MIDDLESBORO — City council meetings have gotten significantly shorter over the years, sometimes just clocking in at a few minutes long. But Tuesday night’s meeting was nearly over with before it was scheduled to begin.

The council had already convened the meeting, approved all the agenda items, as well as several committee reports before 7 p.m., according to the clock that is on display in the council chamber’s public meeting hall.

City council originally approved 7 p.m. as their normal meeting time for their twice-monthly meetings. Kentucky Revised Statue 61.820 requires all public agencies to announce their meeting times to the public before the meeting. The Daily News was not notified of a change in meeting time.

When questioned after the meeting about why it started early, Deputy Clerk Sandra Wilson (who records the minutes at council meetings) and Council Member Rob Lincks both said that Mayor Ben Hickman goes by the time on his own watch.

Hickman could not be reached at city hall, his business, or home for comment on Wednesday. A message left for him at Hickman Building Supply was not returned.

The Middlesboro Daily News sent a letter to Mayor Hickman at city hall informing him that starting a meeting before the time announced to the public is in violation of the Kentucky Open Records Act.

“This is an unacceptable insult to the people of Middlesboro who have the right to attend this public meeting and to our newspaper readers, who want to know what occurred during the meeting,” said Managing Editor Brandy Calvert in the letter.

Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway states in a guide available on his website called “Open Records and Open Meetings” that once the complaint is received, the public agency must decide “whether to remedy the alleged violation pursuant to the complaint and shall notify in writing the person making the complaint, within the three (3) day period, of its decision.”

Conway further states that “all public agencies shall provide for a schedule of regular meetings by ordinance, order, resolution, bylaws, or by whatever other means may be required for the conduct of business of those public agencies.” Entities in violation of this law may be fined.

At the meeting, the council approved a refund in the amount of $670.79 out of Sewer Funds because the individual did not receive city sewer service. And they voted to put “advertise for one ambulance for Ambulance Service,” according to the agenda.

Street Superintendent Leeman Moyers informed the council that he had contacted L&N Railroad and was looking into a way the train tressel could get a facelift, like painting it and cleaning the rock up.

“It’s been several years since it’s been painted... Hopefully they’ll take care of it for us,” said Moyers. “It might be spring time, but that’d still be good.”

During Community reports, Lincks said that the next Bell County Summit on the Future — which is scheduled for today from 9-2 p.m. at Pine Mountain State Park — was a “real neat opportunity for the county.” He described it as a coming together of the three government entities.

Main Street Manager Kassie Hauser said that she was working on some grants for signage in downtown, though they weren’t due for a while. She said the signs would possibly go on Highway 25-E and on the train tressel “directing people to downtown Middlesboro,” but added that the grants were “pretty vague.”

Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.