Kansas City Star Co. v. Shields

LOWENSTEIN, Presiding Judge.

Facing a crisis involving a $15 million budget deficit and with the date for mandatory budget approval by the Kansas City Council fast approaching, the finance committee of the council met for lunch on April 14, 1988, in the back room of Fedora’s Bar & Grill on the Country Club Plaza. Present were three of the four committee members — the chairman, the appellant and one other council member along with the city manager and the city budget officer. No notice of the meeting was given. A proposed budget was discussed, including evaluation of certain city expenditures.…