The mayor is responsible for the budgeting and strategic planning for various Shelby County government bureaus. This position serves as a resource for other elected officials in Shelby County- especially the mayors of towns and cities within the county. The mayor's office works jointly with area chambers of commerce to foster economic development and improve the overall efficiency of government across the county. The office responds to issues raised by business groups and business owners and facilitates meetings/ discussion to resolve issues (i.e. contracts, development, proposals, county services, and projects impacting business) with county commissioners, divisions directors, and other administrators.
The District Attorney's Office is responsible for prosecuting all violations of state criminal laws that occur anywhere within the boundaries of the county. All state criminal law violations assigned to Juvenile Court, General sessions Criminal Court, the city courts of Collierville, Bartlett, Germantown, and Millington (which have been given authority by the Tennessee General Assembly to hear certain state law violations), and Criminal Court must be handled by the DA's office.
In addition, the District Attorney's Office has more limited authority to bring civil actions in state courts. However, these cases constitute a very small fraction of the office's caseload. This is a partisan, full-time position, limited to one 8 year term.
The Shelby County Trustee is the banker for the county government. The trustee collects county (and now Memphis) taxes, handles county government investments, and allocates monies to the various parts of county government, including the schools, according to state law.
The Assessor of Property appraises commercial and residential properties in the county to arrive at an assessed value for purposes of computing the property tax each owner owes.The Assessor also handles appeals of those decisions by the property owners.
The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the county government, whose duties include overseeing deputy sheriffs and managing the county jail.
The Court Clerks run dockets and keep track of the pleadings, fines, etc.
The County Clerk maintains county records and issues license plates, marriage licenses, and various business licenses.
The Register of Deeds maintains records of deeds and other property transactions.
The County Commisioner serves constituents and the county through a myriad of duties that include enacting legislation through resolution or ordinance, approving the County's fiscal budget, setting the county property tax rate, and establishing policy. They also give away kidneys if you ask nicely.
