The special investigation into Shelby County Clerk Wanda Hulbert has brought many officials to the forefront of the conversation. From Shelby County Supervisors to Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright, their statements about Hulbert have dominated the conversation.
Hulbert has only spoken publicly once since the announcement of the special investigation into the Poplar Plaza closing.
Hulbert was limited in her ability to speak about the case while the investigation was ongoing, but said last week that Shelby County government had denied her legal representation. But she was able to discuss some of the allegations surrounding her own office, including problems with her lease and missing or inaccurate revenue reports.
The Commercial Appeal was able to tour the downtown clerk's office and speak with Hulbert in early January.
Trustee argues that delay in earnings reporting is due to system
Shelby County Supervisor Regina Newman told Shelby County Commissioners on Nov. 8 that she has not yet received the latest revenue report from the executive director. She said Newman said the clerk repeatedly submitted income reports several days later than the state-required 10th of each month.
The Tennessee Comptroller's Office urged Hulbert to submit financial reports “in a timely manner” in a September 2021 letter.
Halbert said revenue reports must be submitted within 30 days of the end of the collection period, except for two state payments: Tennessee.
“The first vehicle registration is done by the 10th of each month, which is automatically uploaded as it is directly uploaded to the state system. You pay the two additional items by the 15th of each month. I didn’t.’ That revenue doesn’t come back until closer to the 23rd or 25th of the month,” Hulbert said. “The county requires us to pay by the 10th of each month, but it doesn't necessarily compete with anything other than the two that are directly requested by us.”
Hulbert argued that the county's requirement that she submit income reports by the 10th of each month is “unlawful” and violates state law.
Newman said in an email that Hulbert's claims are not true. Newman said in an email to Hulbert that the report reflects all funds raised from the beginning of the month to the end of the month.
“What this means is that the actual money/cash arrives at your office or is deposited into a bank account assigned to you.cent What will appear in your report by the end of the month and the 10th of the monthth next month's. Please do not include anything you did not actually receive during the month,” he wrote in a November email to Hulbert, which was reviewed by The Commercial Appeal.
At the Jan. 31 Shelby County Board of Commissioners meeting, Shelby County Government Finance Administrator Daniel Schoenbaum presented the latest financial situation.
Schoenbaum said the county underreports revenue from county wheel taxes due to “inaccuracies or incompleteness in the report itself or in the filing of the report.” Schoenbaum said the wheel tax is collected through the clerk's office, and the clerk's report appears to bring in about $20 million in revenue. However, the amount currently reported on the county's books is $14 million.
“Until clerks fully and accurately report their income, our job will be very difficult,” Schoenbaum said.
Special investigation for willful neglect of duty: “It's a lie''
Hulbert said she learned about the special investigation through television, but has not received any communication from the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office regarding it. Hulbert met with officials from the Hamilton County Attorney's Office during a December meeting in Shelby County. Price had not spoken to her before then, she said.
Regarding comments about the investigation into “deliberate neglect of duty,” Hulbert simply said, “That's a lie.” Hulbert added: “The documents and the facts will show that.”
“It's sad to see someone go through a situation like this with limited resources and get blamed when another branch of government holds the purse strings,” Hulbert said. Told. “You can’t hold people accountable if you decide not to fund it.”
Hulbert said the special investigation has severely affected the morale of many employees, who are working tirelessly to keep the office running as smoothly as possible.
Hamilton County Attorney Coty Wampf said in a letter to the Shelby County Commission in late December that he had not yet received a formal complaint regarding Hulbert's incompetence.
A few days later, Wright filed a formal complaint about Hulbert to Wamp and his staff. In his letter, Mr. Wright laid out a timeline of events that occurred in the clerk's office and explained why Mr. Hulbert called it “deliberate negligence.”
Special Assistant Wamp J. Price said the Hamilton County Attorney's Office has received the complaint and is working on the document. Price also said there is no timeline for when the investigation will be completed.
“Just when you think one side is closed, the other side opens,” Price said.
Hulbert talks about current lease status around Shelby County
The city of Millington has been trying to secure a lease for the Millington County Clerk's Office for more than two years. The clerk's office in Millington operates in a city-owned building and does not pay rent.
Millington City Manager Ed Haley said the lease for the Millington office has been “activated.” Haley went on to say that the staff at the Millington store were doing a great job and that the office would have a negative impact on customers in the area.
“We're going to serve you as long as we can, as safely as we can, as efficiently as we can…if there's an issue, we'll address it,” Haley said.
Hulbert said he was not aware that the Millington store had a contract.
In 2023, the clerk's office's Poplar Plaza store was closed due to unpaid rent. Although Halbert maintains the office was not evicted, documents provided to CA show that months of unpaid rent and limited communication with the management company led to the closure.
Hulbert said multiple times that she knew her office would have to be moved because another tenant in the building wanted to take over the space. Hulbert said he was in talks with interested parties to relocate the office and proposed leasing or renting 60 properties, but the plan did not materialize.
Halbert said her office always executes property leases through the Shelby County Land Bank. He also said there had been “no clues” at the Rank Bank offices for some time after the Poplar and Highland branch closed.
“At that time, they didn't have a (manager) on the land, so we had to wait at the land bank. You can't sign a contract without the land bank,” Hulbert said. .
In a previous interview, Hulbert said some leases had expired because the land bank was closed.
“We don't lease. If we had an idea for a facility, whether it was a purchase or a rental, we always went through a land bank, and that land bank has closed down. ,” Hulbert said.
While the land returner handles lease negotiations for the county's various buildings, the clerk is responsible for allowing the land bank to present leases to the county commission for a vote. The Board of Commissioners votes on leases and the Shelby County Mayor signs resolutions related to the building, making him the official contracting agent for all contracts related to Shelby County government.
The land bank negotiated an extension with the property manager as the lease contract neared its expiration date. But ultimately, the land bank's ability to present the commissioner with a lease agreement will depend on the elected officials who operate in the leased space.
Poplar Plaza's lease expired in June, but the office was asked to leave in November after occupying the space without a lease for months. Finard Properties, the property management company that owns the Poplar Plaza store, also owns the Whitehaven store.
Hulbert said the Whitehaven office is currently negotiating another location.
As for the Riverdale store, it is open but only for auto service, Hulbert said. Hulbert said the location needs more staff to operate the drive-thru kiosk, but the additional staffing would require a budget request.
Hulbert said additional staffing would be part of the proposal during the upcoming budgeting season.
Brooke Muckerman covers Shelby County government for Commercial Appeal. You can contact her at 901-484-6225, brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com and follow her on X, formerly known as her Twitter. @Brooke Muckerman.
