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Libby council approves minutes despite residentallegation of record tampering
Summary
Libby City Council approved minutes for meeting 1668 by a 5—1 vote after a resident accused councilors of violating Montana transparency law and tampering with public records; the council took no formal remedial action on the accusation at the meeting.
The Libby City Council voted to approve the minutes for Regular Council Meeting 1668 after a public commenter accused the council of violating state transparency statutes and tampering with the public record.
A resident who identified their address as 1117 Nevada Avenue told the council that prior minute approvals (including items 1664, 1666 and 1677) violated constitutional "right to know" and said the minutes contained "a bald ... lie," citing "MCA 45-7 d208" and urging the record to reflect his protest. "Four of you voted to approve public records that were not true," the resident said, adding that the statute carried criminal penalties.
Council proceeded to a vote on approval of meeting minutes 1668. The motion carried 5—1, with Councilor Ian Smith recorded as the lone no vote. No additional formal action, referral or staff directive was announced at the meeting to investigate the allegations.
Why it matters: The resident framed the complaint as alleging potential criminal tampering with minutes, which—if pursued outside the meeting—could prompt administrative review or legal inquiry. At the meeting, council members moved forward with routine business, and the minutes as presented were accepted.
Council did not debate the substance of the resident's allegations during the minutes vote, and no timeline or next step for resolving the complaint was set on the record. The public commenter requested that the council place his objections into the public record; that request was made during the public-comment portion preceding the minutes vote.
The meeting record shows the council continued with the agenda after the vote, including other routine approvals and reports. The council's formal acceptance of the minutes stands unless the council later reconsiders or initiates an internal or legal review.
