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It’s Secret Meeting Time in Fayette County Again There is something about the county growth plan that seems to compel our elected officials to seek cover from the light of day and conspire among themselves. During the first growth plan process at least two secret meetings were held. Others may also have occurred that were never discovered. When the growth plan was originally being formulated, former County Mayor Jim Voss had his heart set on designating the entire unincorporated area of the county as available for high density development. There were six commissioners who would not sign on to his plan. A closed, unadvertised meeting of County Commissioners was held in Voss’s office to discuss the plan. Not only was the public not told about this meeting, the six dissenting commissioners were also kept in the dark about it. After the fact, it was discovered that this meeting took place. Another secret meeting on the growth plan was scheduled to be held in the county attorney’s office. The Fayette County Review got an injunction to stop the meeting. Review reporter Sherri Osteen showed up at the county attorney’s office with the injunction and snapped a splendid photograph of County Commissioners scurrying out the back door in all directions. The Review filed a complaint against the county for the violating the state’s Sunshine Law. The county was found guilty. Unfortunately, the Sunshine Law has no teeth to it. The consequence of a violation is a limp slap on the wrist but no fines. Now that land grabitis has once again taken hold in Fayette County, the urge to meet in secret has resurfaced as well. On October 5th the city mayors of Oakland, Piperton and Gallaway convened in John Wilder’s law office on the Somerville Square for an afternoon meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the county’s western border, that much was made clear by the portion of the meeting which was, unintentionally, public. What ensued, as long as “uninvited guests” were present, was a proliferation of excuses and denials to convince the “uninvited guests” that the very last thing on anyone’s mind for discussion was the county growth plan. Click here for the transcript of the prelude to the first known secret meeting for Phase II of the Fayette County Growth Plan Saga. A Legal Issue The city mayors, or their representatives, all sit on the Coordinating Committee which is the official body that will decide by a majority vote what the proposed county growth plan will be. The plan they approve will then be voted on by each municipal government and by the County Commission. Since the Coordinating Committee is a public body responsible for the first step in the legislative process for adopting a county growth plan, it would certainly seem that the members of the Coordinating Committee should be bound by the state’s Sunshine Law. Any meetings between two or more of the members of this committee to discuss the growth plan they will propose should be advertised and open to the public. …And Then The gnawing unanswered question is “What issues relating to the growth plan required a private meeting?”
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