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OPEN MEETING LAW <br /> The open meeting law applies to "any committee, subcommittee, department,board, or <br /> commission" of the city.With certain statutory exceptions, all board and commission meetings must <br /> be open to the public. Meetings may be closed only if closure is expressly authorized by statute or <br /> permitted by the attorney-client privilege. <br /> A meeting is a gathering of a majority of the members of a board or commission at which official <br /> business is discussed. It is not necessary that action be taken for a gathering to constitute a meeting. <br /> Serial meetings between groups of less than a quorum that are used to deliberate matters in order to <br /> avoid open meeting law requirements may also be found to be a violation,depending on the facts in <br /> the case. To understand how a serial meeting occurs,imagine that board member A talks to board <br /> member B about a city issue,board member B talks to board member C about that issue, and C <br /> talks to A. Serial meetings can occur through written correspondence,telephone calls, email, or <br /> through social media. See the enclosed Guidelines for Electronic Communications Between Members of <br /> Council, Commissions and Boards for additional information. <br /> Scheduling of meetings with the staff liaison will help prevent conflict with other groups over <br /> meeting times when public participation is particularly desired and could help prevent open meeting <br /> law violations. <br /> Intentional violations subject an individual to personal liability in the form of a civil penalty <br /> up to $300. <br /> NAPublic Bodies\Handbooks\Open Meeting Law.doc <br />