Open Meetings Archives - Page 25 of 28 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

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 [...]

17 May, 2014

Does private dinner between two governing bodies violate TN’s Sunshine Law?
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Does private dinner between two governing bodies violate TN’s Sunshine Law?

Open Meetings

Does private dinner between two governing bodies violate TN’s Sunshine Law?

By Deborah Fisher|2014-06-11T10:27:30-05:00May 17, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: Johnson City, Kingsport, Tennessee Open Meetings Act, WJHL|1 Comment

Kingsport and Johnson City boards plan secret dinner to get to know each other, but may discuss annexations, economic development and even a regional park. Investigative reporter Nate Morabito with WJHL in Johnson City pressed government officials in a May 16 story about a private dinner meeting planned between the entire Johnson City Commission and the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Alderman. Does it violate the Sunshine Law, which says all meetings of governing bodies should be open to the public? Morabito digs into that question and quotes Tennessee Coalition for Open Government pointing out how difficult it would be to have an entire city commission together and control discussion of public business [...]

14 Apr, 2014

Charter schools win teleconferencing exception to open meetings

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T07:53:12-05:00April 14, 2014|Categories: Legislature, Open Meetings, schools|Tags: charter schools, teleconferencing, Tennessee Open Meetings Act|0 Comments

Charter schools are getting a special carve out in this legislative session with a teleconferencing exception to open meetings law that allows their board members to meet via teleconference, videoconference or other electronic means without having a physical quorum in one location. Charter schools that operate in Tennessee are subject to the state's sunshine laws, meaning their governing bodies must publish notice of upcoming meetings, hold open meetings in which the public can attend and follow all other requirements of the Open Meetings Act. But the new law would give charter school boards the extra ability to meet via teleconference, videoconference or other electronic means as long as they provide a physical [...]

9 Apr, 2014

Commercial Appeal reports possible open meetings violations by a charter school
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Commercial Appeal reports possible open meetings violations by a charter school

adequate public notice, school boards

Commercial Appeal reports possible open meetings violations by a charter school

By Deborah Fisher|2019-09-11T16:17:10-05:00April 9, 2014|Categories: adequate public notice, school boards|Tags: charter school, Memphis, open meetings violation, Tennessee Open Meetings Act, The Commerical Appeal|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 [...]

14 Mar, 2014

Greene County school board chairman apologizes over TV camera ban

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T07:55:08-05:00March 14, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, school boards|Tags: Greene County, schools, Tennessee Open Meetings Act, tv camera ban, WJHL|1 Comment

The Greene County school board chairman apologized last night to "the board and to the public" over the TV camera ban from its public meeting last month, according to WJHL News Channel 11 and The Greeneville Sun. The board also proposed language that would change its camera policy. The policy allows the school board to prohibit cameras, including TV cameras, and is recommended by the Tennessee School Boards Association. However, an Tennessee Attorney General's opinion about banning cameras from public meetings says they should only be prohibited if they create a safety problem or disturb the orderly conduct of the meeting. Neither of those reasons was given to the WJHL [...]