Rules & Procedures 01-30-1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Conclusion The city and state requirements and policies regarding conflicts • of interest can be complex and difficult to apply to specific situations . This memorandum and attachments are intended to provide each of you and your employees with the laws themselves and some general guidance. I encourage each of you to consult me if you have questions about the application of these statutes and this ordinance to a specific situation. OPEN MEETING LAW Also attached to this memorandum is a copy of Minnesota Statutes Section 471 . 705 , the State Open Meeting Law. Because this law has changed somewhat in recent years, and there have been a number of recent cases decided under it, I thought it would be helpful to review the open meeting law requirements with you as well . Basic Requirements The basic requirements and principles of the open meeting law are as follows : o All meetings of the City Council and any committee, subcommittee, board, department or commission thereof must be open to the public. • Votes on any action taken at such a meeting must be • recorded. o Written materials distributed or available to the participants in such a meeting must be available for inspection by the public. o Notice of any such meeting must be provided to the public, including three days written notice of special meetings . o Penalties include: o $300 civil liability for each intentional violation of the open meeting law; o Forfeiture of office for three or more intentional violations . Affected Groups The open meeting law has been very broadly construed by the Minnesota courts . Therefore, it must be assumed that the open meeting law applies to all boards and commissions receiving this memorandum, and any other group the Council officially appoints for a specific purpose with at least some delegated authority. 110 6 .