Laserfiche WebLink
Regular Council Meeting <br />July 28, 2014 <br />Page 9 <br />Council Member Lancaster said she had not changed her mind, that she still wanted the <br />preliminary copies and insisted it was her right to request it. Mayor Frierson said that was open <br />for Council discussion, he respected her right to have it based on the fact there was now a report. <br />Council Member Lancaster said she wanted both. Council Member Hashmi asked the city <br />attorney why he refused to give copies to Council Member Lancaster. He asked the city attorney <br />if he consulted with anyone in his department or if he consulted TML and what was his basis for <br />not providing copies to Council Member Lancaster. Mr. McIlyar said on the basis that it was <br />not a city record. He also said it was a preliminary draft report from an outside private <br />investigator working for the PEDC and was not a city record. Mr. McIlyar said at the June 23rd <br />City Council meeting that Council announced in public session they wanted Mr. Defenbaugh to <br />issue his report on the investigation both to the City Council and the PEDC Board on or before <br />July 28. Council Member Hashmi said it may not be a city document, but the city attorney was <br />in possession of the document. Council Member Hashmi said that is why he was curious as to <br />what would prevent the City Council from reading it. Council Member Hashmi asked Council <br />Member Lancaster if she had been planning to release the preliminary report and she said <br />absolutely not. Mayor Frierson asked if there was an issue with the way it was requested. Mr. <br />McIlyar said Council Member Lancaster filed a public information request in her own name as a <br />citizen with the city clerk and that triggers all the State Laws and processes for handling a public <br />information act request. Council Member Lancaster referring to a letter sent to the AG's Office <br />said it stated that the requestor was a city council person requesting documents under the public <br />information act. She said it was signed by Stephanie Harris at his direction. Mr. McIlyar said <br />Ms. Harris wrote the letter independently, as she handles all the public information requests. <br />Council Member Lancaster said she wanted those reports and she thought she was illegally <br />denied the reports. Mr. McIlyar told Council Member Lancaster that was her opinion, but that <br />she had posted this item for Council action to decide whether or not the Council wants him to <br />give the City Council the June preliminary draft reports from Defenbaugh and Associates. He <br />said he thought the Council needed to direct him to ask Mr. Defenbaugh and the PEDC Board as <br />the contracting parties to give him written authorization to disclose something that was not a <br />final report. Council Member Lancaster said he directed her on the 25th and she changed that <br />immediately and said that was a misconception he had, but she was changing that, and she had it <br />in writing and he still denied her. Council Member Hashmi said he got a letter too, which was <br />signed by Ms. Harris. He then asked Mr. McIlyar if people in his department worked <br />independent of him and if he was responsible for that acts. Mr. McIlyar said she was an attorney <br />with just as much experience with working the public information act. Council Member Hashmi <br />asked him if he was saying he did not have control over the people who work in his department. <br />Mr. McIlyar said she was in his department. Council Member Hashmi asked who the chief of <br />the department was and Mr. McIlyar said he was. Council Member Hashmi asked whose <br />responsibility was it that she wrote wrong letters. Mr. McIlyar said he did not believe that Ms. <br />Harris issued a wrong letter. Mayor Frierson said they needed to get back to the agenda. Mr. <br />