By Category – Records Requests
JONES v. JACKSON COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT, 162 S.W.3d 53 (Mo.App. W.D. 2005)
The Sunshine Law does not require a government body to create a new record upon request, but only to provide access to existing records held or maintained by the public governmental body.
ANDERSON v. VILLAGE OF JACKSONVILLE, 103 S.W.3d 190 (Mo. App. W.D. 2003)
Anyone seeking access to public records must communicate a request in language that a reasonably competent custodian of the records would understand. The custodian must be able to identify records with reasonable specificity in order to be able to provide access to them.
OPINION NO. 168-2001
Under § 610.032, RSMo, when an executive agency makes a proper request to another executive agency for information that would otherwise be closed, the second executive agency may provide the information without the need for a court order.
OPINION NO. 235-2000
The board of aldermen may review a city employee’s personnel file if it is necessary to care, manage, or control the city. The authority may be delegated through resolution or ordinance to one or more members of the board.
OPINION NO. 153-98
A request for a public record to be provided in a format other than paper, in this case microfilm, must be honored if the public governmental body is able to reproduce the record in that format.
Note: Section 610.023.3, RSMo, has since been amended to require that if records are requested in a certain format, and that format is available, the public body shall provide the records in the requested format.
OPINION NO. 82-97
If a city council member is absent from a meeting that is closed pursuant to § 610.021(3), RSMo, the council member should have access to the minutes from the closed portion.