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Council updates public-records policy to align with revised Missouri Sunshine Law
Summary
The council amended the city code to conform to recent changes in the Missouri Sunshine Law, allowing the city to require estimated-fee payments before beginning work on records requests and to treat unpaid requests as withdrawn after 90 days.
The council adopted Ordinance 25-09-06 on Sept. 2 to amend the city's open-meetings and public-records code in response to revisions to the Missouri Sunshine Law that took effect Aug. 28. City Manager Molly McGovern explained the revised state law permits municipal governments to require payment of estimated fees before staff begins searching, reviewing and redacting requested records (previously the law allowed payment prior to making copies). The city's draft ordinance implements that authorization and includes an administrative rule that a records request will be considered withdrawn if the requester does not pay within 90 days.
Council members characterized the change as pragmatic, noting that large or complex records requests can consume substantial staff time; one member said the revision prevents abusive or speculative requests that consume municipal resources. The ordinance also incorporates statutory changes related to closing/redacting records containing juvenile information and certain utility-account details.
The ordinance was adopted unanimously. City staff will implement procedures for fee estimates and notifications to requesters before beginning records searches and redactions.
