The city of Joplin is being sued by the local newspaper, which wants to know how many taxpayer dollars are being spent on severance agreements with the former police chief and the former city finance director. The Joplin Globe claims the records are public documents. Editor Ed Simpson says the suit has been filed only after the city refused repeated requests for the information. The city manager admits he made the deals without the knowledge of the city council. The deals were made last August and last March.