Open Meetings Archives - Page 20 of 28 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

8 Jan, 2015

Chattanooga lawmakers to seek AG opinion on hospital’s possible Open Meetings law violation

By Deborah Fisher|2019-09-11T18:53:08-05:00January 8, 2015|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: AG opinion, Chattanooga, Erlanger Health Systems, hospital board, open meetings violation, State Rep. JoAnne Favors, State Rep. Mike Carter, State Sen. Bo Watson, State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, Times Free Press|0 Comments

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported in a story that Chattanooga state lawmakers plan to seek an opinion from the Tennessee Attorney General on whether a local publicly funded hospital violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act when it met privately and discussed bonuses for management staff. And the answer on the hospital's possible Open Meetings law violation could determine whether they file legislation to remove a special exemption for public hospital boards to meet in closed meetings in certain situations. (See bottom of blog post for an excerpt of the current law on this.) The Times Free Press story, reported by Kate Belz, is reprinted here, with permission from the [...]

30 Dec, 2014

Hamilton County commissioners use phones to have secret conversations during public meetings

By Deborah Fisher|2014-12-30T09:26:07-06:00December 30, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: Chattanooga, Hamilton County Commission, open meetings violation, Times Free Press|1 Comment

Photo by John Rawlston, Times Free Press The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported over the holidays an interesting story about Hamilton County commissioners, some of whom call each other using the phones on the dais to have secret conversations during public meetings. News reporter Louie Brogdon, who covers the county commission, reported that the phone calls between county commissioners occur about once or twice a meeting. Brogdon called Tennessee Coalition for Open Government for comment, and frankly I was surprised at what he described. I hear many complaints about members of governing bodies having secret conversations about matters before the body, but most often this is not during [...]

16 Dec, 2014

Chattanooga Times Free Press reports hospital board’s possible Sunshine Law violations

By Deborah Fisher|2014-12-16T12:48:37-06:00December 16, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: Erlanger Health Systems, hospital board, open meetings violation, State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, Times Free Press|0 Comments

The Chattanooga Times Free Press has reported several stories about a local hospital board's possible Sunshine Law violations related to deliberations to award $1.7 million in executive bonuses. The hospital board's actions have drawn criticism from state Sen. Todd Gardenhire as well as some employees of the hospital whose benefits were slashed in cost-cutting moves this year. The Board of Trustees for Erlanger Health Systems says it needs to be able to meet privately or competitors could cherry-pick opportunities that the board discusses. At issue is whether Erlanger's board misused an exemption in the state law that allows hospital boards to discuss marketing or strategic plans in a private session. Under [...]

15 Dec, 2014

Johnson City Press’ Robert Houk: Sunshine Law requires officials to be seen and heard

By Deborah Fisher|2014-12-15T16:54:45-06:00December 15, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: audibility of public meeting, Eddie Overholt, Greene County, Greene County Industrial Development Board, Johnson City Press, open meetings violation, Robert Houk|1 Comment

The Johnson City Press Opinion Page Editor Robert Houk penned a strong column on the need for governing bodies to make sure citizens can hear their deliberations during a public meeting. He was writing in reference to a lawsuit in Greene County where citizens are suing the Industrial Development Board on allegations that it violated the Open Meetings Act when it held a meeting where parts of the deliberations were inaudible. When a citizen, Eddie Overholt, asked the board to speak up so people in the audience could hear, the county mayor who chaired the board ordered him out, and he was led away with his hands behind his back, arrested [...]

3 Dec, 2014

TCOG, SPJ-East TN: Arguments in Open Meetings case make a mockery of state’s Sunshine Law

By Deborah Fisher|2019-09-11T18:52:34-05:00December 3, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: audibility of public meeting, litigation, Open Meetings Act, SPJ-East Tennessee Professional Chapter, TCOG news|0 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 3, 2014 CONTACTS: Deborah Fisher, executive director, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, [email protected], (615) 602-4080; Michael T. Martinez, president of the East Tennessee Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, [email protected], (865) 314-5256 NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and the East Tennessee Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists have issued a joint statement of concern about efforts to interpret the Tennessee Open Meetings Act that could fundamentally reduce citizen access to public meetings. (See PDF of Press Release here). The Industrial Development Board of Greeneville and Greene County and the private company US Nitrogen contend in a lawsuit that the Tennessee Open [...]