City Council Investigations

Another shake-up in one four-state community after city leaders decide to proceed with civil hearings against the town. The city of Columbus is once again in the hot seat just one day after the Mayor of the town was charged with assault. The controversy involves several city council meetings that attornies say may have been a violation of the open meeting act. Cherokee County Attorney Joanna Derfelt says she asked the sheriff`s department to investigate several private meetings between May 30th and July 1st of last year. She says the attorney`s office has prepared petitions to send to each council member in order to avoid any punishment or further investigation. "We`ve also prepared a consent agreement to send each individular person which would avoid us having to file those and proceed w/the case if they would just agree to certain conditions that we`ve set forth," said Joanna Derfelt, Cherkoee County Attorney. Council members are required to return the agreements to the County Attorney within a certain amount of time. Derfelt says if she does not receive them, she will take further action. Reported By: Ryan Loyd