WKNO TRANSCRIPT
CHRISTOPHER BLANK (Host): The City of Memphis's budget season began this week. Mayor Paul Young proposed what he calls a "flat budget." What does that mean? With us again is political analyst Otis Sanford. Welcome back.
OTIS SANFORD: Thank you for having me, Chris. Good to be with you.
BLANK: Well, Otis, last year the mayor got a $0.49 property tax increase, short of the $0.75 he asked for. So, how would you describe the fiscal situation of the city in the next year?
SANFORD: Just "status quo" is probably a good word for it. The fact that he is not asking for a tax increase sounds good on its face, but we have to remember that this is a property reappraisal year. And so people are going to probably get an increase in their property values. And if that happens, then property taxes will go up anyway, because I didn't hear that the mayor said "well, we're going to decrease it by the amount that the value would go up." So, I think you might hear a little bit more about that going forward.
BLANK: You'll hear it from me, at least.
SANFORD (laughing) Okay.
BLANK: I have some complaints! And of course, there have been other tax increases lately. There was the hotel motel tax going up. That money is for the FedExForum. The wheel tax went up. But the these raises come at a loss of federal stimulus money from the pandemic. So, what is the mayor in the city council looking at in terms of keeping citizens happy, when there might not be much growth or at least revenue growth in the near future?
SANFORD: Well, I don't know the answer to that, Chris, because I think that this is going to be tough to say if you're a city councilman or even if you're in the administration. A lot of money is being spent on public safety and that will continue to be one of the priorities.
BLANK: Well, another budget concern that is growing is Memphis-Shelby County Schools. The district has been relying on federal funding -- again, pandemic funding -- for things like maintenance on buildings. But as you know, that funding is going away and there are also these changes at the US Department of Education in ways they fund school districts. So how could these changes impact MSCS?
SANFORD: We have a lot of old school buildings in the city, Chris. And they need a lot of attention and I think you're going to see a problem in the next fiscal year trying to even get close to keeping up with the maintenance needs in our schools. And, of course, as you just mentioned, the Department of Education is going in a complete overhaul fashion. So I think we're looking at a challenging atmosphere here with this school system.
BLANK: Well, speaking of budgets, WKNO is in the midst of its Spring pledge drive. Otis, when you think of things that are worthy of funding, I know you are a supporter of this station, but I wonder if you could just maybe tell listeners why you are a member of this station.
SANFORD: Well, because I believe in what WKNO does, I believe in what it stands for. We're talking about a public media that does an outstanding job of reporting and giving quality entertainment. And so, I just believe that it is worthy of being supported both financially and by tuning in. I just enjoy the whole atmosphere of WKNO.
BLANK: Thank you so much Otis. We love to have you on.
SANFORD: Well, thank you. It's a It's a pleasure to be with you every week.
