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Shelby County budget dispute draws testimony; committee rolls bill to next week after tense exchange
Summary
Representative Gillespie's bill to prevent county executives from withholding funds approved for Shelby County charter officers prompted extended testimony from the Shelby County sheriff's office and a dispute among lawmakers. The committee voted to roll House Bill 306 to next week's calendar (20-0-1).
Representative Gillespie introduced House Bill 306, which sponsors described as "budget integrity" legislation for Shelby County charter offices. The bill would restrict the Shelby County mayor and mayor's administration from withholding or diverting funds once the county commission approves an office's budget.
Gillespie said the measure was meant to "restore the financial stability and accountability to the offices of the sheriff, trustee, register of deeds, county clerk, and property assessor in Shelby County" and said the practice of withholding approved funds had harmed public safety and operations.
Alicia Lindsey, chief administrative officer for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, testified for three minutes and described the office's experience during last year's budget season. Lindsey said the sheriff's office received an adopted budget but when it was loaded into the county financial system the office was short millions of dollars. "Our net budget...we were short $12,000,000. So, from fiscal year 20 28 to fiscal year 20 25, the mayor's administration has what is called a salary restriction that restricts our personnel budget. So it grew from 14,000,000 in 2018 to 48,800,000.0 in 2025," Lindsey said.
Representative Leatherwood expressed concerns that the bill would remove important checks and balances in Shelby County's budget process, noting the change would limit the executive branch's role and restrict the legislative body's ability to make discretionary adjustments. Other members urged local officials to work through the Shelby County delegation and county processes.
After extended questioning and testimony, Representative Martin moved to roll the bill one week to allow additional local stakeholders to participate. The clerk announced the vote on that motion: "Mister chair, you have 20 ayes, 0 nay, 1 present not voting." The chair declared that House Bill 306 will be rolled to next week's calendar.
Members disagreed publicly about whether the measure centralized or loosened local accountability. The committee did not adopt any amendments before voting to delay further action by one week.
