It is one of the ironies of local government that the one agency which conceivably has decisive impact on the the ability of the county and the city to pursue their agendas is the one which not only receives the least day-to-day attention but, when it is called to people’s consciousness, either makes their eyes glaze over or induces smirks.
Yep, we’re talking about the Shelby County Board of Equalization, a.,k.a. the Keystone Cops, a.k.a. The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, a.k.a. whatever else comes to your mind to describe the more or less constant turmoil the board has been involved in for the last several years.
Maybe we should call it something else – the Property Tax Appeal Board, say, a name which actually describes the important function this group of appointed citizens is meant to perform. Since the owners of big commercial and industrial properties are more likely than ordinary citizens to appeal their property assessments to the board, we’re talking about an agency that can stanch – or permit – the flow of millions upon millions of contested tax dollars to the coffers of local government.
The administration of Shelby County Mayor Jim Rout and the County Commission had come to distrust the board in recent years for what they saw, as its members’ tendency to be over-cozy with tax reps, who often got substantial reductions in their clients’ assessments. Another problem pinpointed by a recent audit was the board’s penchant for being dilatory in hearing appeals.
Whatever the case, the board has now been virtually reconstituted
by a new round of appointments from Shelby County, Memphis, and
various other local municipalities. It has a chance to start afresh
and do the job it was always intended to do – to make sure that
assessments are fair both to the owners of property and to the
governments which depend on revenues from them. “Equalization”
– i.e., making sure that like properties are taxed in like manner
– is still the key word in the board’s mission. 
The omission of Memphis this week from a list of federal pork-barrel river projects should be seen as the political joke it is. In the contest to designate “American Heritage Rivers,” putting Memphis and the Mississippi River behind the likes of the Connecticut River, the Bronx River, the Chicago River, and the mighty Puyallup is a little like naming Michael Jordan third-team all-NBA. Obviously the determining factor was political clout, not heritage.
This is a setback for a $43 million proposal to close the downtown slackwater harbor at the south end and create a lake, but it shouldn't slow momentum to improve the riverfront. There are other things Memphis can do that make more sense and cost less money.
They include finishing Ron Terry Plaza at the cobblestones, making Tom Lee Park more interesting year-round, better access to the riverfront from the trolley loop and Bluffwalk, and creating a daytime alternative to Beale Street at the cobblestones. There may even be less expensive ways to connect Mud Island to Beale Street and the cobblestones than building a dam.
From the Harbor Town greenbelt to Tom Lee Park, the Memphis riverfront
looks better than ever. Every May, the music festival, barbecue
contest, and canoe race demonstrate the drawing power of the river.
Momentum shouldn’t be lost because of a silly federal pork prize.