Derby city attorney reviews Open Meetings and Open Records law; council asks about social media, executive sessions

Derby City Council on Jan. 28 heard an annual review of the Kansas Open Meetings Act and Kansas Open Records Act from the city attorney, who urged elected officials and staff to be cautious with serial communications, social media interactions and e-mail “reply all” exchanges.

The presentation explained why meetings must be open, what counts as a “meeting” under state law and how interactive serial communications — phone calls, texts, e‑mails or social‑media threads that involve a majority of a governing body and a shared topic of city business — can trigger a statutory violation. "It is a shared responsibility between staff and the elected officials," the city attorney said, adding that transparency "builds credibility" and deters misconduct.

City Attorney Jackie told the council that the Kansas statute requires reasonable notice of meetings and access to agendas, and that cameras and recording devices must be allowed during public meetings though the city may set reasonable rules to preserve decorum. She also said…