MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Locks and chains keep a vehicle inspection center on Appling Road in Northeast Memphis closed.
A federal grant helped pay for the center before the city got rid of the emission testing program in 2013.
The Federal Highway Administration wants its money back.
“I still think the right decision was made to close the inspection stations. It was penalizing Memphians,” City Councilman Kemp Conrad said.
Conrad, the soon-to-be council chairman, said it was not fair for Memphis to test vehicle emissions when all of Shelby County was in violation of federal air quality standards.
“So we ended it,” Conrad told WREG. “So that had a budget implication but also just a quality-of-life implication for Memphians having to go through that process.”
The Tennessee Department of Transportation said the feds want the state to pay back the money. The state wants Memphis to pay.
According to TDOT, because the station was open for about two-and-a-half years, the city will likely not have to pay back the full $3.8 million. TDOT is waiting on an invoice to determine the exact amount of money owed.
“At most, it’s a low seven-figure number. Not to minimize that, but we spend well over — you know our capital budget is $50 to $100 million a year,” Conrad explained.
Still, City Council members are looking to pay back as little as possible.
