The City of Memphis does an excellent job of providing municipal services according to a new national study. The Reason Public Policy Institute ranked Memphis as the fourth most efficient major city in the nation. Peer cities Nashville, Charlotte, and Atlanta all ranked below Memphis.
Councilman Brent Taylor says the think tank examined basic services such as police, fire, sanitation, streets, and parks to position America's biggest cities. The study took into account things such as the dollars needed to pave an average mile of road in each city and how many workers are used in the effort.
Taylor noted Memphis is the top-ranked city in the Eastern United States. "Only Phoenix, El Paso, and Tulsa were deemed more efficient than Memphis," he said.
"The survey didn't find Memphis first in any category," remarked Taylor, "but the city placed near the top in all service delivery areas."
The councilman also pointed to some $15 million in budget cuts he recommended last year. "Although many of these cuts weren't passed by the full council, I hope my effort at questioning city expenditures helps to hold the line on unnecessary spending and leads to even more efficient delivery of city services," stated Taylor.
