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Resident challenges Loudon County over access to budget records, questions public-hearing notice
Summary
Residents at the June 16 Loudon County Commission workshop criticized the county's public records and notice practices, citing a denied records request and a potentially incorrect newspaper notice for the public hearing on the 2025–26 budget.
Blake Moore, a Loudon County resident in the First Legislative District, told the commission on June 16 that his records request for budget meeting minutes and related documents was denied because he did not include proof of residency.
"I stand before you this evening asking this legislative body to duly consider 2 things: 1, the importance of transparency as it relates to government budget meetings and subsequent decisions that are affected by those meetings. And 2, the importance of having records of those meetings publicly available on the Loudon County government website," Moore said.
Moore said he filed the request on May 20 and received a letter from the county attorney saying the request would not be honored until proof of residency was submitted and that a final decision could take up to 30 days from the date the county received proof of residency. He urged the commission to post budget materials on the county website and to ensure comparability across years.
During public comment, Fat Hunter said two local newspapers printed a different date for the public hearing and argued the incorrect notice may have violated a 1957 budgeting law that Hunter described as requiring notice 10 days before the end of the fiscal year. "If that is the case, today's meeting was not published as a public hearing," Hunter said.
Sheriff Davis asked a procedural question in response to the records issue, asking whether proof of residency is required routinely for records requests. An exchange in the meeting indicated county staff referenced state law in explaining the practice.
Commissioners did not take a formal vote about changing the records-request procedure during the workshop. The public-comment period concluded and the commission moved to the workshop agenda.
Why it matters: Moore and other residents said incomplete online budget documents and inconsistent public notices hinder taxpayers' ability to compare appropriations, debt-service reports and other budget documents across years. Commissioners did not announce an immediate change to documents on the county website during the workshop.
