Memphis needs to repay some of vehicle station grant
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee officials say Memphis will have to repay at least part of a $3.8 million grant it received to build a vehicle-inspection station.
The Commercial Appeal reports the Federal Highway Administration has notified the Tennessee Department of Transportation that the state must reimburse it for the grant money.
Agency spokeswoman B.J. Doughty says the department, in turn, will ask for reimbursement from the City of Memphis.
The federal agency is demanding the repayment because the station, which opened in November 2010, closed in mid-2013 after the City Council adopted a resolution co-sponsored by Mayor-elect Jim Strickland to halt funding for the $2.7 million-a-year vehicle-inspection program.
Doughty says the exact amount of the repayment isn’t known. City spokeswoman Dewanna Smith said Memphis hasn’t received notice of the repayment demand.
