{
"type": "rich",
"version": "1.0",
"provider_name": "Action Network",
"provider_url": "https://actionnetwork.org",
"html": "",
"author_name": "Memphis AFL-CIO Labor Council",
"author_url": "https://actionnetwork.org/groups/memphis-afl-cio-labor-council",
"title": "No Cuts, No Layoffs - A Moral 2020 Budget for Shelby County",
"thumbnail_url": "https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/111/347/normal/Moral_Budget_Coalition_(1).png",
"description": "The long-term failure to adequately fund our County government is now compounded by this unprecedented crisis. We cannot balance the budget on the backs of hard working public servants and the community members they serve. We must expand Shelby County's revenue base now. *** On behalf of the dozens of congregations, countless parents and students, thousands of community members and over 40,000 union members that we collectively represent, we urge you to place the needs of working families, their students and our public servants at the center of the county government’s response to this pandemic. Government’s role is to help us withstand the devastation of this pandemic, which grows each day. This virus has put an unexpected strain on the County budget, and we need solutions that restore the budget fairly. We strongly oppose any attempt to recoup this shortfall on the backs of the dedicated employees of county government, or the residents who rely on the services they provide. Failing to generate new revenue could mean cutting as many as 150 jobs from an already skeleton staff. This would hurt our community for years to come. County employees have been extended paid family leave, and this historic gain cannot be slashed now when this exact benefit is needed more than ever. Layoffs, furloughs, and/or benefit cuts are not the way out of this crisis. Shelby County government has been forced to operate on austere revenue for far too long. Now is the time to begin to change that. We, the undersigned, support the Mayor’s proposed Vehicle Registration Fee increase. This will create additional funds for education and ease pressure on the County’s general fund at time when other revenue sources will be strained due to impact from COVID. This will allow the county government to remain solvent and proactive while avoiding those untenable layoffs, furloughs, or cuts. The Vehicle Registration Fee has not been raised in close to 20 years. While keeping pace with the rate of inflation would anticipate it being $22 more, the Mayor has proposed an increase of just $16.50 to begin after the county has reopened fully for business. While this further reduces the portion of property tax dollars going to education, it maintains the current level of education funding and assists in providing additional CIP funds for school facilities. We support the pennies on the tax dollar returning to education when County revenue recovers with additional education funds going to targeted initiatives that benefit our students with the greatest need. Our signatories include teachers, parents, and student advocates. This fee was originally proposed to help Memphis Area Transportation Authority (MATA); however, it is self-evident that the pandemic and the devastation in its wake are the most pressing problems we face. As soon as County revenues recover, we expect the general funds made available through this measure will be dedicated to MATA. Our signatories include bus drivers and bus riders. This pandemic has shown the necessity of taking care of our community members on the frontline in essential roles like keeping our stores stocked, shipments moving and public buildings clean and open. We cannot afford to sacrifice any of our fellow residents. We appreciate that this plan includes corporations and their fleets in this shared community responsibility. There is no way around the fact our County needs to expand its base of revenue. Failing this, nearly 150 families could find themselves devastated without an income or insurance, community members will find their services slashed. Our Health Department will not be able to meet the current and potential resurgent demands of addressing COVID-19 in our community. These effects will ripple through the local economy and it will send a message that our public servants and citizens are expendable. This is not acceptable. We consider it understood that all replacement revenues will be directed to community and student services and frontline workers. None will be diverted to corporate tax-breaks or expanded executive payroll. For too long, public revenue has been held back by a lack of political will to tax more fairly in “America’s Distribution Center.” Due to reduced opportunities for investments, our government budgets have not lived up to the ideal that they will be moral budgets that support and benefit all our citizens equitably. The Vehicle Registration Fee is a stopgap measure that will not address the long-term string of budget crises that set the stage for our current deficit. To address the underlying problems, Shelby County must readjust the property tax level to a rate commensurate with the growing challenges faced by our children, families, and communities. Next year you will have the rare opportunity to reassess the property taxes in the county. We, the undersigned working people - congregants, community members, parents, students, educators, and union members - urge you to raise them. In the dark hour of this crisis let’s imagine together a Shelby County, responsibly and sufficiently funded, able to confront the injustice of pandemics and poverty.",
"url": "https://actionnetwork.org/letters/a-moral-2020-budget-for-shelby-county"
}