MEMPHIS, Tenn. —
Shelby County Commissioners voted favorable to held Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert accountable with how she manages money in her office, following two audits, one from the county and one from the state.
After the most recent audit in February 2024, the Tennessee Comptroller's Office left a list of recommendations for Halbert, including submitting monthly reports.
District 3 Commissioner Mick Wright said Halbert already isn't following those recommendations, so he sponsored a resolution requiring her to explain herself and give the Board of Commissioners a financial action plan.
"The Comptroller's recommendations say that she should adhere to the monthly reporting process and already this month she's failed to do that,” said Wright.
In a committee meeting Wednesday, District 10 Commissioner Britney Thornton brought up a lack of staffing and a need for higher salaries as solutions to improve how Halbert's office runs.
"Clear correlation between the instability in her office and the performance," said Thornton. "Have conversations been had about how to properly get the funding that she needs to meet the demands of her office.”
Shelby County's Human Resources Director Gerald Thornton responded that Halbert hasn't taken the proper steps or submitted any formal requests in the last three years to make that happen.
"We told her and some people on her staff that we've got funding for a compensation study but as of today, Clerk Halbert has not followed the proper policy,” said Director Thornton.
The resolution got a favorable vote and will get a full commission vote at the next board meeting despite some pushback, calling it government overreach.
"If somebody tried to tell us exactly how to do our jobs, that's what we have elections for,” said District 9 Commissioner Edmund Ford.
Both sides agreed though, that their goal is to help the clerk's office stay on the right track.
Halbert was not at the meeting. ABC24 reached out to her office for comment without response.