Memphis City Council Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

Local government boards resume in-person meetings but they don’t necessarily look like before

By Deborah Fisher|2021-05-14T17:41:05-05:00May 14, 2021|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: Bristol City Council, COVID-19, electronic meetings, mask requirement, meeting minutes, meeting videotape, Memphis City Council, Morristown City Council, public seating|0 Comments

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 [...]

Residents file open meetings lawsuit against Memphis City Council over parking vote

The Commercial Appeal reports today that two residents have filed an open meetings lawsuit against the Memphis City Council, alleging that a vote on a resolution that allowed Memphis Zoo overflow parking in Overton Park was orchestrated in advance through deliberations outside the public eye. See Commerical Appeal story: Lawsuit alleges Memphis City Council violated Open Meetings Act regarding March 1 greensward vote Bryce Ashby, attorney for the plaintiffs, told the Commercial Appeal: “It’s important to understand that this lawsuit, while involving Overton Park, is about a bigger issue. This is about transparency in government and the right of the public to have notice of the actions that are to be taken by [...]