JEFFERSON CITY • The mayor and three members of the Berkeley City Council violated state ethics rules for participating in a city grant program designed to fight blight in the north St. Louis County community.

According to an order issued by the Missouri Ethics Commission, the four elected officials agreed to fines totaling $1,000 each after they took part in a grant program that gave homeowners in the city money to rehabilitate the exterior of their homes.

The 2018 grants were not available to employees of the city, the agreement noted.

Along with Mayor Theodore "Ted" Hoskins, City Council members Brenda Williams, Emmalene Mitchell and Lee Etta Hoskins agreed to the MEC findings. Lee Etta Hoskins is the wife of the mayor.

Under terms of the agreement, which was signed by the officials earlier this week, the four can each pay $100 and the full fine will be waived if they do not violate state ethics laws for a two-year period.