Residents press commissioners on FOIA delays, opioid recovery funding and farmland affordability
Loading...
Summary
Public commenters raised a FOIA delay and refund dispute, urged more local support for opioid recovery events and questioned property reassessments and farmland affordability during the April 13 meeting of the Davidson County Board of Commissioners.
Several residents used the April 13 public-comment period to press county officials about Freedom of Information Act requests, opioid-settlement funding for recovery services and large tax reassessments.
Dawn Hash told the board she had a four-year federal request that took 541 days to resolve and said she received a $196 refund only after pressure; she told commissioners she planned to seek 18% interest for the delay and would pursue public or legal avenues if negotiations failed. Hash also said a FOIA response contained contradictory statements and that emails she requested showed county officials received records she believed were improperly denied.
Dana Loomis, who runs local recovery events, urged commissioners to attend a community recovery event and criticized the board for denying a small funding request (about $5,521) while larger opioid-settlement grants had gone to other local providers; Loomis cited "520 plus" fentanyl deaths in the county and asked commissioners to support grassroots recovery efforts.
Sheila Tuttle and Loretta Simon raised questions about the property-tax revaluation process, asking whether assessors were local or out-of-state and how appealed assessments would be handled. Staff told residents the tax office on the courthouse third floor could help and noted flyers with appeal information; staff also indicated April 15 as the recommended date for certain filings.
No county action on FOIA or funding occurred during the meeting; the board took the public comments under advisement and directed staff to follow up where applicable.
