The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Joplin Metro

Discussion

October 27, 2007

MSSU board withholds meeting packets from public

By Joe Hadsall

jhadsall@joplinglobe.com

Missouri Western State University hands them out before a meeting.

Missouri State University and Truman State University make them available online.

But a member of the public who requests a meeting packet from Missouri Southern State University’s Board of Governors will be told “no” — for now.

Members of public governmental bodies often receive packets of information regarding the business at hand at upcoming meetings. Those packets contain agendas, financial statements, and other documents used for doing business.

Board Chairman Dwight Douglas said that MSSU hasn’t made those packets available to the public because they are deliberative documents meant for discussion purposes. But that may change, he said.

“Usually, the packets have only the agenda and financial report,” Douglas said. “We have never made those public. But, I haven’t discussed this with the full board, and that is something I may well do.”

The university mails a meeting agenda to the Globe, usually received two days in advance of a meeting.

Three Globe reporters who previously covered MSSU over the past 10 years said they never requested packets, but did request documents used during a meeting. All three said the university provided any documents requested.

Douglas did not return follow-up calls from the Globe asking whether that practice would continue.

But the policy of keeping packets from the public stands in contrast to Missouri’s Sunshine Law, said Jean Maneke, attorney for the Missouri Press Association.

“There is nothing in the Sunshine Law that allows that,” Maneke said. “Those are records retained by a public body, and the university needs to make those available.”

Chapter 610.023 of Missouri Revised Statutes says that a public governmental body must make public records available for inspection and/or copying. Chapter 610.010 defines “public records” as any record retained by a public governmental body.

Only documents used in a closed session may be kept from the public, according to the law.

Douglas said he did not know the exact provision of the law which lets the board keep packets from the public.

“I’m not the attorney for the board,” Douglas said. “We will seek the appropriate legal advice on the matter.”

But more boards in the area and across Missouri are increasing the exposure of these packets by posting them on their Web sites.

Officials with Missouri State University, Truman State University and the University of Missouri System post meeting documents online, available a few days before a meeting. Those universities also mail advance copies to board members.

Scott Charton, director of communications for the University of Missouri System, said the Internet has helped the Board of Curators make information more open.

“We have embraced technology to assist with transparency,” Charton said. “We figure it’s better if there are more people who are able to see what we are working on.”

The Joplin and Carl Junction school districts use paperless systems, where the entire packet is accessed electronically. The packets are also available to the public on their Web sites.

The Joplin City Council also posts its meeting packet online.



Sunshine Law

Provisions of the Missouri Sunshine Law can be found online at www.ago.mo.gov/sunshinelaw.

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