Unfiltered with Berry
Reporting
Start here for the reporting and analysis that names what happened, who is involved, and why the latest move matters.
Sebourn, Thoma, and Bird tried to kill the 2045 Comprehensive Plan by resolution. It failed. Now they're back with Ordinance No. 1684, and they still won't say why.
After a reappraisal, the state guarantees the city collects the same total. Nobody guaranteed you would. The certified rate is neutral for the government, not for your mailbox. Here is how the burden actually moves.
The reassessment letters hit this week. Your bill is going up. Tullahoma already collected on a tax hike promised for roads and a new city hall. The roads never got the money. The airport did.
Mayor Lynn Sebourn has tried twice to kill Tullahoma's 2045 Comprehensive Plan. The first attempt was illegal. The second was pulled when caught. The third comes June 8th. And developers cheering this on should read the warning at the end.
Resolution No. 2045 was pulled tonight — not because the board found its conscience, but because Mayor Sebourn forgot to add the second reading. What happened after public comment is the real story. City attorney Brittany Hoskins attacked residents by name from her seat, accused them of fear tactics, and then argued a statute by reading half of it.
Resolution No. 2045 cites the state law requiring municipalities to use an ordinance — then removes the words 'by ordinance' from the quote. That is not a drafting error. Here is the full documented record of what Tullahoma's city attorneys built, what they omitted, and what it means for tonight's vote.
Mayor Sebourn, Alderman Thoma, and Alderman Bird are finishing what they started April 27th — stripping Tullahoma's Comprehensive Plan of every legal protection it carries. The process is broken. The attorneys let it happen. Someone needs to explain who this is for. Be at the Municipal Building Monday at 5:30 p.m.
Jenny Anthony is circulating a two-year-old photo of staff members who have since quit, been fired, or spoken against her. She was there one year out of three. That's not a record. That's a reconstruction.
Chad Partin is running for re-election as Coffee County Sheriff on a platform that includes accountability. When accountability showed up in his comment section, he deleted it.
Alderman Busch Thoma added a major item to Monday night's agenda while the meeting was already underway. No advance notice. No public hearing. No heads up to fellow board members. By the end of the night, the board had voted to begin dismantling a city ordinance — and most of Tullahoma never saw it coming.
Alderman Matthew Bird has recommended re-appointing two Airport Authority members three times — while never mentioning that one of them is his neighbor, close friend, and Wednesday night trivia partner.
A Facebook profile confirmed by multiple law enforcement sources as a tool created for law enforcement use has been sending friend requests, engaging in comment exchanges, and publicly boosting Jenny Anthony.