By Ryan Lewis
Correspondent
JASPER, Tenn. — The Marion County Regional Planning Commission has learned that it may be breaking a state law.
The University of Tennessee’s County Technical Assistance Service, which encourages better county government by offering direct support to county officials and associations, identified a possible violation of a state law by the commission.
Statute 132101 states that a majority of a county’s planning commission may not be made up of salaried county employees or elected officials. Six of the nine Marion County members may fall into one of those two categories.
If there is a violation, it would be with two of the three at-large members. Marion County Attorney Billy Gouger said there might be issues with Commissioners Mack Reeves and Louin Campbell.
“There is an exception in that statute for members who are educational employees, so I questioned CTAS on whether (Mr. Reeves) falls into that category,” said Mr. Gouger. “I also questioned (Mr. Campbell) as a part-time, hourly employee. If both of them fall under that exception, then we don’t have a problem.”
Given a list of options on what they could do to resolve the issue, members of the planning commission voted to seek an opinion by the state attorney general.
To this point, there has been no opinion on the matter by the attorney general, and no court has had to make a ruling on it.
Mr. Reeves, who is the county school system’s transportation and attendance director, said he is a paid employee of the county school system and, therefore, an educational employee.
Mr. Campbell said that, “if I’m considered an employee of the county, I’ll quit my job at the tax assessor’s office, so I can stay with the planning commission.”
Mr. Gouger said the responses he received from CTAS personnel to his questions were “vague” because the law itself is unclear.
“The decisions the planning commission makes are very important,” Mr. Gouger said. “So, we want to be sure the composition of this body is above reproach.”
Marion County Road Superintendent John Graham also serves on the planning commission.
“When I read that statute, I don’t see how Mack or Louin, either one, would apply,” he said.
“But we need to make sure we’re right. We’ve started the process, so we need to make sure that, when we end it, we’ve checked every possible legal route to make sure we’re right.”
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.