Five Ordinances and Four Bond Releases Passed Memphis in One Vote. One of Them Was the Data Center Moratorium.

The consent agenda carried Ordinance 5982's second reading, first readings for the pension amendment and three other ordinances, and four subdivision bond releases. No member spoke. The whole thing took about ninety seconds.

MEMPHIS, September 1, 2026 - The Memphis City Council approved its consent agenda in a single vote covering items 4 through 9, item 23, and items 25 through 26. Ten members were recorded voting yes. No member entered the queue to speak.

Inside that one vote were five ordinances at various stages and four resolutions releasing developer bonds.

The five ordinances

Ordinance 5982, up for second reading, is the temporary moratorium on data center permits. The Comptroller identified its sponsors as Councilman JB Smiley Jr., Councilwoman Jerri Green, Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington and Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas. It passed first reading on August 18, 2026.

Ordinance 5983, up for first reading, amends Chapter 25, the pension and retirement system. It is sponsored by the Administration. The version that reached committee extends a pension multiplier increase and removes an early retirement penalty for police dispatchers, fire alarm operators and paramedics, at a stated actuarial accrued liability of $973,000.

Ordinance 5984, up for first reading, is the joint ordinance amending the Memphis-Shelby County Building Home Program, sponsored by the Administration and added to the consent agenda by request.

Ordinance 5985, up for first reading, is Councilman Philip Spinosa's ordinance establishing a strategic large load development and digital infrastructure district program, captioned in part to replace a blanket data center moratorium with source neutral tiered and timed review, to define substantial compliance, to adopt a Memphis water assurance standard and recurring fiscal floor, to require strategic development agreements, and to authorize Memphis Digital Infrastructure Development District Number One.

Ordinance 5986, up for first reading, is Councilman Dr. Jeff Warren's ordinance amending the Unified Development Code to establish siting, construction, expansion and operating regulations for large-scale data centers. Its caption prohibits routine evaporative and once-through cooling, requires closed loop water circulation, prohibits major withdrawals of local water resources for data center cooling, requires water conservation and monitoring, requires progressive use of renewable and non-carbon electricity, establishes a phase-out schedule for carbon-based electricity, sets expansion requirements for existing facilities, and provides for public disclosure, reporting, enforcement and penalties.

The four bond releases

Four engineering resolutions accepted public improvements and released the developers' bonds: Seven Bend, phase one, Contract No. 5384; Conwood Snuff redevelopment, board of adjustment case 20-03, Contract No. 5439; Conwood 2 development, Contract No. 5453; and Peach Tree development, Contract No. 5464. All four carried same night minutes.

Releasing a bond means the city has accepted the streets, drainage and other public improvements a developer built, and returns the security it held to guarantee that work. Once released, maintenance is the city's.

How it moved

Vice Chair Chase Carlisle moved the items to the floor for approval. Councilman Philip Spinosa seconded. The Chairwoman noted there were no members in the queue to speak and called for the vote.

The recorded yes votes were Councilman J. Ford Canale, Vice Chair Carlisle, Councilwoman Green, Councilman Edmund H. Ford Sr., Councilman Smiley, Councilman Spinosa, Councilwoman Pearl Eva Walker, Councilman Warren, Councilwoman Janika White and Chairwoman Swearengen-Washington.

Nothing on the consent agenda was pulled for separate discussion.

What happens next

Ordinance 5982 requires a third and final reading. Ordinances 5983, 5984, 5985 and 5986 each require two more readings. Public speakers later in the meeting referred to a third reading on the moratorium in two weeks, which would place it at the Council's September 15, 2026 meeting. The four bond releases took effect that night under same night minutes.

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