 | Unified Schools Budget Presented to County Commission
The budget for the soon-to-be merged Memphis and Shelby County school systems was presented to county commissioners for the first time Wednesday.  Watch Video
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 | State Offers Stern Warning to Memphis on City Spending
The Tennessee comptroller is warning the City of Memphis to straighten out its money mess. Right now the city is spending cash it doesn't have. Watch Video
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 | Committee Head Vies for More Road Repaving Funds
Memphis road conditions are the number one complaint received by city council members. They are currently so underfunded, they get only get repaved once every 60 years. Watch Video
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 | County Commission to Review Unified Schools Budget
For the Unified School System, which starts August 1, Wednesday is a critical day. This is the week that's going to determine how much money the school system gets. Watch Video
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| Unified School Board Passes $1.18B Budget
The Unified School Board passed a $1.18 billion budget Thursday afternoon, with a slightly smaller shortfall than expected. Watch Video
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 | Students Fight to Save Their Teachers' Jobs
The Unified School District now has an approved budget of $1.18 billion and it's $30 million in the red, even with $100 million in new cuts. Unified School Board members are talking about cutting at least 50 guidance counselor jobs. A lot of them work with poor and traumatized children. Watch Video
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 | Small Victory for Memphis Sanitation Workers
There was a small victory for the union that represents the sanitation workers, but it will be a long time before any city employees could see their salaries restored. Watch Video
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 | Mayor Luttrell Calls for Higher Tax Increase to Balance Budget
Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell already said he needs to raise taxes by 30 cents just to generate the same amount of money they got last year. But under his new budget plan, he needs even more money. Watch Video
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 | Tax Increase Debatable for Restoring City Employee Pay Cuts
A Memphis City Council contract impasse group is recommending firefighters also get their 4.6 percent pay cut restored. Different committees have recommended the same thing for police and sanitation workers. Watch Video
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| Restored City Pay Cuts would Likely Lead to Historic Tax Increase
The head of the Memphis City Council Budget Committee is telling you to keep an eye on city hall, and your money. Councilman Jim Strickland says with all these impasse committees agreeing to restore the 4.6 percent pay cut to city employees, there's only one way the city can afford to do it - raise your taxes. Watch Video
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 | Unified School Board Considers Budget Amid Protests of Closures
Forget the scissors, when it comes to cutting the budget of the new Unified School System, the top administrator says you better grab the butcher knife. Watch Video
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 | Memphis Police Budget under Scrutiny by City Council
For the first time in years people started talking about cutting the Memphis Police Department's budget; it's something that was unheard of years ago. Watch Video
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| Commissioner Presents Options for $35M Schools Budget
The rocky road to merging Memphis and Shelby County schools is about to hit its biggest pothole. A proposed budget is out, and it shows schools will need an additional $35 million from county taxpayers to produce a balanced budget. Watch Video
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| School Head to Present "Reasonable" Unified Schools Budget
The interim head of Memphis City Schools says he's ready to let everybody know how much money the Unified School System will need. Dorsey Hopson says the budget will be given to Shelby County Commissioners next week. Watch Video
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| County Commissioners Balk at School Funding Request
Everybody knew the merged schools would need money, but not this much. The message from some Shelby County Commissioners is simple. Remember what the Rolling Stones said: "You can't always get what you want." Watch Video
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 | City Council Blames Mayor Wharton for Blue Crush Cuts
City Council members say they didn't do it, but Memphis Mayor A C Wharton cut the Police Department budget and now there's no money for Blue Crush projects. Watch Video
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 | Memphis Budget Hearings Begin with Frustration and Confusion
Memphis City Council members are frustrated, confused, and angry with the mayor's budget. Watch Video
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| Former Memphis School Funds Absorbed by Police Budget
The Memphis City Council needs to explain why they don't have any extra money in the budget. The city no longer contributes $60 million a year to Memphis City Schools, so where did all that cash go? Watch Video
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 | Millington to Re-Examine Possible Budget Cuts
Millington's $400,000 budget deficit means major cuts and a possible tax increase. Police and fire jobs were on the chopping block, but that may not be the case anymore. Watch Video
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 | You Paid For It: Mayor's Luxury Car Costs Exceeds Other Cities
Memphis' budget crunch didn't stop its mayor from getting a new luxury Cadillac, costing taxpayers more than $1,200 a month. ABC 24 Senior Investigator Jeni Diprizio breaks down the costs and how they compare to other cities. Watch Video
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 | Big Cuts for Tennessee Health Care if No Compromise by Congress
With about $85 billion in forced spending cuts across the board, some politicians say the president is using scare tactics to get his way; others say that’s not true. Watch Video
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 | Parents Speak Out against Proposed School Closures
Unified School Board members are talking about several ways to save money as they face at least a $150 million deficit. The first option up for discussion is to close schools that have low student attendance, an idea that has many parents angry. Watch Video
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| Mayor Wharton Unveils Bleak City Budget
The City of Memphis is facing another major budget shortfall. Mayor A C Wharton unveiled his budget plan for this upcoming fiscal year, and he's short around $26 million. Watch Video
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 | Harsh Words from Board Member on Looming School Merger
One of the most controversial members of the Unified School Board, Reverend Kenneth Whalum, says the board is working as quickly as it can, and argues the board's budget request isn't out of line. He also says a judge's efforts to push the merger to meet the August deadline could be devastating. Watch Video
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| City Employees Look for Reversal of Pay Cuts
A temporary 4.6 percent pay cut has lasted three years for Memphis city employees. Now, as budget discussions are about to begin, part of the pay cut could be reversed. Watch Video
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 | School Board to County Commission: We Want $145 Million
After weeks of talks about cutting education programs in a new unified school system, Memphis/Shelby County school board members voted Tuesday night to try a different approach: ask for more money instead. Watch Video
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| Parents to School Board: We Want Money Too
A night after the Unified School Board voted to ask for $145 million, parents at a school set for closure asked for some of the money. Watch Video
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 | NWS to Furlough Employees during Severe Weather Season
Congress passed a bill Friday that would allow the FAA to shift funds so it can avoid furloughing thousands of air traffic controllers. Other government agencies, like the National Weather Service, aren't so fortunate. Watch Video
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| Millington City Manger Proposes Layoffs to Close Budget Gap
Millington is facing nearly a $400,000 deficit. The city manager says laying off 19 city employees will help offset the deficit, and that didn't sit well with residents. Watch Video
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| What Federal Sequestration Means for You
There is only one week left to avoid one of the largest federal budget cuts in history. If Congress can't reach a deal, sequestration would begin on March 1. Congress is eight days away from the deadline that could mean a million jobs lost. Watch Video
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| 'Temporary' City Employee Pay Cuts Here to Stay
Memphis city employees aren't going to get their money back. Members of the police union say the cuts of more than four and a half percent were only supposed to last one year, but they will go on indefinitely according to Memphis Mayor A C Wharton. Watch Video
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 | Council Asking Voters to Increase Sales Tax
The Memphis City Council had voted to ask city residents to raise the local option sales tax.
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 | Tunica Animal Shelter Facing Serious Budget Cuts, Closure
The county is slashing the Tunica Humane Society's money in half this year, from $50,000 to $25,000. Watch Video
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 | With Casino Cash Down, Future Uncertain for Tunica
An uncertain future for Tunica, Mississippi. Tunica County's operating budget is short millions, mainly from declining casino revenues. Watch Video
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 | Pricey Consultants Hired to Help Memphis Save Money
Memphis Mayor A C Wharton is rolling out a new initiative hoping to make the city more efficient. Instead of looking at the city's money woes one year at a time, he wants to look long term. Surprise, surprise, he's hired a pricey consultant to help do it.
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 | University of Memphis Student Newspaper Hot over Funding Cut
Students and some alumni of the University of Memphis's student newspaper, The Daily Helmsman, are claiming a university committee slashed its funding by a third over complaints about its content.
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 | Cash-Strapped City Hiring $90K Consultant to Lobby Nashville
Memphis is broke, but that didn't stop Mayor A C Wharton from hiring a former Shelby County Commissioner and paying him $90,000. Mike Carpenter is the controversial commissioner who led the charge to cut vacation and sick days for county employees. Now he's working across the street at city hall.
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 | City Hires Mike Carpenter to Head Harahan Bridge Project
The City of Memphis is finally going public about the hiring of a controversial former Shelby County commissioner. The announcement comes just one business day after ABC 24 News told you The Truth about it.
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 | DeSoto County Elder Care Programs Facing Budget Cuts
This year, the county may have to cut money for the programs, possibly up to $80,000. DeSoto's supervisors are trying to trim the budget without trimming services. Watch Video
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 | City Budget Leaves Mayor Nervous for the Future
The City of Memphis has a budget but the Mayor says the city's battle is far from over. Watch Video
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 | Memphis College of Art Selling Works to Fill Budget Gap
A private art college in Memphis is selling off much of its art collection to deal with financial problems.
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 | Unions Unhappy with City Budget Tax Cuts
You'd think a property tax cut would mean that the birds would be singing, the bees would be buzzing, and everything would be ice cream and cake in a happy Bluff City, but it's not. Watch Video
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| Residents Face Massive Tax Hike in Tunica County
Think taxes are bad where you live? They're prepping for a major property tax hike in Tunica, a 30 percent increase. Watch Video
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| City Council Approves Budget, Lowers Property Tax Rate
After more than four hours of council debate, the City of Memphis has a new budget, and it will lower your property taxes.
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 | Budget Forces Como, Mississippi to Cut Police Force
The small town in Panola County has been struggling for years, but the last few months have been especially tough.
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 | DeSoto Passes Budget with Cuts, Raises, No New Taxes
Citizens should be happy, they're not paying more. Employees should be happy, they're making more. It took cuts in several other places to make it happen, and the board looked at every nickel and dime in the budget. Watch Video
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| Southaven, Olive Branch Budgets Include Raises, No Tax Increases
It's budget time in north Mississippi. Both Olive Branch and Southaven's preliminary budgets are ready, and there's good news for taxpayers in both cities. Watch Video
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 | DeSoto County Seeks Employee Input on Trimming Budget
It's expected to be a tight budget year in DeSoto County, but they're trying something new. The county's looking for a way to give employees a raise, so they're asking workers where the county can save. Watch Video
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 | Earthquake Research Facing Budget Cuts in 2013
A proposal to cut $11 million from earthquake research has experts concerned.
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 | New Budget Means Fewer Funds to Fight Memphis Blight
The Memphis fight against blight is about to take a beating of its own as the new city budget takes effect Sunday. Watch Video
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