Butler County Commissioner Jim Eckstein on Monday alleged the county violated the state Sunshine Act last year when it had a meeting to discuss where Act 13 Marcellus Shale natural gas impact fees would go, and he said a similar meeting this year was canceled.

Eckstein said at the commissioners meeting he asked for a public meeting this year to discuss where the fee money would go. The meeting was to be April 9. However, he found the meeting was not advertised publicly.

“It’s all done privately,” Eckstein said.

He claimed county chief clerk Amy Wilson told him in an e-mail he did not have to attend the meeting if he did not like the way it was being done.

“I think we should have done that in public,” Eckstein said.

That meeting later was canceled.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said Eckstein initially came to the meeting and asked to record it. When Wilson asked if he was recording, Eckstein would not say yes or no. Following this, McCarrier canceled the meeting.

McCarrier said it is legal to tape public meetings, but private meetings require the consent of all parties.

Eckstein said he would have liked to tape the meeting for clarity’s sake.

He said he knew it was illegal to tape private conversations, but said he never tries to hide the fact he tapes public meetings.

He said he would not give a straight answer to Wilson because he felt her question implied he was covertly trying to tape the meeting.

“I was insulted by it,” Eckstein said.

He said the annual county budget already was approved and balanced with the impact fee money, and he said appropriating funding after the fact constitutes a slush fund.

Eckstein also said four projects were removed from the list of requests without him being involved.

“Somebody talked about it behind closed doors,” Eckstein said.

McCarrier said requests for the impact fees will be discussed at a future public meeting.

Eckstein said he attended the meeting last year, which he said violated the Sunshine Act because discussions were done in private.

“I’m ashamed of it. I made a mistake,” Eckstein said.

McCarrier said the county did not violate the law last year.

“I really don’t think we did,” McCarrier said.

He said an informational meeting was held on the impact fee requests for administrators.

He said discussions were held in a public meeting and the requests were voted on in a public meeting.

County solicitor Mike English said commissioners can have a meeting that involves some discussion that does not rise to the level of deliberations that requires the meeting to be public.