Tulsa World: Board's meeting is under scrutiny

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Board's meeting is under scrutiny
An employees' group says a state agency violated the Open Meeting Act when it made budget cuts.

By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau
Published: 11/21/2009 2:27 AM
Last Modified: 11/21/2009 3:55 AM

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater has been asked to determine whether the state Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services violated the Open Meeting Act when it recently slashed its budget.

The Oklahoma Public Employees Association filed a complaint against the board earlier this week and asked for an investigation.

The board met last week and discussed plans to reduce its staff by 100 jobs and cut services and programs. The agency took action to cut $7.3 million from its budget in the wake of declining state revenues.

The reduction plan was discussed during a section on the meeting agenda that listed the item as the agency's financial report, which the board adopted.

The agenda item did not mention a reduction in the work force or cuts to programs and services.

Sterling Zearley, executive director of the OPEA, said in a letter to Prater that the agency "failed to comply with the Open Meeting Act in failing to adequately provide sufficient notice of the issues for which the board knew would be discussed."

Zearley is asking that the board's action be deemed invalid and that fines be levied against board members.

Jeff Dismukes, a spokesman for the agency, said, "There was no intention on the part of the board to deceive anyone."

Dismukes said he does not believe that the board violated the Open Meeting Act.

Prater said his office employees "received the complaint Friday afternoon and are following up on the information provided. We are asking the agency to provide information regarding the meeting."

Barbara Hoberock (405) 528-2465
barbara.hoberock@tulsaworld.com By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau

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