Former Regional Planning Agency Executive Director Dan Reuter said he was asking the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to remove current members of the Planning Commission from office.
Mr. Reuter, who recently resigned after an investigation alleging harassment of certain employees, said Planning Commission members resist required state training.
He said members reported they received training at meetings prior to commission meetings, but he said they were more social gatherings.
Mr. Reuter also said the Planning Commission has long been tilted toward developers.
He said cases involving members who are developers are routinely placed near the bottom of the agenda "to limit public view."
Officials of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development said, "TNECD cannot unilaterally remove current members of the Planning Commission from office. That decision, if any, would be made by the local government planning advisory committee, or the county legislative body, dependent upon the requirements of T.C.A. § 13-3-101.
"Additionally, TNECD does not track training for this commission. That is tracked at the local level per the statute referenced above."
Here is the Reuter letter:
August 11th, 2025
Summer Carr, Assistant General Counsel
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development 312 Rosa L. Parks Ave Nashville, TN 37243
Dear Ms. Carr,
As you are aware, under Tennessee law, (Section 13-3-101 - Planning regions - Creation of commissions - Members - Training and continuing education), “Each planning commissioner shall, within one (1) year of initial appointment and each calendar year thereafter, attend a minimum of four (4) hours of training and continuing education in one (1) or more of the subjects listed in subdivision (j)(5). At least one (1) hour of the annual education requirement shall concentrate on the rights of private property owners and the relationship of those rights to the public planning process.”
It is my professional position that the members of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission (RPC) have not received actual annual training and continuing education for many years. During the 3 years and 6 months of my employment as Regional Planning Agency (RPA) Executive Director, the RPC members resisted and did not honestly participate in training to meet the Tennessee law requirements. The required annual forms submitted by Karen Rennich of the RPA at the direction of the RPC Chairman Ethan Collier refer to a monthly lunch upon which the members meet socially before the RPC meetings.
As RPA Executive Director, I sought to advance training and education as outlined in Tennessee law. I believe most if not all RPC members have never received formal training or continuing education. I do not believe the RPC members understand their role or meet the code of ethics which is required. Considering the RPC meets 12 times annually, (or fewer if meetings are cancelled), the 30-45 minutes for lunch and social engagement each month cannot legally address the required Tennessee training as outlined in state law.
Almost immediately when I began employment, it became apparent to me that the conduct of RPC members and meetings were far below the standard of any peer Tennessee local government Planning Commission. The public continuously stated during my employment the perceived focus of the RPC being private real estate development interests. RPC membership has been historically dominated by builders, real estate developers or aligned professionals. The RPC meeting agenda has practiced placing members personal zoning cases at the end to limit public review. These and other actions occur by RPC members which provide the appearance of a conflict of interest.
As outlined by an opinion of the Tennessee Bar Association on March 16. 2023, “If a member of a regional planning commission fails to attend the required training pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 13-3-101(j)(1) or file a written statement with the commission secretary certifying such attendance pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 13-3-101(j)(3), the regional planning commission member may be removed”.
It is for these reasons; I believe the Chattanooga-Hamilton County RPC members should be removed by the Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development or City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County Mayors. It is my position that the annual records provided to the Department of Economic and Community Development were embellished to create the appearance of RPC members meeting the Tennessee training and continuing education requirements. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Dan Reuter, FAICP