8.10. SR 03-21-1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

r I -'\) ( )j fl~ AGENDA ITEM 8.10. MEMORANDUM TO: MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL FROM: PAT KLAERS, CITY ~.~ .. I STRATOR DATE: MARCH 16, 1994 . ~ SUBJECT: OPEN MEETING LAW e There has been a lot of discussion recently at the State and City level on the Open Meeting Law. In a widely publicized case, some councilmembers from the city of Mton were sued because of alleged violations with the Open Meeting Law. The citizens won this lawsuit. A great deal of the recent Open Meeting Law debate has related to who should pay the attorney fees for the councilmembers for defending themselves in this lawsuit. This debate has spilled over to whether or not the League of Minnesota Cities should continue to offer Open Meeting Law insurance to councilmembers, whether or not this insurance policy and coverage should be adjusted in the future, or whether or not the councilmembers are covered by the general League liability policy even without this special Open Meeting Law insurance. Attached for your information are some of the recent newspaper articles on this topic, an article from the NPELRA newsletter, and articles from the League of Minnesota Cities-Cities Bulletin. As City Attorney Peter Beck will be at this Council meeting, I thought it would be appropriate to receive a brief update from him on the Open Meeting Law. Once everything gets resolved at the Legislature this year, I hope to have an update provided by the City Attorney for the City Council and for all of the City appointed Boards and Commissions which are obligated to follow the Open Meeting Law. Additionally we will then evaluate whether or not the City should purchase the League of Minnesota Cities Open Meeting Law insurance. Current estimates are that this insurance would be $1,280 to cover all City appointed and elected bodies. e P.O. Box 490 · 13065 Orono Parkway · Elk River, MN 55330 · (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425