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Trousdale County BZA gets training on Tennessee open‑meetings rules and conflicts of interest
Summary
Amanda Harrington led a training for the Trousdale County Board of Zoning Appeals emphasizing that serial private communications and ex parte contacts can violate the Tennessee Open Meetings Act and that disclosure and timely recusal protect decisions from court reversal.
Members of the Trousdale County Board of Zoning Appeals on the evening's agenda received a training from Amanda Harrington on the Tennessee Open Meetings Act and state conflict‑of‑interest rules, focusing on when board discussion must occur in public and when recusal is required.
Harrington told those present that “serial meetings” — including a sequence of one‑on‑one calls or reply‑all email threads — can amount to prohibited deliberation outside a public forum. She said the rules can apply even when exchanges are brief and warned that, "that is a violation of the Tennessee open meetings law." She cited state…
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