Each year the Greater Memphis Chamber sets out the Metro Advocacy Agenda, a list of positions and priorities from local business leaders and stakeholders.
This year’s agenda seeks to clean up the disorganized Shelby County Clerk’s Office (for more than just delays in license plates); expand the hiring of ex-offenders; improve relationships with Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW); clean up the city; organize leadership on transportation planning; and more. Here are some details from this year’s Metro Advocacy Agenda.
Shelby County Clerk’s Office
Ongoing news reports during the spring and summer of 2022 have focused on delays and historic backlogs in the Shelby County Court Clerk’s Office with respect to the issuance of vehicle tags and licenses. These reports have highlighted the months-long delays in mailing out tags and licenses to clients who have already paid for the service. Car dealers have been especially impacted, given how temporary car tags issued with newly-purchased vehicles are not being replaced by new car tags sent to them from the county clerk’s office.
Additionally, clients waiting for hours to be served at the Downtown and satellite offices for the county clerk, many times in scorching summer heat, has been especially concerning when considering how strategies to assign appointment times, extend business hours, and leverage simple technology were not instituted to avoid months of excessive wait times.
With the high-profile attention on the challenges receiving car tags, interviews conducted in preparing the Metro Advocacy Agenda also revealed other problems in the processes and function of the Shelby County Clerk’s office. These items include:
• Substantial delays in the issuance of business licenses
• No updates in system with respect to business transfers
• Inactivity of the Shelby County Alcohol Commission resulting in businesses not being able to obtain alcohol licenses or to clear alcohol-related violations
• Backlog of refunds for overpayment
In an extraordinary move following the August 2022 Shelby County general election, in which the incumbent county clerk was reelected, the Shelby County Commission voted to officially request the intervention of the state of Tennessee into the operations of the Shelby County Clerk’s Office. This action punctuated previous requests for state intervention from the Greater Memphis Automobile Dealers Association and other concerned officials from West Tennessee.
On-ramps for ex-offenders
Ex-offenders (individuals who have been previously convicted of a crime) have traditionally been difficult to place in employment due to policies, liabilities, and [human resources] practices governing many businesses.
What has become apparent in recent years is that the perception of ex-offenders as a un-hirable undercuts a valuable opportunity to employ certain members of this population. As industries and businesses of every size have struggled mightily with securing dependable, qualified employees during the Covid-19 pandemic, the training and hiring of select groups of ex-offenders has resurfaced as a viable workforce strategy for certain organizations.
To this end, interested businesses could benefit from programs that help to train and prepare ex-offenders who meet certain criteria for job opportunities. Such programs, with eligibility requirements and training shaped by employers, are fitting on-ramps for businesses seeking to shore up their workforce.
MLGW
A recurring theme for a number of businesses and industry sectors has been the communication, inconsistency, and delays they have faced in having operational issues and challenges addressed and tracked by MLGW.
In response to concerns from investors, MLGW president J.T. Young suggested the formation of the MLGW Business Advisory Council to bring business and industry leaders together with key members of MLGW’s staff to discuss systemic issues and potential remedies.
After a number of delays due to weather events and efforts to ensure overall diversity of the council, an inaugural meeting for the MLGW Business Advisory Council will convene in September 2022.
Cleanup
In addition to an overall communitywide commitment to regaining our status as the Cleanest City in America, code enforcement, cleanup, landscaping, and overall beautification projects should be prioritized along major thoroughfares and around significant landmarks and tourist destinations in support of economic development.
Visit the Chamber’s website for the full list and more details.