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Clay County Commission hears Missouri Sunshine Law overview from AG office
Summary
Brandon Roberts of the Missouri Attorney General's Office gave a roughly hour-long presentation to the Clay County Commission on open-meetings and public-records obligations under the Missouri Sunshine Law, covering notice, closed-session rules, electronic records, records-request timing and fees, and best practices for commissions and staff.
At a special session of the Clay County Commission, Brandon Roberts, Sunshine Director of Sunshine Law Outreach at the Missouri Attorney general's office, delivered a presentation on the Missouri Sunshine Law and answered commissioners' questions about public meetings and records.
Roberts framed the law as a presumption of openness and told the commission, “I am not an attorney… The court is the one that imposes the penalties for any infractions of the law.” He summarized the statute’s intent: “The public's business is a public's business,” and urged commissioners to treat requests for information with transparency unless a specific statutory exemption applies.
Roberts told the commissioners the sunshine law applies broadly to public governmental bodies, including municipalities, counties, special districts and advisory committees created to report to those entities. He noted electronic communications can constitute meetings if a quorum participates: “An electronic record may…
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