before June 27.
– April was the month Superintendent Feagins said a facility plan would be introduced, providing guidance on how the district will manage its buildings and right size its footprint so students can have adequate learning environments and so we’re not pouring millions into maintaining underutilized and dilapidated properties. The interim superintendent has postponed the plan to September 1, causing FY26 to be another budget year with no facility plan.
Speeding up justice
This past month I wrote and sponsored three resolutions aimed at making county government more responsive, transparent, and easy to access.
The first resolution was in response to a report by the Tennessee Comptroller’s office, which had studied Shelby County’s justice system and left behind some recommendations for speeding things up in our courts. The resolution encourages stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the report and adopt those recommendations.
All three resolutions were passed by the board of commissioners on April 14, and they were later signed by Mayor Lee Harris. With that approval, I’m following up with justice system stakeholders to ensure these changes get enacted.
Linked below are summaries of each resolution:
Challenging the reappraisal
Two deadlines are coming up for Shelby County property owners who disagree with the results of this year’s reappraisal:
- The Assessor’s Office is offering informal reviews through May 31.
- The Board of Equalization accepts appeals through June 30.
This is important because tax bills are determined by the appraised value of your property combined with city and county property tax rates.
In reappraisal years, both cities and counties must start by recognizing a new state-certified property tax rate that will bring in the same tax revenue as the previous year. From there, the rates can be further adjusted up or down.
The above graph shows how this process has played out over the past 12 years in Shelby County.
For more info about the reappraisal cycle and state certified tax rates, see the Tennessee Comptroller’s information page.
Upcoming meetings
May 14 — Standing Committees, 8:30 a.m.
May 19 — Commission meeting, 3 p.m.
May 21 — Budget subcommittee, 9 a.m.
May 28 — Standing Committees, 8:30 a.m.
Stay in touch
If you have a question or concern, email me at mick.wright@shelbycountytn.gov.
You can speak with the Commission office by calling 901-222-1000.
I welcome your feedback on Facebook @CommissionerMickWright and X @mickwright.
Thanks for reading.
Mick Wright
Shelby County Commission – District 3