Shelby County Residents Will Vote on Charter Amendment in 2026 - Articles

All Content

Shelby County Residents Will Vote on Charter Amendment in 2026

Posted by: Julia Wilburn on May 14, 2025

Shelby County voters in 2026 will decide whether to amend the county's charter to change conflict-of-interest language. The Commercial Appeal reports that the ordinance, passed last week by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, came about after the indictment of Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. for bribery and tax evasion related to a kickback scheme involving county grants. The current county charter states that no officer or employee of Shelby County, elected or appointed, shall "in any manner whatsoever be interested in or receive any benefit from the profits of or emoluments," as it relates to contracts, jobs or work of the county. The change would make the language more specific, stating in part that no county employee or officer shall "have a direct or indirect interest in any outside contract, job, work or service for the county unless otherwise permitted by applicable state law." It also specifically states no officer or employee of the county may accept any service or item of substantial financial value from any person having dealings with the county.