MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A soft opening was held Tuesday, June 6, 2023, for the Riverdale location of the Shelby County Clerk's Office.
Tuesday through Friday, June 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,Clerk Wanda Halbert said a small number of employees will be manning the location.
In an email sent Friday evening, Halbert claimed the opening will be a "soft launch" since Shelby County told her she can't have a full staffing of 15 people until all open positions are filled.
Halbert said in an update Monday the office would provide only new and renewed motor vehicle services during the soft opening.
The office was first promised to be opened this past Halloween, then again on Dec. 1.
Earlier this year, the Shelby County Commission appointed a special advisor to improve Halbert's office following months of complaints from the public as well as commissioners regarding delays and mismanagement in the office.
Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright went so far as to post a letter to his social media in March calling for the county clerk to resign "for the good of Shelby County and all of its citizens."
Wright said newly released information calls into question the continued visibility of multiple offices maintained by the Clerk's Office, referencing an open letter from Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris to Halbert demanding she move her office on Poplar Plaza due to poor conditions.
"In the face of these missed deadlines, as well as office closures, delays, long lines, mailing problems, accounting difficulties, communication gaps, intra-government disputes and a growing list of unresolved complaints, the citizens have lost faith in our ability to provide basic services," Wright said. "It's time for new leadership in the Clerk's office."
Halbert was contacted for comment at the time but did not respond.