Those attending Monday night’s Festus City Council meeting found papers on their seats, alerting them that the council would be enforcing its rules of decorum.
But the warnings did not deter the outbursts and acrimony that had been expressed at previous council meetings.
The council’s response to outbursts Monday night led to one person being asked to leave the chambers and another being arrested while outside City Hall.
The warnings said, in part, “Please be respectful and observe the City Council’s rules of decorum. Disruptive or disorderly remarks from the audience will not be permitted. Anyone who violates the rules of decorum will be given a warning. If the conduct continues, the sergeant at arms will direct the individual to leave.”
An unidentified man, who had been warned about speaking out during the meeting, left the council chambers and began yelling outside the building in a manner that could be heard inside the council chambers. He was then arrested.
The man was among many residents who have voiced opposition to a Festus data center development project that has been a source of controversy in town since it became known to the public late last year.
In late 2025, CRG announced its plan to develop a hyperscale data center on 361 acres north of Hwy. 67 and west of Hwy. CC. CRG, which is the St. Louis-based data center development arm for Clayco, has estimated the cost of developing the facility at $6 billion. In the Festus project, CRG would develop the property, and then a data center company would operate it, although no operator has yet been identified.
Police Chief Doug Wendel, who is the sergeant at arms at council meetings, said Tuesday morning of the man who was arrested, “He left the meeting on his own. He was not removed. He was given a warning and left. He caused a disturbance outside the building.”
Wendel said the man’s name would not be released unless he was charged.
“There are no charges yet,” Wendel said. “We are seeking charges of trespassing and resisting arrest.”
Within the council chambers Monday night, a woman was asked to leave the room after she made remarks from the gallery after the public comments section of the meeting had closed.
Mayor Sam Richards had asked staff if there were any bids to be considered when Mary Hedger of Festus said from her seat in the gallery, “I do.”
Richards responded, “I’m sorry, this is for official business bids.”
Hedger continued to speak and received a warning to stop speaking.
She didn’t cease, and Wendel told police officers to “escort Mary out.”
After the meeting, Hedger said she believed city officials were trying to intimidate her and others and to repress their right of free speech.
“I was thrown out of the meeting because the mayor asked if anyone had new business,” she said. “I said I have new business.”
She said she will return to future council meetings.
“I’ll be there,” Hedger said.
Dana Bowers, a data center opponent from Franklin County, said she will urge the arrested man to take legal action against the city of Festus.
“They violated his First Amendment rights,” Bowers said. “I hope (the man) files a lawsuit against them. He was outside the building exercising his First Amendment rights.”
Richards on Tuesday said the warnings that Wendel issued on Monday night were not necessarily because of what people said. Rather, Richards said, they were warned because they were disrupting the business of the council.
“Whatever they yelled from the seats, we warned them and when they did it again, they were told to leave,” he said. “How can we conduct our business for the city when we have people heckling and drowning out what people are trying to say?”
In other business
Fourteen residents spoke during the public comments section of Monday night’s meeting. All of the comments pertained to the data center development project or matters that have sprung from the data center project controversy, such as recent efforts to recall the mayor and three council members.
Citizen petitions seek the recall of Richards and councilmen Dave Boyer of Ward 1, Kevin Dennis of Ward 2 and Michael Cook of Ward 4. All four voted in support of and/or voiced support for the data center project.
The Jefferson County Clerk’s Office certified the petitions on Richards, Dennis and Cook on May 28 and on Boyer on June 1. The matter was returned to the Festus City Council to determine if a recall election should be scheduled. On June 8, a vote to proceed with recall elections resulted in a 3-3 vote, with Cook abstaining on the recall vote on himself. Richards broke the tie, voting against the recall election.
On June 18, Dennis McDonald, a Festus resident, filed a lawsuit against the city, seeking to compel Festus city officials to place the recall elections on the ballot. A motion on hearing for a writ of mandamus is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at the Jefferson County Courthouse. The case is before Judge Jason Krol Lewis, a St. Louis County associate circuit court judge, in the Division 13 courtroom.
McDonald alleges the city failed to perform its mandatory, ministerial duty to put the question of recalling the elected officials on the ballot. Steve Jeffrey with the Jeffrey Law Group in Chesterfield is representing McDonald in the petition.