Former Madison Co. Commissioner investigated for unlawfully charging to officiate weddings
UPDATE (9/14/22): The Comptroller’s Office issued a correction to their previous investigative report on the matter, stating:
The previous report and press release indicated the results of the investigation had been communicated with the District Attorney General of the 26th Judicial District.
The results of this investigation have been communicated with the Office of the District Attorney General of the 30th Judicial District who was appointed as Pro Tem in this matter.
MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury is investigating allegations that a former Madison County Commissioner was charging fees to officiate marriage ceremonies.
“A policy in our office to not name individuals until they’ve been indicted, in this situation there is no indictment, so we do not name the commissioner,” said Director of Communications John Dunn.
The former Madison County Commissioner was unlawfully charging couples an estimated $50 to $60 dollars per service, totaling over $115,000 between January 2015 and July 2021, with almost 2,000 ceremonies performed.
“In our office’s opinion, this commissioner was charging a $50 to $60 dollar fee to officiate those marriages, when state law prohibits elected officials from charging a fee for those services,” Dunn said.
The commissioner is allowed to accept gratuity, but the commissioner did not state the fee was optional, inferring that is was a mandatory fee. Dunn says it’s unlikely members who had the commissioner perform the ceremony are allowed reimbursement of fees.
“The people who paid this commissioner paid willingly,” Dunn said. “The problem was the commissioner was setting up this payment as a fee, which is against state law.”
The investigation was started by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury’s Office after receiving allegations, but it is now up to the District Attorney General to pursue further action.
“We did deliver our results to the District Attorney General in the 26th district,” said Dunn. “It would be up to his office to determine whether or not any additional action would be necessary.”
Click here to view the full investigative report.
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