Meeting sparks heated discussions among Madison County Commissioners
MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Madison County Commission met for the first time in the new year on Tuesday.
Among the topics discussed were a report from Lori Nunnery with Visit Jackson TN about the increase of hotel and motel taxes, as well as preparation from the Chamber for Blue Oval.
“Important reports from the Chamber talking about Ford executives coming into town last week,” said Olivia Abernathy, District 2 Commissioner. “The importance of making sure that we are ready as a community to welcome new executives and welcome new residents to Madison County, which we are excited about.”
With Blue Oval expected to be a huge economic impact for West Tennessee, Abernathy says the county still has a lot of work to do to prepare, and she says a report from the Chamber is expected to be released soon on what needs to be addressed.
“How much we should prepare for, how much capacity we need to build, and then we are just going to have to start getting to work building it,” said Abernathy. “We have to have the conversation about affordable housing and what policies we can put in place to ensure that people are able to afford rent, and not displacing people as new people come into town.”
During the meeting, multiple heated discussions occurred, including a miscommunication on changing a title for a county employee, as well as a discussion regarding a letter to the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office.
The letter, sent by Trey Cleek, regarded a Democratic Caucus meeting in September that several commissioners attended. Cleek says he was concerned because public notice was not given for the meeting.
“You can meet and discuss all you want, but it has to be open to the public, and notice has to be given on the time and location,” Cleek said. “That is all I am asking for. I think that both Republicans and Democrats can work together to handle the business of Madison County, but we have to have some transparency, and without notice of these meetings, there can’t be any transparency.”
Abernathy — who attended the meeting — suggests to have an outline of the laws to ensure they are following policy properly.
“There are some nuances when you talk about caucuses and when you talk about open meetings,” Abernathy said. “I think that is where some of the confusion is coming from. Those technicalities need to be addressed, and we need to have a clear process for who is contacted with public notice, when people are contacted for public notice, and making sure that we are going above and beyond to make sure that we are above the law.”
The Madison County Commission will meet again in February.
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