MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris touted that he wants to cut property taxes and presented a plan to the county commission to do just that — but it’s getting some backlash.
The current tax rate in Shelby County is $3.39 per $100 of assessed value. Harris’ proposal would bring it down to $2.69.
“The original proposed budget came in with a 66 cent tax rate cut,” Harris said. “And so, as we went through the process, listened to commissioners working with the budget team, we identified additional efficiencies and additional opportunities to save taxpayers money.”
It ended with a 70-cent tax rate cut.
“Whatever we can do to save a little money for the taxpayer, put a little more money in the pocket. We want to do even if it’s in the middle of a process,” Harris said.
But Harris is getting criticism saying he is taking too much credit. State law requires that a lower tax rate as home values are reassessed, so the tax rate would have to go down anyway.
“There is no state law that requires us to have a particular tax rate,” Harris countered. “You know, in terms of the 70-cent tax rate cut, I don’t care who gets the credit for per se. And we’re still in the midst of the process. It remains to be seen what the commission will decide.”
Harris says he is for taking useless spending out of the budget.
But his call for a $5 increase in the Wheel Tax on car registration fees hasn’t moved forward with the commission.
“I thought it was a good idea, but county commission disagreed. And that’s kind of the nature of our democratic system,” he said.
Harris created waves when he recently announced there were 100,000 fewer car registrations in the county last year.
“It’s somewhere between 80 and 100,000. I can’t remember. I have to look at the stats again,” he said. “The point is the decline, which is substantial, is probably mostly explained by population decline. A good portion of that is just that.”
Harris’ budget also calls for doubling the amount spent on new construction projects from $75 million to $150 million.
“That’s going to help us respond to the need to build a new public hospital because Regional One is degrading. It’ll help us respond to the need to build new schools,” he said.
He also wants the county to get more involved in public safety and invest $6 million in a crime lab.
“Nashville has two full-service crime labs. We have zero crime labs,” Harris said. “And what D.A. Mulroy and I have proposed to the commission is that we start with a focused crime lab. So you’re right, it will not have all the bells and whistles of the two full-service crime labs in Nashville has. However, it’s a place to start.”
He says the smaller lab can do ballistic testing to trace guns, do DNA testing and analyze cell phones and computers to solve crimes.
The county commission will over the mayor’s budget June 23. A final budget must be in place by July 1.
