CivicPoint has served some of the largest public entities in our seven-state region, including the cities of Franklin and Brentwood in Tennessee, Cincinnati and Dayton in Ohio, Lexington and Louisville in Kentucky, Indianapolis and Marion County in Indiana, as well as some of the largest townships and school districts in Indiana and Ohio.

 

Keeping the Chattanooga Community Together by Defeating De-annexation Legislation

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Cities across the country have seen a wave of new challenges from legislatures increasingly involving themselves in local issues, fueling partisan political fire. In one such case, the Tennessee state legislature attempted to take away the City of Chattanooga’s ability to set its own boundaries by allowing residents to vote in self-initiated referendums to "de-annex" their areas. In other words, residents could literally vote themselves out of the city.

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The city sought CivicPoint’s help to stop the legislation from being passed. We knew it wouldn’t be easy to convince legislators to reject a clearly populist measure, so we turned to the strength of political relationships, partnering with the mayor to work across the partisan aisle to resolve issues.

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We built a coalition with representatives of Tennessee’s four largest cities – Chattanooga, Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville – which gained significant support statewide. 

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We also enlisted the help of local officials and the Tennessee Municipal League to provide testimonies, which presented real consequences of allowing residents to vote themselves out of city boundaries. We pointed out potential issues distributing police patrols, as well as the importance of the strategic placement of fire halls, libraries and schools.

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These testimonies ultimately persuaded legislators to put aside their partisan differences and focus on the real, local issues and how the de-annexation legislation would harm the city and its residents. CivicPoint and our coalition successfully defeated the de-annexation legislation in April 2015.

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Fighting to Keep Tennessee Roads Safe

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No one likes traffic cameras, as no one enjoys getting caught for speeding or running a red light. However, as disliked as they may be, traffic cams are extremely effective at reducing infractions and saving lives.

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When a group of legislators sought to pass a bill to ban traffic cams, the city of Chattanooga enlisted CivicPoint’s help to fight the proposed legislation and protect its citizens.

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In this case, we had dramatic data, particularly for one short stretch of road: an S-curve on a hilly Chattanooga highway that had claimed a dozen lives each year. Since the installation of traffic cams, however, that number dropped to zero.

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The legislators seeking to ban them weren’t convinced by this staggering statistic, arguing that traffic cams aren’t always used or monitored, and are therefore a waste of money. We disproved that claim with a surprise testimony that no one could argue with: Chattanooga’s police chief produced the traffic ticket he received a few months prior when he was caught speeding on a traffic cam.

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Despite the evidence, it was necessary to produce convincing testimony on short notice in the legislative session’s final hours. Leveraging our close relationship with Chattanooga’s police chief, we made it clear there were significant consequences to consider before passing this piece of legislation, which ultimately led to victory for our client. We fashioned an amendment to ensure speeding cams remain in use on roads with S-curves throughout the state — a measure that will continue to save lives in our client’s community.

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Guiding Judicial Candidates through Complex Elections

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The controversial judicial selection system in Marion County, Indiana, is unlike any other in the country. Both parties conduct "slating conventions" in which the precinct committeepersons vote to select the party's "slate." On primary day the party's foot soldiers then push this list of preferred candidates. For judicial candidates, it’s imperative to work with lobbyists who understand the process, hold relationships with key players, and have proven results marketing candidates to the parties. In addition to our decades-plus experience with the local party, we have successfully guided two candidates through primary and general elections for Marion County Superior Court Judge.

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Providing Municipal Governments Relief from Rollback Taxes

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In 2012, we successfully represented the City of Brentwood before the Tennessee General Assembly and passed SB 948/HB 1455, now codified at Tenn. Code Ann. § 11-14-307(b)(1)(F). Written in a coalition that included such diverse interests as the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and conservation groups including The Conservation Fund, SB 948 provides municipal governments relief from rollback taxes assessed when the government acquires private greenbelt lands for city parks.

 

Directing Passage of Landmark Conservation Legislation

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In 2012, we helped create Tennessee’s first regional recreational authority, the Doe Mountain Regional Authority, helping conserve one of the largest remaining blocks of forest in private ownership in the Southern Blue Ridge region. Our client, the Nature Conservancy, teamed with the state of Tennessee to purchase Doe Mountain, an undeveloped 8,600-acre property in Johnson County. Navigating complex issues involving all levels of state government and numerous agencies, including the U.S. bankruptcy courts, we drafted the authorizing legislation and deepened our client’s relationship as a trusted partner with the state of Tennessee on conservation matters.

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Expanding Financing Options for Renovation, Expansion of Baseball Facilities

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Working closely with the municipal government in Jackson on behalf of the Diamond JAXX Baseball Club, our team successfully passed legislation in 2009 expanding authorization of tax-increment financing to encourage renovation and expansion of publicly owned minor league baseball facilities.

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Drafting Legislation to Protect Government Zoning Codes

In 2009, a citizens group sued a Tennessee county government, claiming the local planning code inaccurately stated the law with respect to a particular zoning classification. Because Tennessee case law favored challenges to the validity of published zoning codes by placing the burden on the government to prove the codes’ veracity, we wrote and passed HB 2116/SB 2177, now codified at Tenn. Code Ann. § 13-7-212, shifting the burden of proof onto persons challenging the accuracy of government-published zoning codes. The lawsuit against the county government was shortly dismissed.

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Defeating Proposed New Taxes
 

In 2010, the governor of Tennessee proposed new taxes on cable television subscribers. To defeat the tax, Tom Lee built a coalition that included locally elected officials and employed tools ranging from television production to grassroots organizing. Likewise, in 2009, when the governor proposed a new tax on family-owned small businesses, known as the FONCE (Family Owned Corporate Entity) tax, we led lobbying efforts against the new tax.

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Strong Track Record of Defeating Legislation

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While we pride ourselves on meeting the challenge to draft and pass legislation benefitting our clients, a significant part of a successful government relations practice is also the defeat of legislation adverse to our clients’ interests. The CivicPoint team has a strong track record of protecting our clients from potentially harmful legislation.

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