What is the city doing about energy costs to run the city?

What can Memphis do to prepare for unaffordable energy rates?
Nothing. It's too late. Should've asked ten years ago.
What are we doing about it now?

I have some very doable solutions that will not cost too much, will also solve other big problems, save us money in the short and long run, return a lot of money on the investment, all while rehabbing many felons:

Problem: We have a prison population that is in and out of jail because they can't get jobs because they aren't ever rehabbed properly.

Solution:

a. They could be taught and employed at a plant to manufacture energy products, what we need to heal this BIG WOUND to all our pocketbooks, public and private.
b. They can be paid a wage that will sustain their families. It's just not that hard, but, it's very rewarding.
c. JOBS coupled with a rehab program that is designed to generate 125 cathartic experiences or "epiphanies" in the participants will have them "see the light" and move on to a crime free life and they will not return to crime even under extreme duress. This program has existed for over 20 years but never in Memphis.
d. The rest of the country can buy these products from us or replicate the programs. Either way, Memphis pulls itself way up! This is going to be very big business in the next ten years, we can be consumers or manufacturers, you pick.

Specific Solutions and Products:

1. We can retrofit govt. vehicles to run on electric alone. This technology is fully developed. They use a plate to fit over the existing transmission with mounts to hold the new electric motor. There is plenty of room for a battery bank under the hood. We can sell this for private citizens too.
2. We can manufacture vertical axis wind turbine generators out of existing materials to get rid of fuel costs. Everything we need for that is already here! This technology is fully developed and deployed around the world. No big propellors and no need to worry about high winds up to 150-mph! No maintenance. We can sell this as a product too.
3. We could begin building houses with specially plumbed HVAC units. The HVAC unit is plumbed so that the Hot SIDE (high side) is helping heat the hot water and floors of the house and the Cold Side (low side) is cooling the house and the refrigerator room, saving appliance costs. It's a matter of re-plumbing and insulating. This technology is already fully developed and deployed in Canada. We can sell this too.
4. We could put solar hot water cells on the roofs for heating and hot water. This technology is fully developed and sold regularly. We can build them here.
5. SOLAR LIGHTS in the house can be gathered with a roof reflector system and brought into the house via fiber optics then distributed inside and assisted by bulbs. This technology is fully developed right now and already has distributors. The patent is open. We can build systems here.
6. Electricity can be stored in battery banks. We manufacture batteries.
7. Electricity to run all this can be generated by a Sterling Motor (runs on air heated by the sun) powering a generator when there is sun but no wind. (which is very rare in Memphis)They make them big enough to power a neighborhood, 21 kwh/day sound good to you? Free electricity.
8. We can manufacture and deploy passive heating panels made from old metal security doors that heat to 120 degrees and run them off sunny south walls. This technology exists and is commercially available now. We can manufacture them here.
9. We can use all the excess energy generated by storing it in batteries, use the hydrogen produced by charging them i.e. electrolysis and burn it to create heat to be used to power generators and also create pure water.
The energy savings alone can power the police department.
With rehabbed criminals living successfully and raising families, crime free and productively, the cost for police will go down. We will be known as "safer to live and nicer than Canada"!

We just eliminated almost all of the ENERGY costs for the city, and rehabbed our recalcitrant felons in the process, created big industries, made many jobs, got the city ample funds for regular raises if necessary, established a standard of excellence that is not currently here, lowered our tax requirements dramatically, didn't refill our prisons, stopped the revolving door of overcrowding, got rid of the crowd in 201 Poplar's basement, and established a psychologically healthier and pollution free city.

Natural gas GASOLINE energy ARE THE TOOLS THAT ARE BEING USED TO DESTROY THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE.

CHINA IS ALREADY USING FREE POWER TO RUN THEIR ECONOMIC WAR.
If Iran starts using nuclear energy, we are totally sunk.
This is very real.

THIS IS HOW WE THE PEOPLE CAN FIGHT BACK. That will reduce our need for tax hikes and make Memphis better, let's get together and start planning our recovery.

The only real problem to your entire question is stated this simply.

We live in America where we have too many laws and civil liberties. We do not live in another country that you have a dictorial government. In the USA, you cannot make people conform as in other countries. There are too many people that will find a lawyer that will gladly sue anyone and everyone for forcing something upon you, which is unfortunate, but true.

America is sinking into it's own political quagmire. We will soon be a 3rd world county. We are already being outdone and controlled by other countries.

I understand that has been thew case since the 1800's. You know this too. You probably know about the federal reserve, illegal congress, illegal constitution, David Rockefeller's influence, and that every politician that is in any office is exactly the opposite of what he or she states they are.
That actually could make no difference, in fact, right now, knowing all that, nothing changed.
It wil have to be a from the people movement. We need to put fear into the lives of politicians to get them to do whart the people want instead of immediately dismissing the people and all promises mde pre-election.
After all, aren't you scared to say anything against one and leave a trace of your identity behind what could be true?
isn't the average John and Jane Q. Public scared of retaliation by political "bosses"?
Turnabout is beyond the constraints of the fairplay reality. It is called for.