Peculiar mayor faces possible impeachment after allegations of deceit
PECULIAR, Mo. (KCTV) - The mayor of Peculiar, Missouri, may soon be ousted from his seat after allegations that he mishandled important financial information regarding a public safety proposition have come to light.
The City of Peculiar Board of Aldermen convened for a special meeting at 5 p.m. on May 2 to discuss the possible impeachment of Mayor Doug Stark. voted unanimously to approve an ordinance to begin proceedings to remove him from office.
Documents filed with the City have revealed that on Jan. 27, just before a meeting to vote on whether to put Proposition P on the ballot, Don Shepard, the current Police Chief and interim City , became aware of important facts that were not included in his public statement.
Specifically, city records indicated that the information regarded the proposition’s financial impact on the City’s budget and use tax rate. However, Stark allegedly ordered Shepard not to correct his previous statement or make the Board of Aldermen aware before their vote.
The proposition intended to bolster public safety through the Peculiar Police Department with a 0.5% citywide sales tax. If approved, the tax would have been in place for more than a decade to allow for commercial and retail growth to catch up.
Despite repeated requests from Shepard to inform the Board of the misinformation, Stark allegedly continued to deny him permission. In April, however, Shepard was finally able to convince Stark to allow him to do his job and advise the Aldermen.
“The Mayor’s directive prevented Mr. Shepard from performing the duty required of his position and thereby deprived the Board of pertinent financial information from Jan. 27 until April 28, 2025,” the impeachment proceedings stated.
As part of his city-sworn oath, Stark vowed to “faithfully demean himself while in office.” He has now been charged with two articles of misfeasance and failure to faithfully demean himself in office.
A public hearing is expected to be held at 6:30 p.m. on June 2 to consider any disciplinary actions to be taken against Stark and whether he shall remain mayor. The Board of Aldermen will then vote and determine his possible impeachment.
A two-thirds vote is necessary, which means four out of six Aldermen are required to convict and remove Stark. Stark was initially elected to serve a 2-year term in 2024.
KCTV5 News has reached out to Mayor Stark for a statement and has yet to receive a response. No further information has been released.
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