The Missouri Court of Appeals has upheld a decision to remove the mayor of a northwest Missouri town from office.

Rita A. Rhoads was ousted as mayor of Tracy last July for hiring her son-in-law to do repair work for the city. Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd argued Rhoads violated the Missouri Constitution’s ban on nepotism when she paid her son-in-law $100 to fix a city sign.

The appeals court on Tuesday upheld a Platte County judge’s decision to remove Rhoads as mayor.

Rhoads argued in her appeal that her son-in-law was acting as an independent contractor, meaning she didn’t give him “employment” with the city. The court said it disagreed.

Rhoads previously had hired her son-in-law to perform other city work.