Missouri Court of Appeals Finds in Favor of BB&D Clients Demanding Open Access to Government Meetings

BB&D attorneys Robert D. Blitz and Christopher O. Bauman represented taxpayers who brought a class action against the St. Louis County Board of Equalization.  The Board of Equalization determines property value disputes between the St. Louis County Assessor and taxpayers.  The Board of Equalization argued that it is not subject to Missouri’s Sunshine Act – which requires governmental bodies to open their meetings to the public – when the Board is hearing and deciding taxpayer appeals.  The Court of Appeals agreed with BB&D’s clients, finding that “as a matter of law, the Board is a public governmental body subject to the Sunshine Act, even when deliberating and deciding tax appeals in a quasi-judicial capacity, and therefore must comply with the mandates of the Act.”  The case was remanded to the trial court for further proceedings.

The Court’s decision can be found here.

 

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