The Jefferson County Regional Planning Commission on Tuesday postponed review of an item about in‑house plat approvals after public commenters said staff have been signing subdivision plats without a documented delegation of authority.

Residents told the commission they believe past plats signed in‑house may be legally invalid unless the commission or county commission publicly delegated signature authority. That prompted the commission to ask the county attorney to search meeting minutes and records and to delay formal action until the issue is resolved.

“Members of this body swore an oath to obey the constitution and the laws of the state of Tennessee,” resident Jim Fox told the commission during citizen input. “In this case, the document to allow someone besides the body this body to approve a subdivision plots cannot be found. Therefore, it does not exist.”

Why it matters: Plat signatures determine who may finalize lot divisions that become part of the recorded chain of title. If staff have signed plats without an express, documented delegation, speakers said that could call past approvals into question and create title or development uncertainty for property buyers and sellers.

What speakers said and what the commission did
Residents Gail Weaver Farzanegan and Kathleen Billers pressed the commission for transparency and legal compliance. Billers told the commission she reviewed recorded plats and found roughly 33 plats recorded between December and March that “were signed in house,” which she annualized to “about a 100 plats per year not signed authorized by the RPC secretary.” She recommended consulting the county attorney about correcting past records and, if staff review is to continue, formally voting to delegate authority in a public meeting and summarizing any between‑meeting signings at subsequent RPC meetings.

Commission chair indicated the county attorney, Mr. Drennan, had asked for more time to locate any delegation document. The chair said the attorney “should have the ability to produce that document if it's there by next month's meeting,” and the commission moved to postpone consideration of item K until the June meeting.

Items left open and next steps
The commission did not vote on any corrective action at the meeting. Direction recorded at the hearing: county attorney to search minutes and records for any delegation or resolution authorizing staff signature on plats; staff to report back to the commission at the next meeting. Speakers urged the commission to consult the county attorney about whether past recorded plats require corrective filings.

Ending: The commission postponed formal consideration of item K to allow the county attorney to locate any delegation record and to give the commission time to consider legal remedies or process changes to ensure future transparency and statutory compliance.