The Cape Girardeau County Clerk’s office is the official Custodian of Records.
Public Records Request
Cape Girardeau County is committed to openness in government. It is the policy of Cape Girardeau County that meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations of public governance are open to the public unless otherwise provided by law.
The law sets out the specific instances when a meeting, record or vote may be closed, while stressing these exceptions are to be strictly interpreted to promote the policy of openness.
Individuals requesting records under Section 610 RSMo are advised to do so by filling out a records request form and providing the form with complete and valid contact information, signed and dated, to the to the Administrative Assistant (3rd Floor Administration Building, 1 Barton Square, Suite 301, Jackson, MO 63755), or by mail to: County Clerk, Attn: Records Requests, 1 Barton Square, Suite 301, Jackson, MO 63755. You may request records by using the Public Records Request Form.
When a request is received, access to the record will be made as quickly as possible, but no later than the end of the third business day. If access to a public record is not granted immediately, an explanation will be given as to why the record cannot be produced without delay and a timeline of when the record will be made available. There may be times when a record is stored in an offsite location or will take time to research, locate, or reproduce. When reasonable cause for delay is explained, the period for producing the record may exceed three business days.
The Cape Girardeau County Clerk’s office will notify the requestor of the cost before filling the Sunshine request. Research time may be charged at the actual cost incurred to locate the requested record. Copying time shall not exceed the average hourly rate of pay for clerical staff.
You may find more information about the Sunshine Law or download a copy of the Missouri Sunshine Law booklet from the Missouri Attorney General’s website.
Kara Clark Summers
Cape Girardeau County Clerk/Election Authority
1 Barton Square, Suite 301
Jackson, MO 63755
(573) 243-3547