Times Free Press

19 Dec, 2022

Private meetings on Chattanooga redistricting violated open meetings law, lawsuit alleges

By |2023-01-02T17:00:37-06:00December 19, 2022|Categories: open meetings lawsuits|Tags: , , , , , , |2 Comments

A redistricting committee made up of Chattanooga city councilmembers violated the open meetings act when it convened privately to make decisions and deliberate on the city's new voting district maps, a lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit by the Chattanooga Times Free Press also alleges that councilmembers violated the open meetings act when the city's executive staff, at the request of the redistricting committee, met individually with council members to decide on the contours of each of their new districts.

5 Jun, 2020

Bill would prohibit destruction of public records that are subject to pending records request

By |2020-06-05T19:41:49-05:00June 5, 2020|Categories: Legislature, records management, requests|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments

The House State Government committee on Thursday approved a bill that would prevent the destruction of public records that are subject to a pending records request, paving the way for the bill to move on to a possible floor vote. State Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, presents bill that would make it unlawful to destroy public records while they are subject to a pending records request. The bill, H.B. 2578, was sponsored by state Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, who explained that a problem arose in Hamilton County last year when the Times Free Press newspaper requested records, and thereafter, the records were destroyed by the custodian before they could obtain them. [...]

3 Feb, 2020

Hamilton County’s destruction of public records should set off fire alarms

By |2020-06-05T14:19:19-05:00February 3, 2020|Categories: Public Records, records management|Tags: , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

Hamilton County Attorney Rheubin Taylor refused to allow inspection of its responses to public records requests without the Times Free Press paying more than $700. His office later got permission to destroy the records being requested by the newspaper, even as the newspaper continued to press to see them. Hamilton County government has found a new way to prevent access to public records: get rid of them. It’s not really new. It’s the oldest trick in the book. In late July last year, a reporter with the Chattanooga Times Free Press became concerned that the county government was not following state law in its responses to public records requests. So [...]

1 May, 2015

Times Free Press: Erlanger trustees to re-vote on bonus resolutions tonight

By |2015-05-01T10:19:18-05:00May 1, 2015|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

From the Chattanooga Times Free Press (reprinted with permission). By Kate Belz When Erlanger hospital's trustees take up the issue of executive bonuses at their board meeting tonight, the main reaction they want to avoid is surprise. They know all too well the effects of surprise. For nearly six months, the $1.7 million in bonuses Erlanger's board agreed to pay out in December has been the target of loud criticism from state and local officials. It triggered a high-profile rulingfrom Tennessee's attorney general, who found that the board violated open meetings law by discussing the incentives behind closed doors before the meeting. The bonuses even spurred a bill this legislative [...]

15 Feb, 2015

Hamilton County commissioners send secret letter for more power to set their own pay

By |2015-02-16T14:19:16-06:00February 15, 2015|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Eight of the nine Hamilton County commissioners appeared to have gone to great lengths to avoid talking in public about a bill that they asked their local state lawmaker delegation to draft so they could set their own pay. Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Louie Brogdon reports that the bills, Senate Bill 707 and House Bill 717, would remove language in state law that sets Hamilton County commissioners pay and ties potential raises to the county mayor's salary. By decoupling the commissioners' pay from the county mayor's pay, county commissioners could give themselves a larger increase without increasing other county salaries. Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Beck drafted the letter [...]

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