The Indianola City Council met in regular session Monday evening, where Mayor Pam Pepper read a statement regarding allegations that the Indianola City Council was in violation of the open meetings laws.0558

“The most recent set of allegations included illegal and nefarious meetings held by council members and staff on May 17th of 2021, claiming to be in violation of chapters 21 and 22 of the Iowa Code, that’s open meetings and open records. These allegations were brought to my attention as Mayor and City Attorney Doug Fulton in the early morning hours of May 18th, 2021. This meeting was in fact a social gathering among some colleagues after a council meeting, and no evidence suggests city business was discussed in violation of chapters 21 and 22.”

Mayor Pepper also said the allegations were brought forth by former Mayor Kelly Shaw, former City Council and Mayoral candidate Stephanie Erickson, and former City Council candidate Steve Armstrong, and a complaint was filed with the State of Iowa’s Public Information Board (IPIB). Last week, IPIB issued an order to dismiss the claims brought forth against the City of Indianola.

Mayor Pepper went on to say in the statement the city welcomes transparency and plans to continue serving the community in an open and communicative manner, however they will not tolerate the continued harassment of city officials outside their homes and deliberate exhaustion of city resources for political posturing.

Listen to the full statement from Mayor Pepper below.