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Open Meetings Act |
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Notice of meetings The Open Meetings Act requires public bodies only to provide "reasonable advance notice." That notice must be given whether the meeting is to be open or closed, and it should include the time, date and location of the meeting. The Act has no requirement for public bodies to provide meeting agendas, but most public bodies practicing good government do provide some sort of agenda. Public notice could be given to the media who regularly report on the public body. It may also post the notice in a convenient location, such as a bulletin board outside the office, if that method has been used previously and if the body has let people know this is how it will be posted. The Act also allows for "any other reasonable method" of notice. The Act also includes no specific timeframe for giving advance notice of meetings, only that it be as soon as possible once the time, date and location are determined. Meeting sites must be able to accommodate anticipated crowds, and they must be reasonably accessible. A public body cannot, for instance, move a meeting to a neighboring town or in a place designed to preclude public participation.
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