Shelby County, Tennessee
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Contents |
Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of Tennessee county websites
Last rated on 2013-03-04.
The good
- Budget
- The most current budget is listed.
- Budgets are archived for 8 years.[2]
- Administrative Officials
- Department heads are listed for each department.[3]
- Contact information for administrative officials is provided including a mailing address, phone number, and personalized email.
- Elected Officials
- Elected officials are listed with a mailing address, phone number and personalized email.[4]
- Meetings
- Meeting minutes are archived for 5 years.
- Meeting agendas are archived for 5 years.
- A meeting calendar is available and names the times and locations of public meetings.
- Meeting video or podcasts are available.[5]
- Audits
- The most recent audit is posted.
- Audits dating back to 2000 are available.[6]
- Contracts
- Bids and RFPs are posted online.[7]
- Approved contract statements are provided for vendors.
- Public Records
- Some information on public records requests are provided.[8]
- Taxes
- Lobbying
- The county discloses it hires lobbyists and the total amount spent on lobbying.[11]
- Permits and zoning
The bad
- Lobbying
- Although lobbying records are complete, you must search for them and access individual documents separately.
- Public Records
- Information on how to make a public records request is not provided on the site.
Elected Officials & Salaries
| Name | Title | Salary (Bi-weekly) |
|---|---|---|
| Sidney Chism | Chairman County Commissioners | $1,295.84 |
| Wyatt Bunker | Chairman Pro Tempore | $1,212.50 |
| Walter Bailey, Jr. | Commissioner | $1,212.50 |
| Henri Brooks | Commissioner | $1,212.50 |
| Melvin Burgess | Commissioner | $1,212.50 |
| Justin Ford | Commissioner | $1,212.50 |
| James Harvey Sr. | Commissioner | $1,212.50 |
| Mike Ritz | Commissioner | $1,212.50 |
| Steve Mulroy | Commissioner | $1,212.50 |
| Terry Roland | Commissioner | $1,212.50 |
| Heidi Shafer | Commissioner | $1,212.50 |
| Brent Taylor | Commissioner | Unavailable |
| Chris Thomas | Commissioner | $1,212.50 |
Salary information as of February 2011.[14]
Administrative Officials & Salaries
| Name | Title | Salary (Bi-weekly) |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Swift | Director of Administration and Finance | $5,000 |
| Cheyenne Johnson | Assessor of Property | $4,454.42 |
| Harvey Kennedy | Chief Administrative Officer | $5,625 |
| Louise Smith | Community Service Administrator | $3,290 |
| Kelly Rayne | County Attorney | $5,625 |
| Wayne Mashburn | County Clerk | $4,454 |
| Reid Dulberger | Economic Development Director | Unavailable |
| Brenda Greene | Employee Benefits Manager | $2,926 |
| Raymond Pipkin | Finance Administrator | $3,827 |
| Clarence Cash Jr. | Fire Chief | $4,082 |
| Mike Lewis | Human Resources Administrator | $4,462 |
| Tommy Cates | Chief Auditor | $4,449 |
| Richard Copeland | Director Planning and Development | $5,208 |
| Tom Needham | Director Public Works | $5,208 |
| Bill Oldham | Sheriff | $4,791 |
Salary information as of February 2011.[15]
Budget
In FY2012, the operating budget is $359,042,552. The majority of funds goes towards personnel (70.7%) $253,823,146, followed by operating and maintenance expenditures (16.9%) $60,712,541, affiliated organizations and grants (9%) $32,263,441, and transfers (3.4%) $12,243,424.[16]
Stimulus
The city of Memphis, Shelby County seat, received $159,984,341.75 in federal stimulus funding in 8 contracts and 130 grants.[17]
Local taxes
In FY2012, property taxes accounted for the majority of revenue (66.7%), generating $239,419,000. Local taxes generated $26,867,000 (7.5%).[18]
City In the News
- In March 2012, Tennessee received a “C” in the State Integrity Investigation, a report that analyzes state governments’ accountability and risk for corruption. Even with the average grade, TN ranks #8 in the nation and is cited for establishing an ethics commission six years ago, although that commission has not yet issued a single ethics penalty and complaints are not made available to the public. [19]
- In April 2011, Memphis Mayor AC Wharton suspended nearly every employee of the city impound lot for five business days following the recent bust of a long-running theft ring at the lot, affecting 26 employees. Only 2 full-time employees and one temporary employee will remain on the job. A month prior, the city fired a supervisor charged with receiving stolen property from the lot; another employee was fired after investigators linked him to a theft ring at the lot; and an informant said he had a deal to steal vehicles on the lot and split the items with the shift supervisor. Over a three year period, the city paid $72,798 to settle claims for items stolen from vehicles and damage that occurred at the lot.[20]
- Following an July 2010 audit, the FBI and former Chief Administrative Officer of Memphis are investigating the General Services Department’s investments involving the Fleet Services support service and the now defunct Around Town Tire and Trucking. The initial probe turned up falsified invoices and numerous contractual infractions which may have led to the abrupt resignation of former Fleet Services Administrator, Arthur Adams, following a DUI arrest in a city-owned vehicle.[21]
- Operation Tennessee Waltz was a sting operation set up by federal and state law enforcement agents, including the FBI and TBI. The operation led to the arrest of seven Tennessee state lawmakers and two “bagmen” in the indictment in May 2005. Additional arrests of two county commissioners, one from Hamilton County and Shelby County occurred days later. Three officials from Hamilton County were sentenced to time in prison and six officials were indicted from Memphis. Six of the elected officials were Democrats and two were Republicans.[22]
Lobbying
In 2008, Shelby County reported $120,000 spent on lobbying. [23]
External links
- Official Shelby County Website
- Shelby County NACo Profile
- Tennessee Local Government Watch
- The Republican Party of Shelby County
- Shelby County Information
References
- ↑ Shelby County NACo Profile
- ↑ Shelby County, Budgets, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, Staff Directory, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, Elected Officials, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, Meetings, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, Audits, Accessed: march 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, Bids, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, Tennessee Public Records Law, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, Taxes, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, Pay Taxes Online, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, RFP for Lobbyists, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, Zoning, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County, Building Permits, Accessed: March 4, 2013
- ↑ Shelby County salaries
- ↑ Shelby County salaries
- ↑ Budget analysis
- ↑ Stimulus funding
- ↑ Local taxes
- ↑ State Integrity Investigation
- ↑ Impound Lot Corruption
- ↑ Corruption in Memphis General Services Department
- ↑ Operation Tennessee Waltz
- ↑ Shelby County Lobbying Report
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