MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Commissioners approved a new county budget with a stable property tax rate, a 6% raise for employees, and funding for vacant positions in the sheriff’s office, county sources say.

A major issue was 441 positions that were set to be cut from the sheriff’s office budget under Mayor Lee Harris’ proposal. Many had been vacant for more than a year.

But those positions were added back after Sheriff Floyd Bonner threatened to sue, citing state law governing budget cuts to the sheriff’s office.

“I was very serious about suing. We had our attorney. We had everything lined up. The state law requires, in other words, the state law says that the sheriff’s budget cannot be cut,” said Bonner.

The County had to make some tough decisions as it dealt with more funding for schools and rebuilding Regional One hospital without a property tax increase.

The county’s property tax rate holds steady at $3.39 per $100 of assessed value.

But Sheriff Bonner says one place you can’t sacrifice is safety. He says they are already working to get vacant positions filled and have more and more job candidates.

“We started a new jail class this morning with 22. We’re starting to see numbers that we hadn’t seen in years,” said Bonner. “We are hiring as quickly and as best we can. Things are really going well.”

Some cuts proposed by Commissioner Mick Wright were approved, including eliminating funds for the county clerk’s office in Poplar Plaza, which closed after the clerk was evicted.

Monday’s meeting stretched past midnight. The fiscal year 2025 budget goes into effect July 1.