§ 150.010. Definitions.

As used in this Article, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms mean:

CLOSED MEETING, CLOSED RECORD OR CLOSED VOTE

Any meeting, record or vote closed to the public.

COPYING

If requested by a member of the public, copies provided as detailed in the provisions of this Chapter, if duplication equipment is available.

PUBLIC BUSINESS

All matters which relate in any way to the performance of the City's functions or the conduct of its business.

PUBLIC GOVERNMENTAL BODY

Any legislative, administrative, governmental entity created by the Constitution or Statutes of this State orders or ordinance of the City, judicial entities when operating in an administrative capacity or by executive order, including:

1. 

Any advisory committee or commission appointed by the Mayor or Board of Aldermen;

2. 

Any other legislative or administrative governmental deliberative body under the direction of three (3) or more elected or appointed members having rulemaking or quasi-judicial power;

3. 

Any committee appointed by or at the direction of any of the entities and which is authorized to report to any of the above-named entities, any advisory committee appointed by or at the direction of any of the named entities for the specific purpose of recommending, directly to the Mayor, Board of Aldermen or the City Administrator, policy or policy revisions or expenditures of public funds. The custodian of the records of any public governmental body shall maintain a list of the policy advisory committees described in this Subsection; and

4. 

Any quasi-public governmental body.

QUASI-PUBLIC GOVERNMENTAL BODY

Any person, corporation or partnership organized or authorized to do business in this State pursuant to the provisions of Chapters 352, 353 or 355, RSMo., or unincorporated association which either:

1. 

Has as its primary purpose to enter into contracts with public governmental bodies or to engage primarily in activities carried out pursuant to an agreement or agreements with public governmental bodies; or

2. 

Performs a public function, as evidenced by a statutorily based capacity, to confer or otherwise advance, through approval, recommendation or other means, the allocation or issuance of tax credits, tax abatement, public debt, tax exempt debt, rights of eminent domain or the contracting of lease-back agreements on structures whose annualized payments commit public tax revenues; or any association that directly accepts the appropriation of money from the City, but only to the extent that a meeting, record or vote relates to such appropriation.

PUBLIC MEETING

Any meeting of a public governmental body subject to this Chapter at which any public business is discussed, decided or public policy formulated, whether such meeting is conducted in person or by means of communication equipment including, but not limited to, conference call, video conference, Internet chat or Internet message board. The term "public meeting" shall not include an informal gathering of members of a public governmental body for ministerial or social purposes when there is no intent to avoid the purposes of this Article, but the term shall include a public vote of all or a majority of the members of a public governmental body, by electronic communication or any other means, conducted in lieu of holding a public meeting with the members of the public governmental body gathered at one (1) location in order to conduct public business.

PUBLIC RECORD

Any record, whether written or electronically stored, retained by or of any public governmental body including any report, survey, memorandum or other document or study prepared for the public governmental body by a consultant or other professional service paid for in whole or in part by public funds, including records created or maintained by private contractors under an agreement with a public governmental body or on behalf of a public governmental body. The term "public record" shall not include any internal memorandum or letter received or prepared by or on behalf of a member of a public governmental body consisting of advice, opinions and recommendations in connection with the deliberative decision-making process of said body, unless such records are retained by the public governmental body or presented at a public meeting. Any document or study prepared for a public governmental body by a consultant or other professional service as described in this Section shall be retained by the public governmental body in the same manner as any other public record.

PUBLIC VOTE

Any vote, whether conducted in person, by telephone or by any other electronic means, cast at any public meeting of any public governmental body.

Ord. No. 2005-1466 §1, 8-16-2005