Suburbs

Most of us are aware that there are plenty of problems with Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert’s office, both from publicity and in observations by friends.

The clerk seems to have real problems keeping things from becoming controversial. Or paying bills on spots where her satellite offices are located. Such as the issues several years ago that led to the closing of the clerk’s office at Poplar Plaza.

The latest problem to emerge is the money “owed” to the City of Millington for the space Halbert uses in the North Shelby County suburb. Millington folks say the clerk – who most of us know from controversies and our annual auto tag renewals – owes the city more than $30,000 for rent on the space at 4836 Navy Road.

Halbert says – Uh-uh.

Do not.

Not me.

Not my fault.

What lease?

Halbert says she hasn’t signed anything that allows Millington to send her a bill. So, she owes Millington nothing.

That should come as no surprise to people who have followed the ongoing issues that have accompanied Halbert’s leadership in the clerk’s office. Halbert vacated Poplar Plaza in November 2023 when the clerk fell behind on rent payments and eventually vacated the premises. In breaking down the problems regarding such matters, county Mayor Lee Harris said on a January 2024 broadcast of “Behind the Headlines” that “I don’t think she signs anything.”

“I think that holds up everything — no lease renewals, no accounting forms — nothing,” Harris said.

Sound familiar? Isn’t that similar to the Millington situation?

Let me say this before going any further. Recently, I renewed my tags online. The new sticker arrived in the mail about 10 days later. So early in fact, that I was able to apply it in September, a month before last year’s actually expired. Very efficient.

Also, a colleague said she went to the Downtown office on Washington Avenue, and the employees were pleasant and helpful. That was in contrast to an earlier trip to the Mullins Station office, where guards directing citizens were surly and condescending.

So, things are not all bad when dealing with the clerk. But apparently, she doesn’t think she has to pay rent for using space belonging to another entity.

Millington is basing its claim on the county Board of Commissioners unanimously approving a new lease for a 1,600-square-foot office at $1,600 per month, retroactive to January 2023.

Halbert says she wasn’t a party to that agreement. Her office was not involved in the negotiations. Therefore, she doesn’t think she is required to cover the rent, which, according to Halbert, has never been paid in Millington.

“I never signed (a lease), and I’m not going to sign one because whoever did it, they did it without (the clerk’s office) being at the table,” Halbert told reporter Michael Waddell recently.

That stance comes across as a bit weird, doesn’t it? You use space owned by a city. You run your office out of the 1,600-square-foot room, but you don’t have to pay anything for occupying the spot? Just set up squatter’s rights and act like you are doing Millington a favor by your presence in their little city. Never mind that the city is repairing problems like electronic doors and cleaning up the parking lot.

I suppose regarding Millington, Halbert could say it should be a cooperative effort of governments, and, therefore, the suburb should be delighted to provide the clerk with free office space. That it is an honor to work with the clerk and have the her office in Millington. Such a benefit that Millington should want to provide everything for her at no charge. (Where is that sarcasm font button?)

“Clerk Halbert is aware of the lease. I’ve shared the lease with her,” Millington City Manager Frankie Dakin told Waddell. “This is generally a farce. I think she’s a master of distraction, and she’s going to try to distract with perceived paperwork issues and all the rest.”

As was previously noted, Millington is the only suburb with a satellite office. There are none along the Poplar corridor from Danny Thomas Boulevard to the county line east of Collierville.

So if the controversy continues over Millington, Halbert might just vacate that office too. Meaning one less location for the clerk to provide to her constituents.

And one less location for her to argue over rent. - Suburbs editor Clay Bailey

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