Tennessee Open Meetings Act

5 Mar, 2014

Proposal to stream state agency meetings on Internet hampered by high cost

By |2014-05-07T02:44:07-05:00March 5, 2014|Categories: Legislature, Open Meetings|Tags: , , |1 Comment

By Deborah Fisher, Executive Director, TCOG A bill that would require state agency meetings to be streamed live over the Internet was approved unanimously by the Senate State and Local Government Committee yesterday and referred to the Finance, Ways and Means Committee. SB1734 would create a new chapter in the law known as the "Tennessee Streaming Video Act" and would apply to "any department, commission, board, office or other agency of the executive branch of state government." The bill passed after state Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, told the committee that he was working to amend it to bring the fiscal note down or remove it. The bill would apply to the public [...]

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5 Mar, 2014

Greene County update: Two board members say there was no vote to ban TV cameras

By |2014-04-09T17:14:08-05:00March 5, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

WJHL News Channel 11 has an update on the ban of TV cameras from Greene County school board meetings. Last week, the school board chairman turned away a TV reporter's video camera, with the schools director later saying it was long established policy to ban TV cameras from its meetings and it helped prevent a "sound-bite view" of proceedings. But the underlying policy is becoming a controversy. As written, it says school board members can decide whether to permit cameras or not. Two school board members now tell WJHL that there was never a vote to keep TV media cameras out. Also, Office of Open Records Counsel Elisha Hodge told [...]

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28 Feb, 2014

Greene County camera policy mirrors recommendation from TSBA

By |2017-01-06T15:27:24-06:00February 28, 2014|Categories: Attorney General Opinions, Open Meetings, school boards|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

The Greene County Board of Education's decision to ban TV cameras from its public meetings appears to be based on a recommended camera policy by the the Tennessee School Board Association. The school board association sets out best practices for its members. A recommended meeting policy contains the same language that is being reported as in the Greene County school board policy: "No one shall bring a camera, camcorder or other photographic equipment to Board meetings without the consent of the Board," reads TSBA's recommendation. The Greene County school board policy differs only that it starts "The press shall not bring..." The association insists its recommended language is not a "ban" [...]

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28 Feb, 2014

Greene County school board bans TV cameras to avoid “sound-bite view”

By |2015-08-18T07:56:19-05:00February 28, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, school boards|Tags: , , , , |1 Comment

(March 14 Update: The Greene County school board chairman apologized on March 13 for the TV camera ban. The board proposed language to change its policy to permit "cameras or any other recording devices" in its meetings, with a majority vote required to remove them only if they become a "hindrance or pose a threat to public safety." The new policy is to be voted on at the next Greene County school board meeting. To hear what board members said at the March 13 meeting, click here.) Previously published: The Greene County School Board last night banned a TV camera from its meeting, with the director of schools saying on [...]

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12 Feb, 2014

Portland learns secret ballot violates sunshine law

By |2021-02-02T12:17:58-06:00February 12, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: , , |0 Comments

The Portland City Council will be re-taking a vote to fill an empty council seat after a secret ballot vote by council members in January violated the state’s sunshine law, Portland’s mayor said. “We’ve got no choice but to re-do the vote. I think we all just weren’t thinking,” said Portland Mayor Kenneth Wilber. “It was done in the open. We didn’t think we need to read the ballots. It was an honest mistake, no one was trying to do anything wrong.” The council cast secret ballots in an unusual process that was apparently decided in “gentlemen agreements” before the meeting. During the Jan. 7 meeting, according to The Portland [...]

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