NOCOMO Board says Sunshine Law doesn’t apply

On May 8, at the first open NOCOMO Industries Board meeting since December 2022, the board of directors reported Missouri Sunshine Laws do not apply to them.

In the agenda, new General Manager Jason Auffert said, “We have learned through our attorney, Bob Sundell, and the director of sheltered workshops for the State of Missouri that sheltered workshops are not subject to Missouri Sunshine law unless we are discussing sources of public funding such as SB40 or other grants. Therefore, all other matters of business are not open to the public.”

The board refused to submit the minutes from the closed meetings it has held since December 2022 and did not detail the reasons it was going into closed session that evening as required by the Sunshine Law.

The only items discussed in open session were SB40 funding and a solid waste grant which Auffert has applied for. No mention was made about the state tax monies received from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) which is the state agency NOCOMO falls under.

Auffert, a Maryville resident, comes to NOCOMO from Federal Mogul in Maryville where he worked for 21 years, 15 of which he was operations supervisor.

In a phone conversation, Sundell said he didn’t know enough about the Sunshine Law and went with what NOCOMO board members had told him. He didn’t directly contact DESE.