AG probe: Gallatin Councilmembers need to provide “more specificity” in financial disclosures

AG probe: Gallatin Councilmembers need to provide “more specificity” in financial disclosures

Gallatin’s ongoing questions about transparency  now extend to the City Council, as a new Attorney General report details significant gaps in required financial disclosures.

The Tennessee Attorney General has found in a first-of-its-kind investigative report that four Gallatin councilmembers failed last year to disclose sources of income and assets, as required by state ethics laws.

The 10-page, blockbuster report, which will be presented to Tennessee Ethics Commission next week, also found that all four councilmembers continue to hide financial information, even after formal interviews by the AG’s office in April 2026 and the August 10, 2026, release of the investigative report.

Gallatin resident Pam Farino filed a complaint in September 2025, in which she said ethics disclosures filed by Gallatin City Council members— Paul Jones, Craig Hayes, Steven Carter, and Steve Fann—were unlawfully incomplete because they lacked the required detail of sources of income and assets owned by officeholders. The Attorney General’s report agrees, saying the councilmembers still need to provide additional information for their disclosures to comply with the law.

“The investigation revealed the need for additional amendments to provide more specificity about income and investments,” the investigation found. “For instance, although Mr. Hayes identified certain investments more specifically in his interviews, he has not amended his disclosures to identify the companies or businesses that hold or manage his investments.”

Since 2006, Tennessee law has required all local officeholders to annually disclose sources of income and assets held, along with other personal and financial data. After reviewing Ms. Farino’s complaint in February 2026, the Ethics Commission voted to ask the Attorney General to investigate her allegations. The report reveals investigators interviewed Ms. Farino and the four members of the Gallatin City Council named in her complaint.

What the Report Found

*   Vague to start: Original filings often just said "None" or listed generic categories (like "IRA" or "rental income") with no company names, property addresses, or income sources — exactly the kind of detail the disclosure law requires.

*   More came out under investigation: Once the AG's office sent formal requests and conducted interviews, all four councilmen supplied additional detail. Mr. Fann went further and filed amended statements for 2021–26 (this week, Fann withdrew from a re-election bid in November).

*   Gaps remain, even now:

   *   Hayes — still hasn't named the banks/companies holding his investments.

   *   Fann — still hasn't disclosed the locations of his rental and investment properties.

   *   Jones — still hasn't disclosed two non-residential properties he owns.

   *   Carter — still hasn't disclosed income from his occasional work at a local florist shop.

Hayes and Carter told investigators they believed the complaint was politically motivated by their votes to approve the Foxland Harbor Marina project, rather than their own failure to follow with the law.

What Happens Next

The Tennessee Ethics Commission meets at 9:30 a.m. CST on August 24, 2026, in Nashville to decide whether to require the councilmembers to appear before the Commission to show cause why they should not be held in violation of state ethics law.

As promised, we'll keep you posted after the August 24 Commission meeting.

Stay informed. Stay engaged. Protect Old Hickory Lake and Make Gallatin Nice AgainFriends of Old Hickory Lake  |  Source: TN Attorney General's Investigative Report, TEC No. C2025-009