AMARILLO, Texas – A lawsuit against the City of Amarillo claims city council members and the mayor violated the Texas Open Meetings Act multiple times.
Claudette Smith and Michael Fisher filed a complaint with the Potter County District Clerk claiming that city council members Place Two Freda Powell, Place Three Eddy Sauer, and Place Four Howard Smith attended a public forum on Wednesday, May 24th, 2017, put on by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation, they say that would represent a quorum, thereby violating the Texas Open Meetings Act.
While there were other agendas sent out for that week, there was no agenda sent out by the City Secretary for the AEDC that week.
The lawsuit also claims that council members Sauer, Powell, and Place One Elaine Hays carried on a conversation on Tuesday, October 31, 2017, after the public portion of the meeting adjourned, discussing city business, thereby violating the Texas Open Meetings Act, again.
The suit also claims that on another occasion, Mayor Nelson asked members of the public to not take pictures or record the city’s regularly scheduled meeting on March 27 of this year. Read more…