Be sure to check out today's Post-Dispatch for the article about the Mehlville Fire Protection District.
Update: For the online version with comments, go to:
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/F90A26ACEC85A14B862576B900030D53?OpenDocument
Showing posts with label St. Louis Post Dispatch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Louis Post Dispatch. Show all posts
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, August 31, 2009
Mehlville Fire Department Board of Directors Break Many Laws
The Mehlville Fire District's Board of Directors has been breaking so many laws lately that they're not even trying to be sly about it anymore.
Let's start with last week's approval of a bid to sell a district firehouse. This was done in closed session. When I asked about the closed session votes, I was told by their records' custodian that she could withhold the votes for 72 hours. I informed her that that was not the law, that only votes on personnel issues could be withheld. I've gone back and forth with the district's attorney for the last couple of days but he won't give me a straight answer. They violated the law and are just playing stupid! Believe me the Call would be crying all the way to the courthouse with this one if it was anybody but their buddies with the Mehlville Fire Board! When I got the info on the sale of the firehouse, I asked why it was in closed session when approval and execution of the sale should be in open session. Guess what? The agenda for the next meeting was amended to include the sale of the firehouse. Either Matt Hoffman or the district should be paying me for legal advice.
Then, I looked a bit closer at the agenda for the meeting on the 27th and there's no tax rate hearing on it. That's good, cause one was never held. Board Chairman Arron Hilmer held perhaps the fastest meeting on public record. His agenda included the sale of the firehouse, public comments and a tax rate hearing. All were done within a minute. He didn't even read the tax rate resolution. No citizens were offered the opportunity to speak. This is what Missouri Law says about tax hearings.
Prior to fixing the rate of taxes, as provided in this section, the county governing body shall hold a public hearing on the proposed rate of taxes at which citizens shall be heard.
And guess what, no minutes were taken of the meeting as required by Missouri's Sunshine Law. The meeting was recorded. There will not be an official record of this meeting, as required by law, for perhaps months, if the district follows its normal practice.
Update/Correction I was wrong. Apparently the regular board secretary wasn't at this meeting and the interim secretary took minutes. Could this be the beginning of complying with Missouri statutes?
Now that's the facts. Here's my opinion. The district's record custodian needs some training on the sunshine law, the district needs to get a new attorney, one that will give legal advice instead of participating in this in this theft of good government and the mainstream media in this town needs to look in on our fireboard. It's understandable why the Call Newspapers willingly go along with this board. They make money off them. But, it's a shame that the Post Dispatch doesn't look into them. My only guess is that the Post gives that north county fire department hell cause their BOD and its lawyer is black. I'm guessing that its more popular with their white readers to go after the black guys when they break the law and abuse the public's trust.
Oh yeah, after all that nonsense about getting a tax decrease after the first ever tax decrease election in the spring, the fire board raised the tax rate the other night!
Let's start with last week's approval of a bid to sell a district firehouse. This was done in closed session. When I asked about the closed session votes, I was told by their records' custodian that she could withhold the votes for 72 hours. I informed her that that was not the law, that only votes on personnel issues could be withheld. I've gone back and forth with the district's attorney for the last couple of days but he won't give me a straight answer. They violated the law and are just playing stupid! Believe me the Call would be crying all the way to the courthouse with this one if it was anybody but their buddies with the Mehlville Fire Board! When I got the info on the sale of the firehouse, I asked why it was in closed session when approval and execution of the sale should be in open session. Guess what? The agenda for the next meeting was amended to include the sale of the firehouse. Either Matt Hoffman or the district should be paying me for legal advice.
Then, I looked a bit closer at the agenda for the meeting on the 27th and there's no tax rate hearing on it. That's good, cause one was never held. Board Chairman Arron Hilmer held perhaps the fastest meeting on public record. His agenda included the sale of the firehouse, public comments and a tax rate hearing. All were done within a minute. He didn't even read the tax rate resolution. No citizens were offered the opportunity to speak. This is what Missouri Law says about tax hearings.
Prior to fixing the rate of taxes, as provided in this section, the county governing body shall hold a public hearing on the proposed rate of taxes at which citizens shall be heard.
And guess what, no minutes were taken of the meeting as required by Missouri's Sunshine Law. The meeting was recorded. There will not be an official record of this meeting, as required by law, for perhaps months, if the district follows its normal practice.
Update/Correction I was wrong. Apparently the regular board secretary wasn't at this meeting and the interim secretary took minutes. Could this be the beginning of complying with Missouri statutes?
Now that's the facts. Here's my opinion. The district's record custodian needs some training on the sunshine law, the district needs to get a new attorney, one that will give legal advice instead of participating in this in this theft of good government and the mainstream media in this town needs to look in on our fireboard. It's understandable why the Call Newspapers willingly go along with this board. They make money off them. But, it's a shame that the Post Dispatch doesn't look into them. My only guess is that the Post gives that north county fire department hell cause their BOD and its lawyer is black. I'm guessing that its more popular with their white readers to go after the black guys when they break the law and abuse the public's trust.
Oh yeah, after all that nonsense about getting a tax decrease after the first ever tax decrease election in the spring, the fire board raised the tax rate the other night!
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