By Associated Press
Oklahoma City, OK – Okla. Court: Trust violated Open Meeting Act
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that a trust overseeing a voluntary buyout program for residents of the Tar Creek Superfund site has violated the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.
The state's highest court made the ruling in an 8-1 decision handed down Tuesday.
It says the Lead-Impacted Communities Relocation Assistance Trust violated the act by allowing Secretary of Environment J.D. Strong and representatives of appraisers to attend executive sessions where appraisals and property purchases were discussed.
The court says they were not authorized to attend the closed meetings.
It sent the case back to Ottawa County District Court to decide if former residents and property owners in the region should be allowed access to records of the trust's executive sessions.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.