Municipal and cooperative representatives urged mutual agreements and raised concerns about "cherry picking"

Representatives from municipal utilities and cooperative associations spoke briefly to the committee under a three-minute limit. Jeremy Elroy of the Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association asked whether annexations completed before Sept. 1 would be grandfathered and requested that voluntary annexations be allowed during the moratorium so landowners who want to join a city are not prevented from doing so. He said he "appreciate[d] y'all including that, essentially, that grandfather clause."

Erica Penley of Bass & Sims, speaking for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, told the committee co-ops view the current acquisition process as unfair and described longstanding concerns about acquisitions that leave cooperatives vulnerable to "cherry picking." Penley said the association's position is to prefer mutual agreements for acquisitions and dispositions. Legal counsel Matt Money confirmed the draft covers "any type of lawful annexation, including the consent of landowners who want to be annexed into the municipality or if they wanna do it by referendum," up until the moratorium date. Panelists were dismissed after questions.