2.0. ERMUSR 04-10-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

OPEN MEETING LAW The open meeting law applies to "any committee, subcommittee, department, board, or commission" of the city.With certain statutory exceptions, all board and commission meetings must be open to the public. Meetings may be closed only if closure is expressly authorized by statute or permitted by the attorney-client privilege. A meeting is a gathering of a majority of the members of a board or commission at which official business is discussed. It is not necessary that action be taken for a gathering to constitute a meeting. Serial meetings between groups of less than a quorum that are used to deliberate matters in order to avoid open meeting law requirements may also be found to be a violation, depending on the facts in the case. To understand how a serial meeting occurs,imagine that board member A talks to board member B about a city issue,board member B talks to board member C about that issue, and C talks to A. Serial meetings can occur through written correspondence, telephone calls, email, or through social media. See the enclosed Guidelines for Electronic Communications Between Members of Council, Commissions and Boards for additional information. Scheduling of meetings with the staff liaison will help prevent conflict with other groups over meeting times when public participation is particularly desired and could help prevent open meeting law violations. Intentional violations subject an individual to personal liability in the form of a civil penalty up to $300. N:\Public Bodies\Handbooks\Open Meeting Law.doc 105