adequate public notice Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

17 Feb, 2016

Metro Nashville has no plans to shorten notice of zoning hearings

By Deborah Fisher|2016-02-17T10:24:31-06:00February 17, 2016|Categories: adequate public notice, Open Meetings|Tags: Davidson County, Metro Nashville Law Director Jon Cooper, Nashville, public hearings, public notice|0 Comments

Metro's law director Jon Cooper said this morning that Davidson County has no plans to shorten the amount of public notice it gives to citizens of public hearings on proposed zoning changes. Metro's own zoning regulations call for 21 days advance notice of zoning hearings, which Cooper says the city has been following for more than 20 years. These local regulations exceed the 15 days required by state law on all other counties in the state. This week, a House committee voted to change a statute established years ago that carved Davidson County out from all other counties, requiring it to give a 30-day notice. The rest of the 94 [...]

11 Feb, 2016

Bill shortens public notice for zoning changes in Nashville

By Deborah Fisher|2016-02-11T08:22:48-06:00February 11, 2016|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: Davidson County, Nashville, public hearings, public notice, State Rep. Darren Jernigan, State Sen. Ferrell Haile|0 Comments

A bill that would shorten the amount of time of public notice for public hearings on zoning changes in Metropolitan Nashville passed unanimously in a key Senate committee and a House subcommittee this week. The bill, S.B. 1809 / H.B. 1848, would change the law that requires Davidson County to provide 30 days public notice prior to a public hearing on an amendment to a county zoning ordinance. It reduces that time to 15 days. Davidson County is the only county in the state required by law to give a 30-day notice, a point made by Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin, the bill’s Senate sponsor. “I would classify this as a cleanup [...]

31 Jul, 2014

Cumberland County improves meeting notices

By Deborah Fisher|2014-07-31T07:47:04-05:00July 31, 2014|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: agenda packets, Crossville Chronicle, Cumberland County, public notice|0 Comments

One of the most common complaints I get from citizens in towns across Tennessee is that their public officials do not give them adequate notice of upcoming public meetings. It always surprises me to see this problem: County commissioners, utility boards or school boards who post a time and place for their meetings on a bulletin board in a government building, maybe on their website, maybe in their local newspaper, but probably without an agenda, and most often without the agenda packet that contains all the background. How can we expect citizens to be interested in our government if we treat them like they have no interest? It's at the [...]

3 Jun, 2014

Elizabethton Star: School system may have violated Open Meetings Act

By Deborah Fisher|2019-09-11T18:48:24-05:00June 3, 2014|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: Carter County, Elizabethton Star, open meetings violation|0 Comments

The Elizabethton Star reported today that the Carter County Board of Education may have violated the state's Sunshine Law by not giving adequate notice of a special called meeting where it decided to sue the city of Elizabethton. The director of schools told the newspaper that it did not advertise the meeting, but posted it at its office and notified a news reporter. The reporter said she received no communication from the school district. But Rick Hollow, attorney for the Tennessee Press Association, said even if she had, the actions by the school board still would not have constituted adequate public notice.

29 May, 2014

News-Sentinel: Adequate public notice of meeting at issue in Loudon County

By Deborah Fisher|2014-05-29T14:19:07-05:00May 29, 2014|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: Knoxville News Sentinel, Loudon County, public notice|0 Comments

The Office of Open Records Counsel told Louden County it appears to have violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act when it held a budget committee meeting earlier this month without giving adequate public notice. A local activist filed the complaint with the office, triggering the review and a letter to the county. Here is a copy of the Knoxville News-Sentinel story, reprinted with permission: By Hugh G. Willett Wednesday, May 28, 2014 LOUDON — A meeting of the Loudon County salary and budget committee earlier this month may have been held in violation of the state open meetings law, according to the state comptroller’s office. During the meeting, which was [...]