SHELBY COUNTY, Tennessee —
Now to more of the financial fallout of the coronavirus crisis in Shelby County. Commissioners spent the majority of the day trying to find millions of dollars to fill shortfalls in the fiscal year 2021. In short, revenue isn't adding up to expenditures.
Shelby County Commissioners worked for more than 12 hours to settle budget deficits for the 2021 fiscal year budget. Most of that time was spent dealing with the general fund, which is only one portion of the budget. That fund deals with money for operations, materials, and salaries.
When this began. commissioners were faced with $15 million less in revenue than last year. Just like the Memphis City Council, commissioners struggled with how federal COVID relief could fill budget gaps.
Commissioner Tami Sawyer, who has long fought for education and social equity, introduced the idea of cutting funding from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office which makes up 43% of the county's budget.
Sawyer wants to know how much of that funding is spent on tear gas, riot shields, and tanks for deputies. In a tweet, Sawyer said, "My goal is for Memphis to disinvest from brutal policing tactics and the school to prison pipeline. My goal is for Shelby County to not spend half it's (sic) budget on the Sheriff while cutting education."
As municipal budgets have been threatened by COVID-19 there's been the fear of layoffs. As opposed to cutting jobs, commissioners discussed about $6 million in saving from vacant positions within the county.