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Board moves to correct Planning Commission term schedule after finding expired seats; debate over whether BOMA should direct mayor
Summary
After reviewing Tennessee law and city code, the board approved a set of action items to stagger Planning Commission term expirations and fill vacancies. Two provisions directing the mayor to appoint members and instructing the commission to select a chair were removed after debate over separation of duties; remaining action items passed 6–0.
Tullahoma — The Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Monday adopted corrective actions intended to bring the city’s Planning Commission into alignment with Tennessee Code (TCA 13-4-101) and existing Tullahoma ordinance language.
Alderman Glick presented a table of recommended term expirations and argued several appointments had become "out of sync," producing multiple expirations in the same year and raising the possibility that commission membership might have been out of compliance. The presentation cited state law requirements (TCA 13-4-101) and specific Tullahoma code sections (2-101 through 2-104) governing commission size, appointments and term lengths.
Board members debated whether the Board of Mayor and Aldermen should formally 'direct' the mayor to make appointments. The mayor said he was recruiting candidates and aimed to fill seats within about a month but objected to being ordered; some aldermen said formally calling out the lapse was simply ensuring compliance. Two items that would have explicitly directed the mayor to make appointments and directed the Planning Commission to select a chair were struck from the motion by a 4–2 vote. The remaining action items — notifying members with expired terms, scheduling staggered term expirations to return to an annual cycle and selecting an aldermanic representative — were approved 6–0.
Board members agreed legal counsel should review the ordinance language for future changes and that any change to the ordinance itself would require the standard two readings and public comment.
Attribution: Alderman Glick summarized the state code and proposed corrective scheduling; Mayor Sebring explained his plan to recruit appointees and legal counsel clarified ordinance implications.
