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Open Meetings Act |
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Meetings defined The Open Meetings Act manual defines a meeting as "to convene a quorum of a public body for the consideration or transaction of public business." A quorum in most cases is a simple majority, unless specific statutes apply to dictate otherwise. Meetings can take place with a majority of the members in a single room, or they can take place via conference call, video conference or instant messaging. The manual notes that a requirement for a meeting is "immediate interaction" of members. Thus, a single note passed from one member through mail or courier to another, e-mail messages, or other communication of this nature has no immediate interaction and is not considered a meeting. The Act applies whether the public body calls the gathering a meeting, a work session, a pre-meeting or any other term. In some instances, public bodies have held staff "retreats" which were closed to the public. According to the manual, that is OK if the purpose of the retreat is to build communication between members, but it is not OK if it is held to set public policy. In some cases, a quorum of members can be together without the gathering being a meeting. For instance, even if all the members of a board or commission attend a Chamber of Commerce function, the Act does not apply unless the members all get together and begin discussing public business. In other words, the Act does not apply to chance encounters or social occasions of this nature.
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