MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A proposed ordinance that would have extended full healthcare benefits to Memphis City Council members after they left office until the age of 65 was voted down in council Tuesday, ending the controversial measure.
The benefits package, first proposed by former City Councilman Martavius Jones just weeks before he left office in 2023, would have given healthcare benefits to Memphis City Council members after they left office until the age of 65 so long as they served at least eight years in office.
The proposed ordinance was voted down in a 0-11-1 vote, with District 6 City Councilman Edmund Ford, Sr., abstaining from the vote.
The ordinance caused controversy after Jones did not initially disclose how much the benefits package would cost. A similar benefits plan in Nashville was revoked in 2021 after it cost city taxpayers more than $1 million per year.
The vote was initially set for Jan. 9, but tabled until Feb. 6, and again until Tuesday.