Commission discusses forming advisory committee on CoreCivic prison relations; no formal action taken

County staff briefed commissioners on recent litigation involving the county and discussed forming a community advisory committee to advise on relations with CoreCivic and related jail contracts. No commission action or vote was required or taken.

Mark Beeler (staff speaker) told the commission the large lawsuit involving the county had been dismissed for the named parties "for all intents and purposes," and that the county itself was not involved in active litigation on that matter. He recommended forming an advisory group composed of stakeholders and citizens who have engaged with CoreCivic and county operations. Beeler said the group would be advisory only and would not have legislative authority.

Beeler proposed an initial five members: Toby Woodmore; General Jason Lawson (identified in the meeting as a district attorney/general counsel); Melissa Chala (a concerned citizen who had previously spoken to the commission); Zach Taylor (local attorney/businessman); and Mark Beeler. He said each person contacted had indicated willingness to serve and that he planned to send invitation letters and make his office available for meetings if needed. Beeler described the proposed committee as a way to gather informed, cross‑section feedback without creating a formal oversight board that could be misinterpreted as having management authority over CoreCivic.

Beeler said he had participated in multiple discussions with attorneys, the Tennessee Department of Corrections and CoreCivic representatives and that the advisory group would help the commission understand community concerns and technical issues. He asked commissioners to view the proposal as informal and noted no vote was required. Commissioners did not register formal opposition during the discussion and Beeler said he would proceed with outreach.

The commission did not adopt an ordinance or resolution creating the advisory group during the meeting. Instead, staff will invite the proposed members and return any recommendations to the commission for consideration if the group requests formal action.

The key points from the discussion are: the lawsuit referenced has been dismissed for named individuals; the advisory committee would be strictly advisory; recommended initial members indicated willingness to serve; and staff will send letters and convene initial meetings without requiring a commission vote.