City attorneys brief commission on Arizona open-meeting rules and conflict-of-interest duties

City Attorney Carl Cooper and Deputy City Attorney Amy Shriver told the commission that Arizona law requires public bodies to conduct business openly and to give the public notice sufficient to inform them of matters to be discussed and decided. The presentation described when a gathering counts as a meeting, how a quorum is defined, and how electronic communications can create an unlawful meeting.

The attorneys said a meeting occurs when a quorum of a public body gathers in person or by technological means and that a quorum is a majority of members. Shriver warned that email chains, text-message threads or social-media posts that involve enough members and discuss matters likely to come before the body can constitute a meeting under…