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Study commission member says council minutes contained a 'bald-faced lie,' cites Montana statute
Summary
A member of the local government study commission told the council they will issue a minority report alleging that several meeting minutes 'contained a bald-faced lie' and cited Montana code sections relating to tampering with public records; council did not vote to correct the minutes during the meeting.
During a local-government study update, a commission member told the Libby City Council that the study phase surfaced concerns about council transparency and the public record and said they would prepare a minority report alleging improper handling of meeting minutes.
The study-commission member summarized areas of concern including water and sewer rates, council transparency and allegations connected to minutes approved at a recent meeting. The member said 'these minutes contained a bald-faced lie which violates uh Montana code tampering with the public record' and noted the potential penalties described in the statute.
Council members acknowledged the concern in discussion but did not take an immediate corrective vote or otherwise resolve the allegation on the record. The speaker said they believed the matter could constitute a statutory violation and intended to prepare a minority report for public consumption.
The council took no formal disciplinary action or vote to amend the minutes during the Jan. 21 meeting; the commission member’s statement remained an unresolved allegation in the meeting record.
Next steps: the commission member plans to publish a minority report; the council may address minutes or pursue clarification at a future meeting, but no timeline was set during the session.
