MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert outlined short-term progress and long-term solutions Monday as offices reopened following closures to catch up on backlogs of car plates and tags.
ABC24 found lines formed early Monday morning at the clerk's downtown Memphis location.
Halbert told ABC24 staff that used customer location closures last week and another week in August to whittle down 8,500 outstanding car dealership plates and tags to less than 1,000.
Last week, the clerk said her office also mainly caught up on individual renewals.
Still, Halbert cautioned customers Monday that wait times in person will still be time consuming due to limited staff and hiring challenges.
"We are going to have lines because this is the first time we are getting these plates since 2006,” she told ABC24. “We are supposed to be getting them every eight years. We have not done that, but also, we have facility issues. We are in the same old facilities that outgrew our customer base a long time ago, so we are working on trying to change that as well."
Halbert said plans continue to eventually open several new larger Shelby County Clerk's office locations, including one on Riverdale Road that's set to open later this year.
The clerk said staff is adjusting at each location by dividing the lines between new registrations and existing car plate and tag renewals.
Halbert said she is also pushing for salary increases to recruit new staff and retain existing workers.