A federal district judge is scheduled to hold a bench trial in Nashville late this summer to decide if a ban on livestreaming meetings of the Montgomery County Commission violates the First Amendment. His decision could turn on whether the ban is narrowly tailored enough to address the government’s concern about security of commission chambers.
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. [...]
This month, local governing bodies across the state resumed in-person meetings after 58 weeks under a governor's executive order allowing electronic meetings. The order, which had lifted requirements of state law so that governing bodies could meet electronically due to COVID-19, expired on April 28 without renewal by Gov. Bill Lee. In a spot check of governing bodies, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government found that some resumed physical meetings just as before the pandemic. Others resumed physical meetings but continued citizen-friendly measures that they were not doing before the pandemic — such as livestreaming more meetings and posting the video to YouTube. Some resumed meeting in their regular meeting rooms [...]
Although lawmakers introduced several bills in the Tennessee Legislature this year to expand the ability of governing bodies to conduct electronic meetings without members having to be there in person, none passed. Of the nine bills tracked by TCOG, six failed or stalled. The other three were modified to keep the status quo on electronic participation and not expand it. The Open Meetings Act already allows members of state boards to participate in meetings electronically under certain conditions and rules. These rules are found in Section 108 of the Open Meetings Act. Members of school boards are also allowed to participate in meetings electronically within certain limits. Bill would have [...]