Daniel Berry wants answers when it comes to the two lawsuits against the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce, going so far as to suggest the city withhold funding for the entity until it gets answers.

Chamber Executive Director Hope Nunley revealed at the Aug. 24 meeting that the chamber is being sued by a former vendor and is also the target of a federal suit by a private entity that has sued several organizations around the country over COVID funds.

Berry’s question about what it would take to hold the chamber’s funds until more information is gathered was met with resistance by Mayor Lynn Sebourn.

“I am adamantly opposed to inferring that the chamber has any kind of financial impropriety just because they are being sued by a couple of outside people,” the mayor said.

“I’m not suggesting that at all,” Berry countered. “But I’m saying there are questions on …”

“I’m stating it explicitly,” the mayor interjected. “There is no evidence of anything like that, and we shouldn’t be hinting about that sort of thing in public.”

Berry clarified that the board got “a little bit of information” and “don’t know enough” about the lawsuits.

“I want to know a little bit more about what was just kind of stood up and said publicly,” Berry said, pointing to a statement read by Nunley in the last meeting, revealing the chamber is the target of two different lawsuits.

“All we heard was that there’s a vendor that is suing us and there is a federal lawsuit over the COVID funding money,” Berry said. “I wasn’t suggesting anything, but I am saying that there are questions that I would like answers to.”

The mayor replied that he has heard nothing that would imply the city should cut the chamber’s funding.

“Well I’m saying it right now,” Berry declared.

“We don’t control them,” the mayor countered.

“We don’t, but we control the taxpayer dollars,” Berry said, noting that the mayor seemed to be incorrectly implying his intent. “I’m saying it for the record again, I’m not implying impropriety.”

The debate was shut down as quickly as it began during the Sept. 14 study session, which had been called to hear about equal funding between the chamber, South Jackson Performing Arts Center, and the Tullahoma Sports Council.