JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced a settlement between his office and the city of Belle involving the state's Sunshine Law.
The alleged violations in the case involved issues with public meetings in the city of Belle, such as failing to provide proper notices and tentative agendas, discussing public business not listed on the agendas, inadequately keeping meeting minutes and improperly conducting business in at least one closed session that should have been open to the public.
Bailey said his top priority is enforcing the state's laws, including ensuring the state's public meeting laws are being followed properly.
"I am pleased that the city has agreed to the settlement terms and compliance plan, which will help restore adherence to the Sunshine Law while also being mindful of taxpayer dollars," Bailey said in a provided statement.
As part of the settlement agreement, the city of Belle acknowledged that it violated the Sunshine Law on all five counts specified in the case.
The city agreed to pay a fee, which will be transferred to Maries County Public Schools, and to follow a compliance plan.
Under the settlement agreement, the city will pay $500 to the state of Missouri, designated for Maries County Schools, within 30 days.
For 180 days, the city will implement a compliance plan, which lays out that city employees and officials — such as the alderpersons, the mayor, the city clerk, the city treasurer and the office manager — must attend a Sunshine Law training class provided by the Attorney General's Office within 90 days.
"The Parties agree that it is in their mutual best interests to fully and finally resolve disputes concerning the counts alleged in the Litigation. Those interests include fair resolution, promoting the public interest, training, education, transparency, minimizing future liability, and conserving governmental resources and taxpayer dollars," the settlement agreement states. "The Parties agree that these interests are best served by a resolution of the Litigation as set forth in this Agreement."
The city must also email meeting notices and agendas to the media upon request, at least 24 hours before meetings, per the compliance plan and the same notices and agendas will be sent to the Attorney General's Office and posted on the city’s website.
Approved meeting minutes will be posted online within 72 hours, as per the plan.
Under the settlement agreement, the Attorney General's Office will review meeting notices and agendas for compliance, notifying the city of deficiencies and if the city corrects them, the Attorney General's Office will not pursue litigation over those deficiencies.
Missouri's Sunshine Law stems from Chapter 610 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. The Attorney General’s Office handles complaints about Sunshine Law violations by local public governmental bodies, regularly conducts public training sessions throughout Missouri and provides resources and sample forms on its website.
In 2023, Bailey's office noted it had set a new office record for the number of Sunshine Law training sessions conducted in a single year and resolved a record number of Sunshine Law complaints.