agendas Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

17 Jan, 2019

Nashville housing board agrees to put more information on meeting agendas

By Deborah Fisher|2023-04-11T10:58:09-05:00January 17, 2019|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: agendas, MDHA|0 Comments

Updated Friday, 4:30 p.m. Nashville Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency told a Metro Council committee this week that it will improve what it shares with the public on its meeting agendas, and the board members will now file annual ethics and disclosure forms, according to The Tennessean. The Tennessean had earlier reported how the board awards millions of dollars to developers, but operates with little oversight or transparency. For example, while the board posts its meeting agendas online, the agendas are bare-bones with few clues as to what actually might be discussed. The public doesn't much chance in guessing what an agenda item might mean. See an example here from [...]

20 Nov, 2017

Would your school board vote on a capital plan without public notice?

By Deborah Fisher|2023-04-11T10:59:34-05:00November 20, 2017|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: adequate public notice, agendas, Chattanooga, Elisha Hodge, Hamilton County Board of Education, Hamilton County superintendent Bryan Johnson, Memphis Publishing Co. v. City of Memphis, Office of Open Records Counsel, school boards, Souder v. Health Partners|0 Comments

If there’s one type of governing body that generates the most open meetings questions to my help line, it’s school boards. So let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a school board member for a moment and consider the following scenario. I hope it will provide you some ideas the next time you ask a school board candidate where he or she stands on government transparency. Instead of allowing the stock answer, “I’m pro-transparency,” how would your potential school board member react in this situation? Four months ago, the school board hires a new superintendent. He immediately faces a list of overdue capital improvement projects. Some schools need extensive repair [...]

14 Jul, 2017

New museum director says it will start providing meeting agendas to reporters

By Deborah Fisher|2023-04-11T10:58:20-05:00July 14, 2017|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: agenda packets, agendas, Ashley Howell, Nashville Scene, Tennessee State Museum|0 Comments

The new executive director of the Tennessee State Museum said on Friday that it will start proactively providing to media members copies of meeting agendas and agenda packets after an incident on Monday in which a Nashville Scene reporter covering a museum commission meeting was prevented from seeing such materials. Tennessee State Museum Director Ashley Howell “In the future, the Tennessee State Museum will proactively provide all members of the media copies of agendas and accompanying materials for each Commission meeting in keeping with the practice of most state agencies," said executive director Ashley Howell in a statement and through a phone call. "The museum’s management values transparency, [...]

28 Jan, 2014

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

By Deborah Fisher|2014-09-12T15:02:15-05:00January 28, 2014|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: agendas, spring hill, Tennessee Open Meetings Act|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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