Shelby County Board of Commissioners: Duties, Terms, and Meetings

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners is the legislative branch of Shelby County, Tennessee. Its 13 members, elected from single-member districts to four-year terms, pass county ordinances, set the annual property tax rate, approve the county budget, and confirm the mayor’s appointments to boards, agencies, and top administrative posts. The board meets at the Vasco A. Smith, Jr. County Administration Building at 160 North Main Street in downtown Memphis.

What the Commission Does

Tennessee law makes the county legislative body the core lawmaking unit for every county that isn’t part of a consolidated metropolitan government.¹ In Shelby County, the charter spells out what that means in practice: the commission adopts ordinances and resolutions, approves the county budget, fixes the annual property tax rate, and appropriates funds for all lawful purposes. Setting the tax rate is the board’s most consequential financial decision each year, because it drives most of the county’s revenue.²

Several other authorities sit with the commission as well. It can grant franchises by ordinance, though none can run longer than 30 years. No sale of county-owned land is valid without commission approval by resolution. The board authorizes borrowing and bond issues, sets competitive bidding and purchasing rules by ordinance, and is required to arrange an independent audit of all county accounts and financial transactions every year.²

The commission also acts as a check on the county mayor. Every nomination the mayor makes to a board, commission, agency, or authority requires approval by resolution of the board of commissioners. The same holds for the mayor’s picks for chief administrative officer, county attorney, public defender, and divorce referee. When the commission votes down a nominee, the mayor has to propose someone else.²

Most of the detailed work happens in committees rather than on the floor. The chairman, elected each year by a majority of the 13 members and serving from September 1 through August 31, assigns commissioners to standing committees covering areas like budget and finance, hospitals and health, law enforcement and courts, education, land use, and economic development.³⁴ Proposals typically go through the relevant committee before reaching the full board, so by the time an item comes up for a floor vote it has usually been vetted and revised.

Who Serves and for How Long

The charter allows the commission to be sized anywhere from 9 to 25 members. It currently operates with 13, each elected from a single geographic district drawn to reflect the county’s population. Districts can be redrawn by ordinance, but the charter blocks any change to district boundaries or the number of seats after January 1 of an election year.²

Commissioners serve four-year terms and are capped at two consecutive terms, as is the county mayor. After sitting out one cycle, a former commissioner can run again. A partial term served by someone appointed to fill a vacancy does not count against the two-term limit.²

Attending or Speaking at a Meeting

Full commission meetings take place on select Mondays at 3:00 PM, with committee meetings held on the Wednesday before each Monday session, generally starting at 8:30 AM. Both happen at the Vasco A. Smith, Jr. County Administration Building at 160 North Main Street in Memphis.⁵

Residents who want to speak must complete a sign-up card before the session begins. Comments are typically limited to two minutes per person and must relate to items on the agenda. Agendas are posted on the county’s official website several days in advance, so it’s worth checking them before deciding whether to attend.

Running for a Commission Seat

Candidates have to meet both state and county requirements. Tennessee law sets the baseline: at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, a Tennessee citizen, and a resident of the relevant district for the period required by law.⁶

The Shelby County Charter adds more. A candidate must be a registered voter in the district they want to represent on the date they file their nominating petition, and must have lived in the county for at least one year before the election. Sitting commissioners cannot hold any other compensated elected office at the local, county, state, or federal level; if a commissioner wins another elected position, they have to vacate the commission seat within 90 days.²

State law disqualifies anyone convicted of bribery or another offense classified as infamous unless their citizenship has been restored. A person convicted of an infamous crime committed in their official capacity is permanently barred from holding public office in Tennessee.⁶

Rules That Constrain Commissioners

Tennessee’s Open Meetings Act requires the commission to give adequate public notice before any meeting, whether regularly scheduled or special. Members can participate electronically, but a physical quorum has to be present at the noticed meeting location. If a physical quorum is not present, the body must formally determine that a necessity exists and record that determination in the minutes. When any member participates electronically, all votes must be taken by roll call, and the proceedings must be audible to the public at the meeting location.⁷

State conflict of interest law also puts hard limits on commissioners’ financial ties to county business. It is illegal for a public official who votes on or oversees county contracts to be directly interested in any of those contracts. “Directly interested” means personally holding the contract, being a sole proprietor or partner in the contracting business, or holding a controlling interest in it.⁸

Recusal alone does not solve the problem. Tennessee’s Attorney General has concluded that the law prohibits an officer from being directly interested in a contract regardless of whether they abstain from voting. Indirect interests are handled differently: an official with an indirect financial connection can participate as long as the interest is publicly disclosed. A commissioner found to have an illegal direct interest in a county contract forfeits all pay from that contract, is removed from office, and is barred from holding the same or a similar position for ten years.⁸

1
FindLaw. Tennessee Code Title 5 Counties 5-5-101 – County Legislative Body
2
Municode. Shelby County Charter Article II – Legislative Branch
3
Shelby County, TN – Official Website. Role of the County Commission
4
Shelby County, TN – Official Website. Standing Committees
5
Shelby County, TN – Official Website. Shelby County Board of Commissioners
6
Justia Law. Tennessee Code 8-18-101 – Eligibility to Hold Office
7
Tennessee Secretary of State. Tennessee Code Annotated 8-44 Open Meetings Law
8
UT County Technical Assistance Service. General Conflict of Interest Law