A bill that proposed allowing county legislative bodies to satisfy the public notice laws by posting notice of public meetings on a "social media platform" was amended this week in a House subcommittee to remove the mention of social media platforms.
In the last redistricting a decade ago, citizens in Tennessee had about one week to review proposed new legislative maps before they were adopted. That's not enough time. The maps should be made available earlier so that citizens can review them and offer feedback before they are a done deal. [...]
The Knox County Commission is proposing an ordinance that would create a new central repository on its website for all public and legal notices required by law, with the idea that it might be able to eliminate the expense of buying ads in local newspapers to publicize items like upcoming meetings, tax-delinquent sales and government bid opportunities. [...]
Artist rendering of planned soccer stadium in Nashville. A Nashville judge said the Nashville sports authority board violated the Open Meetings Act when it did not provide adequate notice of the meeting in which it approved a $192 million construction management project for the stadium. A Davidson County chancellor ruled that Nashville government violated the Open Meetings Act in 2018 by failing to provide adequate notice of a Metro Sports Authority board meeting in which a $192 million construction contract was signed for a soccer stadium. Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle in her June 25 order ruled the action taken in approving the contract with Mortenson/Messer Construction Company is void and [...]
When I talk with citizen groups in Tennessee about open government, people tell me they want more information about what their government is doing, not less. An informed citizenry results in better and more accountable government. But in plain language, people just want to know what’s going on, particularly when it affects their lives directly. How do people get informed? How does information about what government is doing flow to the public? And in this day and age, what methods are reliable, trustworthy and accurate? One reliable way is through the public notice laws. Government entities in Tennessee are required by law to publish public notices in local newspapers about [...]
