adequate public notice

9 Apr, 2014

Commercial Appeal reports possible open meetings violations by a charter school

By |2019-09-11T16:17:10-05:00April 9, 2014|Categories: adequate public notice, school boards|Tags: , , , , |1 Comment

The Commercial Appeal reports today on possible open meetings violations by a charter school, the Memphis Academy of Health Sciences. The potential violations came during two meetings, one in which the charter school board voted to make board chairman Derrick Joyce the interim executive director. Board member Dionysia Smith-Richardson told The Commercial Appeal that there was not public notice of the two board meetings in January, including one called as a special emergency board meeting, and they were not held in compliance with the Tennessee Open Meetings Act. Public charter schools by law are subject to the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, which requires adequate public notice of meetings. Smith-Richardson also [...]

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27 Feb, 2014

Bills affecting sunshine law, public notice headed to committee

By |2014-04-09T16:44:51-05:00February 27, 2014|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: , , |0 Comments

A legislative proposal that would exempt from Tennessee's sunshine law any meeting regarding school safety plans is headed for a state Senate committee and House subcommittee next week. Also on the calendar next week is a bill that would require a newspaper to be designated by a local legislative body, such as a county commission or city council, as "a newspaper of general circulation" before that newspaper could be used to publish certain notices required by statute. One bill would alter the state's sunshine laws, and the other creates a new definition of "a newspaper of general circulation" as it relates to meeting standards for certain public notices. The proposal to allow [...]

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28 Jan, 2014

Spring Hill resident plea: Keep voters informed; we’re stakeholders not adversaries

By |2014-09-12T15:02:15-05:00January 28, 2014|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: , , |0 Comments

NOTE: This post was updated on Feb. 3, 2014 to reflect the Maury County Commission agendas are posted online on the Thursday before the Monday meeting. Not all of the committee meeting agendas are similarly required to be posted in advance of meetings. Following is an excerpt from a request by Spring Hill resident and community activist Mike Bennett, published in The Daily Herald in Columbia. He wants his local government to, among other things, let citizens see meeting agendas before public meetings.  Here's the excerpt, well-put, by Mr. Bennett: "Like almost everyone, my New Year Resolutions have come and gone over the years.  But New Year Resolutions need not apply [...]

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21 Dec, 2013

Naughty open government deeds in Bradley County

By |2019-09-11T16:12:33-05:00December 21, 2013|Categories: adequate public notice, Open Meetings|Tags: , , |0 Comments

By Deborah Fisher, Executive Director of Tennessee Coalition for Open Government Just a few days before Christmas, we open government advocates must sadly add a name to the naughty list. Over in Bradley County, public officials have been trying to settle who will take care of the animal control services after a longstanding agreement with the city of Cleveland fell apart over the county’s portion of the animal shelter budget. The county got proposals from two nonprofits at prices a far bit apart: $80,000 and $240,000 annually. The commission had created an ad hoc animal control committee, chaired by Commissioner Charlotte Peak-Jones.  She decided to call a meeting of the [...]

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