Vote of Municipal Planning Commission to Approve or Disapprove a Plat
TN Attorney General Opinions
Date: 2008-08-18
Opinion Number: 08-135
"Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 13-4-202, the planning commission may adopt a municipal master plan by a resolution carried by the “affirmative votes of not less than a majority of all the members of the commission.” (Emphasis added). Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 13-4-302, once the planning commission adopts a master plan, a plat of a subdivision of land within the city must be approved by the planning commission before it may be filed or recorded. Where the plat divides a tract into no more than two lots, the approval may be endorsed in writing on the plat by the secretary of the commission or another designee of the commission without the approval of the commission, provided certain conditions are met." Id.
"Tenn. Code Ann. § 13-4-304(a)--(c) ... does not specify the number of board members who must vote to approve or disapprove a plat. A quorum generally consists of a simple majority of a collective body. In the absence of a statutory provision to the contrary, the common law provides that a majority of such a quorum is empowered to act for the body." Id. (citation omitted).
Opinion may be found at:
http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/AG/2008/ag_08_135.pdf
