UPDATE: The Shelby County Commission on Monday afternoon delayed a scheduled “no confidence” vote against County Clerk Wanda Halbert until Aug. 8.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. —Shelby County Commissioners plan to take a ‘no confidence’ vote against Wanda Halbert Monday after the ongoing license plate ‘crisis.’
Sponsored by commissioners Brandon Morrison and Mark Billingsley, the resolution may result in the state of Tennessee taking over license plate distribution temporarily to assist the Shelby County Clerk’s Office.
“We have heard from representatives of the office of the governor, the greater Memphis chamber the office of the comptroller, Mayor Harris,” Billingsley said. “A great number of people are working collaboratively trying to support the clerk.”
The commissioners say they have received hundreds of complaints regarding license plate delays from drivers and auto dealers over the past months.
The delay is said to have impacted 35,000 customers.
Earlier this month, the Greater Memphis Automobile Dealers Association said there were more than 7,400 pending tag applications dating back to April, and thousands of Shelby County residents are driving with expired drive-out tags.
The county clerk’s office temporarily shut its doors earlier this month when the air conditioning went out. It reopened Monday. The line started forming around 6:30 a.m. even though the office did not open until 8 a.m.
Lorenzo Jones was the first in line to be seen after the office was closed for a week. He needed his tags or he could face a possible fine if stopped by police.
“No they don’t wanna hear anything about any air,” Jones said. “They just want to write you a ticket.”
Board members plan to take up the vote against Halbert Monday afternoon.
“Today I heard that there’s been some progress and the mayor’s administration has received access and we’re going to be getting more frequent reports, but we still just want to see results,” Morrison said.
