Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance Meetings Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Civilian police review board adopts virtual/hybrid meetings policy, removes mandatory recording requirement
Summary
After debate about records retention and committee quorum rules, the board approved a virtual and hybrid meetings policy amended to prefer written minutes and to allow permissive recording language; staff were asked to revise the draft to reflect majority thresholds for in-person compulsion.
The Columbus Civilian Police Review Board voted to adopt a draft virtual and hybrid meetings policy with amendments that remove a requirement to use recordings as the official minutes and instead rely on written minutes while permitting recordings in some circumstances.
Chair Burns introduced the draft prepared by Attorney Tobias under authority discussed as consistent with the Ohio Revised Code, and a board member summarized the moment as "a long time coming." Members debated section 10's provision that recordings could serve as minutes. One board member urged written or typed minutes because recordings could capture extraneous material and may create long-term public-records retention obligations. A staff member cautioned that recorded meetings are public records and must be stored according to the applicable records retention schedule.
Board members also discussed a provision that would allow a subset of members to require an in-person meeting for a specific agenda item. The board asked that provision be revised to reference a majority of seated members rather than a fixed numeric threshold, to avoid problems if the board's size changes.
The board moved, seconded and carried a motion to adopt the draft policy with the two language adjustments: remove the mandatory-recording clause (section 10) and revise the in-person compulsion language to a majority rule for both committees and the full board. Attorney Tobias and staff were asked to update the text and circulate the revised draft for publication and notice procedures. The board noted that, if recordings are used in the future, staff should coordinate with the records official to ensure proper public notice and retention.
The motion carried by voice vote; the policy will be updated and posted according to the board's records process.
