Shelby County

Shelby County is governed by a charter that voters approved on August 2, 1984. It took effect on September 1, 1986.^[1] Voters elect a county mayor, a 13-member Board of County Commissioners, and a set of countywide officers such as the Sheriff, Trustee and Assessor of Property.

The charter

The charter works as the constitution for county government.^[1] It sets up three branches:

• Legislative (Article II): the Board of County Commissioners.
• Executive (Article III): led by the County Mayor. Section 3.07 sets the budget procedure.
• Judicial (Article IV): the courts, plus law enforcement and corrections.

Article VIII covers the elected county charter officers: the Sheriff, Trustee, Register, County Clerk and Assessor.^[1] The full text can be searched on the county's charter site or downloaded as one file.

County Mayor

The County Mayor leads the county's executive branch.^[2]

• Term: four years, with a limit of two consecutive terms.^[2]
• Elections: every four years: 2026, 2030, 2034.^[2]

Key appointed leaders

On September 15, 2026 Mayor Mickell Lowery named his first five appointees: Felecia Higgs Walker (Chief of Staff), Maura Black Sullivan (Chief Administrative Officer), Brian Collins (Chief Financial Officer), David C. Bradford Jr. (Director of Public Works) and Crystal R. Oliver (Director of Human Resources).^[3]

Board of County Commissioners

The commission is the county's legislative branch. Commissioners pass resolutions and ordinances, approve the county budget, set the county property tax rate and set policy.^[4]

• Seats: 13, one for each single-member district, Districts 1 to 13. Districts are drawn by population.^[4]
• Term: four years, with a limit of two consecutive terms. Terms begin on September 1.^{[4] [5]}
• Elections: all 13 seats are elected at the same time every four years: 2026, 2030, 2034.^[5]
• Chair: chosen by a majority of commissioners, usually in August, to serve from September 1 to August 31. The chair assigns commissioners to committees.^[4]
• Meetings: the full commission meets on select Mondays at 3:00 p.m. Committees meet on the Wednesday before, generally starting at 8:30 a.m. Meetings are held at the Vasco A. Smith, Jr. County Administration Building, 160 N. Main Street, and are streamed on YouTube.^[6]

Other elected countywide offices

Each of these offices is elected countywide to a four-year term.^[7]

• Assessor of Property classifies and assesses all taxable property in the county.^[8]
• Trustee is the county's banking agent, responsible for receiving, paying out and investing county funds.^[8]
• Register of Deeds is the county's official record keeper.^[8]
• County Clerk provides the system residents use to buy required titles, such as vehicle titles.^[8]
• Sheriff, a charter officer under Article VIII.^[1]
• Court clerks for the Circuit, Criminal, Juvenile and Probate Courts, elected in 2026, 2030 and so on, and for General Sessions Court, elected in 2028, 2032 and so on.^[7]
• District Attorney General, elected to an eight-year term: 2030, 2038.^[7]

Elections themselves are run by the Shelby County Election Commission, which administers all public elections in the county.^[8]

Budget and property tax

The mayor proposes a budget and the commission approves it and sets the property tax rate.^{[4] [9]} The county tax rate is split among the county's general fund, education and debt payments. For fiscal year 2027, Mayor Lee Harris proposed a $1.6 billion budget. In June 2026 commissioners tentatively approved a rate of $2.71 per $100 of assessed value: $1.26 for the general fund, $1.16 for education and $0.29 for debt.^[9] The commission passed the final budget and rate on June 29, 2026.^[10]

The education share is the county's local funding for public schools, including Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

How to take part

• Find your commissioner on My Reps or the Election Commission's precinct locator.^[5]
• Speak at a meeting. Residents can speak on any agenda item by filling out a Request to Speak card.^[4]
• Write to your commissioner by letter or email, or call the commission office at (901) 222-1000.^[4]
• Watch meetings live or later on YouTube, or listen to archived audio.^[6]

Current officeholders

Meetings

• County Commission meeting
  County CommissionMon, Oct 26, 2026 · Video
• County Commission committee meetings
  County CommissionWed, Oct 21, 2026 · Video
• County Commission meeting
  County CommissionMon, Oct 12, 2026 · Video
• County Commission committee meetings
  County CommissionWed, Oct 7, 2026 · Video
• County Commission meeting
  County CommissionMon, Sep 28, 2026 · Video

All meetings, with agendas, minutes and video

Sources

Last checked October 28, 2026. If something here is out of date, the linked source is the authority.

1. Shelby County Government, "Shelby County Charter"
2. Memphis Public Libraries, Informed Voter: Shelby County Mayor
3. Action News 5, "Shelby Co. Mayor Mickell Lowery announces first 5 administrative appointments" (Sept. 15, 2026)
4. Shelby County Government, "Role of the Commission"
5. Memphis Public Libraries, Informed Voter: Shelby County Commission
6. Shelby County Government, Board of Commissioners
7. Memphis Public Libraries, Informed Voter: Other Offices
8. Shelby County FY22 Proposed Budget, "Other Elected Officials" section
9. Tri-State Defender, "Shelby County commissioners approve tentative $2.71 property tax rate for FY2027" (June 17, 2026)
10. Daily Memphian, "County Commission passes budget with new property tax rate" (June 29, 2026)