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Board of Aldermen moves into closed session under Missouri statute to discuss personnel matters
Summary
At a special meeting Sept. 5, the Board of Aldermen voted to adjourn into closed session citing RSMo. §610.021, subsections 3 and 13, to discuss hiring/firing and personnel records; the motion was moved by Alderman Stewart and seconded by Alderman Cleave.
At a special meeting Sept. 5, the Board of Aldermen voted to adjourn into closed session to discuss personnel matters, citing Missouri’s Sunshine Law, RSMo. §610.021, subsections 3 and 13. The motion was made by Alderman Stewart and seconded by Alderman Cleave, and a roll call recorded a majority of “yes” votes before the chamber closed to the public.
The closed-session motion came after the presiding officer said there was no public participation and asked for a motion to go into closed session “RSMo. §610.021, items 3 and 13, hiring, firing, disciplining, or promoting of particular employees by the public governmental body when personal information about the employee is discussed and individual identifiable personnel records pertaining to performance ratings or records pertaining to employees or applicants for employment.” That statutory citation is the board’s stated legal basis for excluding the public from the discussion.
The motion was moved by Alderman Stewart and seconded by Alderman Cleave. During the roll call, the transcript records affirmative votes for Alderman Cowley, Alderman Cleave, Alderman Stewart, Alderman Hovind (listed as “Hoeven” later in the roll-call sequence in the transcript), and Alderman Lesh. After the roll call, the presiding officer announced, “And with that, we will adjourn into closed session.”
There was no public comment recorded before the motion and no other substantive agenda discussion in the publicly available portion of the meeting. The board did not state in the open session who the employee(s) or applicants involved were, nor did it provide an estimated length of the closed-session discussion. The transcript does not record any formal action beyond the motion, the second and the roll-call votes to enter closed session.
By citing RSMo. §610.021, subsections 3 and 13, the board invoked exemptions that Missouri law recognizes for certain personnel deliberations and individually identifiable personnel records. The board did not state on the public record any follow-up steps or deadlines. The meeting record available here ends with the chamber moving into closed session.
