Special Meeting: Mayor Paul Young Presents FY2027 Budget Proposal

Agenda flow

• 1. Call to order

  Completed

  Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington called the special meeting to order.

• 2. Invocation

  Completed

  The meeting opened with a prayer from Reverend Dr. Reginald Boyce, pastor of Riverside Baptist Church, who framed the budget as being about people rather than numbers.

• 3. Pledge of Allegiance

  Completed

  The body recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

• 4. Roll call and quorum

  Completed

  The Clerk called the roll and the Chairwoman confirmed a quorum, clearing the meeting to proceed to its single agenda item.

• 5. Item 1: Mayor Young presents the FY2027 budget

  Completed

  Mayor Paul Young delivered the FY2027 budget presentation. He described it as a people-driven budget built over months, beginning with a January kickoff, and said the administration evaluated more than $150 million in cost pressures and reduction opportunities and reviewed roughly $38.2 million in division funding requests, not all of which could be funded. The core numbers he presented: - A total operating budget of about $897 million. - Personnel costs of about $652 million, which he put at 72 percent of the budget. - A 2 percent across-the-board pay increase proposed for city employees. - No property tax increase. - A budget balanced with a zero contribution from fund balance, which he contrasted with prior years, noting FY26 was expected to end with about a $2 million surplus. On specific priorities, Young highlighted restored funding for community beautification, workforce training, and MATA; an increase in one youth program from about $2.65 million last year to $3 million this year; $1.5 million for an opportunity youth workforce training program; continuation of the R3 program and the urban fellows program; $3 million for the housing trust fund; $1 million for a new middle income housing infrastructure program; and roughly $10 million in federal funds through the Division of Housing and Community Development. On the capital side, he walked through a Capital Improvement Program presentation that allocated about $36 million (34 percent) to critical neighborhood infrastructure and about $15 million (14 percent) to community spaces, and he named specific projects funded across the operating and capital budgets: a police station at the Southwest Twin, design for a pool at Glenview, improvements to the North Frayser Community Center, design for a new Parkway Village library, $20 million for paving, $7 million for early childhood education, and upgrades to the city asphalt plant. He closed by saying the budget holds the line on spending, is balanced, and proposes no tax increase, and told members the budget books would be delivered to their offices. No vote was taken; this was the formal presentation that opens budget season.

• 6. Public comment

  Completed

  Several residents addressed the Council: - A health educator with the Step Ahead Foundation asked whether the city''s MAP youth-engagement program is still funded, being replaced, or otherwise modified in the new budget. - Amber Sherman called it an okay budget presentation and credited the administration for listening on opportunity youth, including road repair and snowplow attachments, but said youth mental health is one of the city''s biggest issues and asked the Council to amend the budget to fund youth mental health at $2 million, referencing an opportunity youth budget proposal she said included that option. - One commenter criticized the conduct of Memphis police officers at a recent No Kings demonstration and called on the Council to hold officers accountable. - Another commenter spoke about tourism and the local economy, citing past major events that drew visitors to the city.

• 7. Adjournment

  Completed

  With the agenda complete, the meeting was adjourned on a motion by Councilman J. Ford Canale, seconded by Vice Chair Chase Carlisle.

Session summary