ATWOOD, Tenn. — City Hall was at standing room only when citizens packed Atwood’s meeting of Mayor and Aldermen on Thursday, March 12, raising questions about contract oversight, a gathering that drew a Sunshine Law challenge, and a stalled water line grant project that has left a local contractor waiting on payment.
The meeting opened with the swearing-in of Alderman Tommy Polinski by Mayor Fridie Agee, Jr. Public comment dominated much of the evening.
Sunshine Law Complaint.
Resident TJ Herndon was the first to speak. He read a formal statement placing the town on notice over what he said was a potential violation of Tennessee’s Open Meetings Act.
“On March 11, 2026, I personally observed Mayor Agee, Alderman Gerald Mauldin, Alderman Tommy Polinski, City Recorder Amanda Browning, city employee Rita Galloway, and an unidentified female, along with MTAS Representative Dana Deem, gathered at Atwood City Hall discussing city business,” Herndon read.
He asked the board to consider any matters that arose from that gathering as “null and void” if they resulted from deliberation outside a properly noticed public meeting, and formally requested that security footage from March 11 be preserved.
“Transparency is not optional,” Herndon told the board. “It is the foundation of public trust, and it is required by Tennessee law. The citizens of Atwood deserve a government that conducts the public’s business in the open, not behind closed doors.”
Deem, a Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) representative who had been present at the prior gathering, responded that the visit did not cross the legal threshold for an open meeting.
“Two or more elected officials gathered together and beginning deliberation towards a decision — that’s an open meeting,” Deem said. “There was no deliberation whatsoever.”
Deem said the discussion involved questions about the town’s charter and code from the new alderman and the mayor. He said he had nothing to hide “because there’s nothing on this agenda that was there.”
Polinski and Herndon exchanged in a heated back-and-forth.
“TJ, when you walked in that door, what was I doing?” Polinski asked.
Herndon responded that Polinski was seated while everyone else was standing.
Polinski pointed toward an office.
“They was behind that closed door. I was not in there,” he said. “I was sitting down here reading the newspaper.”
Polinski then added, “This is a city hall. I can come sit in this city hall just as well as you can!”
Herndon maintained his position.
“Whenever you’re up here in this building with a quorum, there’s three of y’all that can vote and push something through here tonight,” he said.
Mayor Agee acknowledged the concern and accepted some responsibility.
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” Agee said. “We got some information that I’m still learning. I got a new [alderman] to add on. I’m still trying to figure out all the rules and regulations. When I don’t know [something], I call for [help]. I’m trying.”
Contracts and Property Sale Questioned.
Resident Marian Herndon raised several concerns regarding contracts and the disposal of city-owned property, including the use of a third-party meter reading service while the city already employs someone whose job responsibilities include reading meters, and whether the trash service contract with Republic Services had been renewed without board approval.
She also raised questions about a city property sale, asking whether proper public notice and competitive bidding had been followed.
Deem clarified the legal distinction between real and personal property under state law.
“If you were selling a piece of real property, a piece of real estate, the city is free to sell that property any way they want,” Deem said. “They don’t have to advertise it. They don’t have to take bids. The public interest needs to be protected in that you receive at least the appraised value.”
Browning acknowledged the property had been sold based on the tax card value at the time and said she had sought legal advice beforehand.
“It would have brought more than $13,500 had it been put out for bids,” one resident said.
Another resident noted that Dale Nelson has a standing bid of $5,000 per acre for any property in Atwood, and would have yielded about $15,000.
Roof repair.
Another resident raised questions about an emergency roof repair at City Hall, arguing that long-term neglect does not qualify as an emergency under MTAS guidelines and state law, and calling on each board member to commit publicly to securing a city attorney.
Derek Miller, a contractor with Crawford Residential and Industrial, attended the meeting to address the roof work directly.
“While we were tearing off the roof, we found extra damages,” he said. “We always tell everybody we don’t know what we’re going to find when we tear a roof off, especially when it’s been leaking for a certain amount of time.”
Miller said a follow-up leak around an AC unit had already been repaired and that remaining finish work would be completed.
Deem said his discussion with the mayor about the roof had centered on a specific set of conditions.
“We had a foot of snow and ice on the roof, it’s been leaking for two years, and there’s black mold. [They asked me] Is that an emergency?” he said.
He explained that emergency purchases, per state law, don’t have to be voted on by the board but have to be reported to the governing body.
“It was in the minutes before the work was done. I don’t know what the issue is,” Deem said.
Defense of an alderman.
Joann Long addressed the board over what she described as a hostile working environment for her husband, Alderman Randy Long, and called on the board to enforce its code of ethics.
“The disrespect, the lack of courtesy, the intimidation,” she said. “All elected officials and city employees have a code of ethics to abide by, and they need to be enforced now, immediately.”
“Everyone doesn’t have to like everyone, but you all need to get along,” she added.
She disputed the account of a February 13 incident in which the Sheriff’s Office was called after Alderman Long visited with the crew performing roof repairs at City Hall.
“The guy that Randy spoke to was not working. He simply asked him for a business card,” she said. “That was not harassment or micromanaging.”
Long also raised questions about the mayor’s compensation and what that means for day-to-day oversight of city operations.
“For the mayor to get paid $100 a month and come to a meeting, he’s not aware of everything that’s going on,” she said. “He can’t make a living on $100 a month.”
Deem said the arrangement was not unusual for a town Atwood’s size, but recommended the mayor formalize what had long been a verbal delegation of authority to the city recorder.
“Your mayor is working the job. He’s on third shift. He sleeps during the daytime. Who’s up here for your 50 hours a week? Your employees,” Deem said. “I would put it in writing and delegate those responsibilities.”
At least one resident pushed back, saying they did not want anyone in a position of authority who had not been elected.
Browning clarified that the city recorder’s authority is assigned by state law, not simply at the mayor’s discretion.
Mayor Agee said he was open to improvement but wanted to work through it together.
Water grant project stalled.
Water Operator Jim Cooper delivered an update on a water line grant project that is underway.
He warned that the contractor has completed 75 percent of the work but has been paid for only one of four submitted pay requests.
“If contractors don’t get paid, they won’t want to work for you,” Cooper said.
Cooper said contractor Tim Rogers has been patient, but the situation cannot continue.
“Thank God Tim’s a business in your community,” Cooper said. “Anybody else would have stopped long time ago.”
Browning explained that the town had received reimbursement on only one of four pay requests submitted by Tim Rogers, and that the delay rested with the engineering firm Heathcoat and Davis, which manages grant portal access.
“I don’t have access to the portal,” Browning said. “I can’t do the work and push it through on my own.”
Cooper pressed the urgency of an aging two-inch water main in the area.
“We’ve been lucky twice here within the past four or five months,” he said. “It’s going to bust loose one night, and we’re going to be digging across driveways and everything else to replace the line.”
Hiring a City Attorney.
Multiple speakers pressed the board on the need for a city attorney, with one asking each member and the mayor to verbally commit to making it a priority.
“The citizens of Atwood deserve legal representation whose responsibility is to protect the interest of the town,” one resident said. “Advisory organizations such as MTAS are valuable resources, but they are not legal counsel representing the town.”
Cooper said the absence of legal counsel has been felt during the grant payment standoff.
“It would be nice to have one right now to shake somebody and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on?'” he said.
Deem suggested MTAS could host a training session for officials and citizens alike.
“Everybody can come and listen so everybody knows what everybody’s supposed to be doing,” he said.
Baseball banner reimbursement.
Amber Miller spoke on behalf of the West Carroll Baseball and Softball League, presenting invoices and requesting the town reimburse the league for two memorial banners and 14 sponsorship banners that were thrown away by a city worker.
The total came to $1,497.
Alderman Randy Long made a motion to pay the reimbursement. The board voted in favor.
Budget review.
Browning walked the board through a mid-year budget analysis, noting that revenue was tracking ahead of projections in several areas.
Local sales tax collections had already reached $202,000 against a $220,000 estimate, and interest earnings in both the general and water funds were running well ahead of budget.
Workers’ compensation claims from a prior period had raised insurance costs beyond what was budgeted, and fire department wages were also on pace to exceed their line item, requiring amendments within the current budget.
Alderman Gerald Mauldin highlighted that the fire department’s improved ISO rating will bring down insurance costs for the city and its residents.
Mayor calls for unity.
Throughout the evening, Mayor Agee asked for patience as he continues to learn the job.
“I’m not no perfect person by any means,” he told the crowd. “I’m glad everyone showed up tonight. I need this all the time. Everybody got concerns. I’m concerned. All I need is a little support, a little help.”
He invited anyone who wants to learn more about how the city operates to come together.
“We’re going to post [a meeting]. Come out. We can learn together,” he said. “I believe we can do something better than what we’ve been doing.”