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Shelby County commission backs budget-process changes after comptroller denial
Summary
Commissioners moved to require prior state comptroller review of draft budgets and asked finance to produce a clearer reconciliation from proposed to adopted budgets, following a year in which the comptroller did not approve the county's submission. Officials said improved templates and earlier state engagement should reduce rejections.
Shelby County commissioners on Tuesday advanced a resolution aimed at tightening how the county submits its annual budget to the Tennessee Comptroller's Office. The move follows a recent period in which the state refused to approve the county's budget, triggering public scrutiny and renewed calls for procedural reforms.
Alicia Lindsey, chief administrative officer for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, urged commissioners to require finance to produce an itemized reconciliation showing how the commission's proposed budget translates into the adopted budget. Citing a prior year in which the sheriff's salary line later rose by $11 million, Lindsey said transparency on changes would help elected officials and the public know what was actually adopted.
Daniel Schonbaum, deputy director for administration and finance, told the committee his office has been in continuous contact with the state and that the new resolution would require the administration to submit a draft of the budget to the state for a form review before final submission. “That is kind of from our perspective what we can do,” he told commissioners, adding that early state feedback could have identified technical deficiencies the comptroller later flagged.
Commissioners discussed questions raised by the comptroller's letter, including the absence or inconsistency of component-unit schedules and line-item detail for the county's component units. Shelby County Schools officials told the commission they had not previously received a template for the county's required line-item submission but said they could format their materials moving forward.
The committee advanced the budget-process resolution with a favorable recommendation. Supporters said the rule is designed to produce a clearer, auditable trail from what the commission votes on to what the state receives and approves.
What happens next: The resolution moves to the full commission for final consideration; commissioners also requested written follow-up from finance and the comptroller's office, including the corrective-action steps the administration has already submitted.
