Public transparency grounds good governance. With the former in mind, questions recently arose regarding progress around the FY22 $200M Accelerate Memphis capital improvement initiative. Accelerate Memphis sets out to improve neighborhoods, parks and overall quality of life in Memphis.

City Council concerns ignited on August 5, 2025, when approximately $415K in Accelerate funds were to be diverted away from Chandler Park, an inner-city park, by the Young Administration, to MFA, a local project management group. Coinciding with the former, additional concerns arose about MLK Park being unmaintained and in shambles with upcoming Fall community events scheduled.

As of June 30th 2024, per City of Memphis Financials, $64.9M in Accelerate funds had been spent on parks. How did Chandler and MLK Parks get overlooked in the $64.9M spend? And what about the other $59M that has been spent on Memphis 3.0 and other City assets? Specifically, how was $124M of $200M in Accelerate Memphis funding spent?

In other words, what is the public progress of Accelerate Memphis? There’s no way to know. On a project basis, the Accelerate Memphis website accounts for less than $50M of $200M in planned spend. Taxpayers deserve to know how $200M in community betterment funds are being spent!

To that extent, an open records request has been submitted to the City asking for

• a full account of $200M in Accelerate Memphis spending by project, amount allocated and disbursed, as well as any unallocated amount of the $200M and

• deferred park maintenance by park name and amount.

To learn more about Accelerate Memphis, please read the following taken from the FY24 City of Memphis Annual Comprehensive Financial Report:

In 2021, the City of Memphis issued $200 million in bonds to fund a transformative initiative. The development of the Accelerate Memphis project began in FY 2022. This issuance marked Tennessee’s first social bonds, aimed at supporting community projects designed to "accelerate" the City’s growth. The initiative focuses on improving quality of life, promoting equity and inclusion, enhancing connectivity, and addressing deferred maintenance and other capital needs that exceed the capacity of any single year's budget.

Following a debt restructure in 2015, the City is set to experience a significant reduction in debt service by 2027. Accelerate Memphis was strategically developed to capitalize on this decrease, enabling the timely execution of $200 million in one-time, transformative capital improvements across all districts of the City.

The Accelerate Memphis projects were largely expected to be completed in Calendar Year 2023; however, due to a variety of challenges related to supply chain issues and other constraints, the goal is currently for all projects to be completed by the end of Calendar Year 2025.

Additionally, the City received funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which allowed for coordination between Accelerate Memphis and the annual Capital Improvement Program (CIP). By leveraging ARPA funding, the City has been able to maximize the impact of its resources across Memphis.

The Accelerate Memphis program is focused on three primary objectives:

1. $75 million for the Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan
   Memphis 3.0 outlines the roadmap for investment in the City’s communities, fostering growth within Memphis' core. The program identifies 15 key projects, with none completed as of FY 24, but all 15 are currently in progress. By the end of FY 24, $30.23 million had been expended on these initiatives.

2. $75 million for Park Improvements
   Memphis boasts a diverse array of public assets, including 150 parks, 30 community and senior centers, 17 pools, 7 golf courses, 81 playgrounds, 48 basketball courts, 80 tennis courts, and 4 dog parks. This allocation aims to update, maintain, and improve these facilities. Of the 28 projects identified, 13 have been completed, and 15 are in progress. By the close of FY 24, over $64.86 million had been spent on park improvements.

3. $50 million for Citywide Asset Revitalization
   This portion of the funding was initially allocated for the revitalization of the 100 N. Main building; however, $10 million of the original allocation was redeployed due to changes in the ownership structure. Another $9.8 million has been redirected to various City projects, including holiday lighting, the Chelsea Greenline, and street beautification in different Council districts. These efforts address the lifecycle needs of common community assets that require major repairs or renovations to maintain their vibrancy. As of FY 2023–2024, six projects were in progress, with approximately $28.80 million spent.