Judge rules against temporary injunction in school funding suit
JACKSON, Tenn. — A judge has ruled against the request from Madison County for a temporary injunction to keep a portion of city tax money for the Jackson-Madison County School System while a lawsuit against the city is pending.
After three hours, Chancellor James Butler made the decision during a Tuesday afternoon hearing, ruling that there is no proven irreparable harm in the city’s decision to pull the money from the school system.
“The court is going to have to respectfully deny the county’s request for injunction because there is no irreparable harm, as it’s defined in the law, because it can be fixed with money,” Chancellor Butler said. “This is an all-or-nothing case. If the county wins, they get it all. If the city wins, they get it all.”
The judge did, however, agree there was at least an implied contract between the city and county when the money was originally put toward the school system. He also ordered mediation, but it isn’t clear when the city and county will meet to discuss their options.
The county filed the lawsuit May 31 in response to a May 18 vote by the Jackson City Council to keep a portion of tax money that had gone to the Jackson-Madison County School System since 1989.
The temporary injunction requested by the county would have prevented the city from keeping that tax money while the lawsuit is pending.
In recent years, the money has amounted to around $12 million annually.
In their response to the county’s injunction request, the city argued the county’s application does not meet the standards for a temporary injunction to be issued.
“Basically, the County has not carried its burden to show it would face immediate, irreparable harm if it no longer receives the City’s donation,” City Attorney Lewis Cobb previously said.
In their lawsuit, the county argues its agreement with the city to put those funds toward the school system constitutes a contract.
The city argues there was no contract and that putting that money into the school system was a voluntary choice by the city.
We’ll have more on the Tuesday decision this evening on WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News.
