MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The clock is ticking for finalizing budgets, bills, and any other business for the 2020 TN legislative session. The original budget, which passed through the State Senate, would have allocated $14.4 million for the city of Memphis and another $7.8 million for Shelby County.
The proposed budget currently being discussed in the statehouse would mean the city of Memphis could be short-changed $9.4 million and Shelby County $2.8 million.
Sen. Raumesh Akbari, (D) Memphis, said this budget proposal would further hurt Memphis' economy, which is already struggling from a huge loss of revenue.
"It’s really significant because it allows the governments to incorporate it into their budgets, which are suffering from a loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 crisis," Akbari said.
Akbari said Memphis has already factored in that $9.4 million into its budget.