COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. - Collierville has a temporary town administrator. It still does not have a public explanation for why it needed one, or a published dollar figure for what the exit will cost.

Mayor Maureen Fraser selected Deputy Town Administrator Katrina Amos-Atkins to run the town's day-to-day operations while the administrator's job is vacant, the Daily Memphian reported, and the town announced the choice on Monday, September 21, 2026. Officials said they will search for a permanent replacement. The appointment came three days after the town announced on September 18 that it had "amicably parted ways" with Mehner, who had served as town administrator since November 2022.

The terms behind that three-word announcement are now on paper. Action News 5 obtained the mutual separation agreement, signed September 18, and reported on September 21 that it pays Mehner nine months of salary beginning eight days after signing, plus a lump sum for her accrued, unused vacation and personal leave. The agreement includes what the station called a strict mutual non-disparagement clause: Mehner may not criticize the town, and the town's elected officials and its employees at director level and above may not criticize her character, competence, or quality of service. Mehner also agreed to testify as a witness in future town legal proceedings without a subpoena, and the contract scripted the town's one-sentence announcement. Action News 5 did not report a dollar total, and the town has not published one.

The separation followed public criticism of the town's transparency, centered on its handling of Fire Chief John Selberg. Selberg was placed on administrative leave in August 2026 with the town citing only "a private matter," and he resigned about ten days later, according to Action News 5 (https://the901report.com/beats/shelby-county/collierville-fire-chief-selberg-resignation). The town has not said what the matter was. Action News 5 reported the Board of Mayor and Aldermen discussed Mehner's departure in executive session, where communication and transparency concerns over major town projects were raised; no public vote on the agreement has been reported.

Collierville is Shelby County's second-largest suburban municipality, and the town administrator runs its day-to-day government under the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. A temporary appointment from inside stabilizes operations. It does not answer why the town's elected officials signed away their right to discuss the departure.

Why It Matters for Memphis

Shelby County taxpayers outside Memphis fund Collierville's government, and the cost of an administrator's exit is a budget fact, not a personnel secret. Nine months of an administrator's salary plus a leave payout is a real number, and the town has not stated it. The town's two most senior operational officials left within roughly six weeks of each other with no stated reason, and a non-disparagement clause now limits what the elected officials who answer to voters can say about one of those exits. Suburban governments in Shelby County draw far less scrutiny than Memphis City Hall, which is exactly how separation terms become spending nobody explains.

The Oversight Question

What is the full dollar cost of Molly Mehner's separation, and who in Collierville government approved an agreement that keeps elected officials from talking about it? The town has filled the chair. It has not yet put a price on emptying it.

Your city. Your money. Your receipts.