Helen Burns Sharp Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

7 Aug, 2015

New accounting standard to require governments to disclose cost of tax breaks

By Deborah Fisher|2020-11-19T12:24:13-06:00August 7, 2015|Categories: economic development|Tags: Chattanooga, economic development, economic development records, Helen Burns Sharp, Memphis, PILOTS, Shelby County|0 Comments

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board approved a new rule on Monday that requires governments to include in financial statements the value of tax abatements given to companies to spur economic development starting next year. "The results of external research ... suggest that tax abatements are an issue of concern among citizen groups, county board members, and municipal bond analysts, and that each group desires to receive information about the level of abatement activity and the results of the abatement programs," according to GASB. "However, the researchers found relatively few states (six) with statutes requiring any level of external reporting after tax abatements are granted. These findings indicate that there is an important information need that [...]

8 Jan, 2015

TCOG elects Chattanooga citizen Helen Burns Sharp to its Board of Directors

By Deborah Fisher|2015-01-08T09:11:54-06:00January 8, 2015|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Helen Burns Sharp, TCOG board, TCOG news|0 Comments

The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government recently elected to its Board of Directors Helen Burns Sharp, a public interest advocate in Chattanooga who has advanced awareness of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act and the rights of citizens to transparency in government. TCOG's Board of Directors recently elected Helen Burns Sharp to a seat on its board. Sharp is a community development consultant and a retired urban planning director who has been involved in two public interest lawsuits against the Chattanooga Industrial Development Board over violations of the state’s sunshine laws. She holds a master’s degree in government from the University of Texas, and a political science degree from [...]

27 Oct, 2014

Chattanooga contests paying $74,427 in legal fees after losing Sunshine Law case

By Deborah Fisher|2018-11-16T15:10:48-06:00October 27, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: attorneys' fees, Chattanooga, Helen Burns Sharp, industrial development board, John Konvalinka, open meetings violation|0 Comments

The city of Chattanooga is contesting legal fees awarded to a citizen who sued and won over a violation of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, Chattanoogan.com reported Sunday. Helen Burns Sharp, who sued the city's Industrial Development Board over a Sunshine Law violation and won. She also got her legal fees awarded. Helen Burns Sharp brought the lawsuit after the city's Industrial Development Board awarded a tax-increment financing deal worth $9 million to a private developer building a golf course community one on of the moutains surrounding the city. A judge agreed with her that the IDB made the decision in secret in violation of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, [...]

22 Sep, 2014

Citizen wins attorneys fees in Chattanooga Open Meetings case

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T07:39:03-05:00September 22, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: attorneys' fees, Chattanooga, Grant Konvalinka & Harrison, Helen Burns Sharp, industrial development board, John Konvalinka, open meetings violation, Pamela Fleenor|1 Comment

Chancellor Pamela Fleenor on Friday issued an order awarding attorney fees, expenses and other costs to citizen Helen Burns Sharp who sued the city of Chattanooga's industrial development board over a Sunshine Law violation. Hamilton County Chancellor Pamela Fleenor The order in the Chattanooga Open Meetings case means the industrial development board could pay a large chunk of Sharp's legal bills, which have grown to roughly $89,000 with a second lawsuit filed earlier this month. Sharp won her initial case in July when Hamilton County Chancellor Frank Brown ruled that the industrial development board violated the Open Meetings Act by deciding to finalize tax-increment financing to a developer [...]

15 Sep, 2014

Chattanooga citizen files second open government lawsuit over economic development

By Deborah Fisher|2019-09-11T18:50:52-05:00September 15, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: Chattanooga, economic development records, Grant Konvalinka & Harrison, Helen Burns Sharp, IDB, open meetings violation|0 Comments

Chattanooga citizen Helen Burns Sharp has filed a second lawsuit against Chattanooga's industrial development board, alleging more violations of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act and the Tennessee Public Records Act, among other state laws. (See Chattanooga Times Free Press story here.) Helen Burns Sharp Sharp won a lawsuit earlier this summer when a judge ruled that the Industrial Development Board (IDB) of Chattanooga violated the Sunshine Law when it approved tax-increment financing for a golf course community based on deliberations that took place outside of a public meeting. (See Chancellor Frank Brown's ruling). Sharp has tried to draw attention to the IDB's actions, saying they are making key [...]