Residents press commissioners on District 10 ARPA allocations; a local media group pitches an 'InfoHub' to improve constituent outreach

Summary

Residents and neighborhood leaders urged clarity and criteria for District 10 ARPA spending, including a request from community group Stop the Killing / Cut the Beef for funding and oversight. Separately, Just My Memphis proposed a low‑cost digital 'InfoHub' tool to help commissioners communicate with constituents; several commissioners said they'd request invoices and consult procurement counsel.

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At the end of committee sessions a string of public commenters from District 10 raised questions about the administration of roughly $2.7 million in district allocations and urged transparency on how funds will be distributed among community organizations.

Keith Leachman, founder of Stop the Killing / Cut the Beef, asked how his group's work would be funded and how the commissioner planned to divide resources among organizations: "I want to know how my commissioner plan on dividing the resources among the organizations, and what is our plan?" he said. Several community leaders emphasized on‑the‑ground work — marches, mentorship and youth activities — and asked for clear selection criteria and accountability for ARPA disbursements.

In a separate presentation 'Just My Memphis' CEO J.R. Robinson demonstrated an 'InfoHub' product: a single QR/link card that aggregates a commissioner's contact info, event notices, forms and a monthly email digest, with optional geofencing promotion. Commissioners expressed interest; County Attorney staff advised that purchases above procurement thresholds require formal purchasing procedures, while smaller, one‑time purchases (under $5,000) could be made using discretionary or contingency funds. Several commissioners asked for invoices to consider using commission contingency to pilot the tool for the remainder of the fiscal year.