Tennessee Code Title 13. Public Planning and Housing § 13-20-401

(a) Any twenty-five (25) residents of a city, and of the area within ten (10) miles from the territorial boundaries thereof, may file a petition with the city clerk setting forth that there is a need for an authority to function in the city and the surrounding area.

(b) Upon the filing of such a petition, the city clerk shall give notice of the time, place, and purposes of a public hearing at which the council will determine the need for an authority in the city and the surrounding area.

(c) Such notice shall be given at the city's expense by publishing a notice, at least ten (10) days preceding the day on which the hearing is to be held, in a newspaper having a general circulation in the city and the surrounding area, or, if there is no such newspaper, by posting such notice in at least three (3) public places within the city, at least ten (10) days preceding the day on which the hearing is to be held.