John Fitzgerald, speaking on behalf of the county attorney’s office, gave the board its annual training on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Conflict of Interest Act (COIA), required by state statute.

Fitzgerald summarized FOIA principles: meetings are broadly construed as public when a quorum convenes to discuss public business; notice requirements include posting date, time and location on the county website and in a newspaper of general circulation at least three days before a regular meeting; and special called meetings require contemporaneous notice to the public. He reviewed FOIA exceptions that permit closed sessions — personnel matters, acquisition or disposition of real estate, prospective business, and consultations with legal counsel on litigation — and reminded the board that closed sessions must be limited to the statutory exemptions cited when the motion to enter closed session is made.

On records, Fitzgerald advised that public records include emails and other compilations of words or numbers and recommended retaining transactional public‑business records for at least five years as a rule of thumb. He also said board members should limit public‑business communications to official email accounts to simplify FOIA searches.

Regarding COIA, Fitzgerald said elected officials must complete COIA training within two months of assuming office and at least once each calendar year thereafter; disclosure statements of personal interests must be filed with the local governing body’s administrator within two weeks following election, appointment or employment in applicable circumstances. He recommended consulting the Commonwealth’s attorney for full immunity if needed and noted that local government attorneys can provide advisory opinions but that such opinions are not equivalent to full immunity.

Fitzgerald closed by offering to answer follow‑up questions and pointing members to online training resources.

The board then took a short break.