Greene County Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

17 Sep, 2017

Two counties fail to give adequate public notice of meetings; changes needed

By Deborah Fisher|2017-09-17T18:20:32-05:00September 17, 2017|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: Greene County, Linda Noe, Loudon County, public notice, Richard Truitt, US Nitrogen|0 Comments

In recent weeks, governing bodies in two counties in East Tennessee failed to adequately notify the public of meetings in which they were taking up issues of high public interest. The lack of adequate public notice of meetings is a violation of the Open Meetings Act. The failure of local government entities to follow the law suggests either an irresponsible lack of understanding of the law or a willful flouting of it in an effort to exclude the public from knowing about government business. Both are egregious. The first example was in Loudon County when members of the Loudon County Board of Education were called to a special meeting on [...]

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 [...]

22 Nov, 2014

Greene County IDB argues citizens don’t have a right to hear deliberations at public meetings

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T07:36:53-05:00November 22, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: Alan Broyles, audibility of public meeting, Eddie Overholt, Greene County, Greene County Industrial Development Board, litigation, open meetings violation, US Nitrogen|0 Comments

The County Industrial Development Board of Greeneville and Greene County is arguing in a lawsuit that the Open Meetings Act does not require that citizens be able to hear deliberations of a governing body at public meetings, only that they be given the opportunity to be present. The arguments are found in filings to try to dismiss a complaint made by 47 people, many who live or own property along the Nolichucky River, who say that the Industrial Development Board violated the law when it held a July 18 meeting, but “purposefully or negligently prevented (citizens in attendance) from hearing deliberations…” The citizens note that board members “conducted deliberations while sitting [...]

6 Nov, 2014

Group asks court to stop construction on US Nitrogen pipeline based on Open Meetings violation

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T07:37:25-05:00November 6, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: Austin Powder Co., Greene County, industrial development board, Johnson City Press, open meetings violation, US Nitrogen|0 Comments

The Johnson City Press reports that a group of residents have asked for an injunction to halt construction of a water pipeline, saying a key approval to build it took place in violation of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act. The pipeline would allow water to be drawn from the Nolichucky River and transported to a chemical plant in Greene County that is slated to make liquid ammonium nitrate, a component in industrial explosives. The water then would be treated and discharged back into the river. The plant has been controversial and various residents have filed separate lawsuits trying to stop it. The lawsuits have a common theme, saying key government processes [...]

17 Sep, 2014

Lawsuit alleges Open Meetings violation in Greene County

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T07:39:23-05:00September 17, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: Greene County, industrial development board, open meetings violation, Save the Nolichucky|0 Comments

A second lawsuit alleging an open meetings violation in Greene County in relation to an industrial plant under construction there has been filed by citizens associated with the group, Save the Nolichucky. The lawsuit against the Industrial Development Board of Greeneville and U.S. Nitrogen, LLC, claims both acted improperly and illegally in the approval processes needed for building the plant, which plans to make ammonium nitrate used in industrial explosives. The lawsuit specifically alleges that the industrial development board violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act at a July 18 meeting when "numerous citizens in attendance were purposefully or negligently prevented from hearing the deliberations of the IDB." The citizens seek [...]

12 Next