Library board approves minutes, gets Open Meetings Act briefing and adjourns after loss of quorum

The Library Board approved last month’s minutes and then received a training on the Open Meetings Act and the Inspection of Public Records Act before adjourning at 6:09 p.m. after it lost a quorum.

Deputy County Attorney Katie Twaits opened the recorded presentation by identifying the two statutes she would cover and explaining their purpose: “They require that public business be done in the full public view,” she said, adding that inspection-of-records rules are subject to statutory exceptions such as HIPAA-protected medical information and Social Security numbers.

Twaits told the board that four elements are required for a legally open meeting: a quorum, public notice, an agenda with enough specificity for the public to understand the topics, and minutes. She explained quorum math for boards with vacancies — “it’s only the majority of the appointed members” — and cited New Mexico law, noting the relevant provision in the New Mexico Statutes Annotated declaring that meetings of a quorum are public meetings.

Board members asked practical questions. When a member asked whether a presentation counts as meeting business, Twaits answered yes: if a majority of appointed members are discussing board business, the session must follow Open Meetings Act rules even if no formal vote is taken. On email etiquette she warned that multi-member “reply all” chains can create a prohibited rolling quorum and advised routing informational items through the staff liaison to avoid inadvertent multi-member discussion.

The board had earlier moved to approve last month’s minutes; a member moved the approval, a second was offered, and the Chair called the question with the board recording assent. Later in the meeting, a member dropped off the call; staff reported that Brian had disconnected, at which point the board no longer met the quorum requirement. The Chair closed the meeting at 6:09 p.m., stating the board would follow up by email to set a special meeting and post it with at least 72 hours’ notice.

Twaits also noted routine practices: while an agenda packet and slides are commonly provided as a courtesy, they are not required by statute; minutes must be drafted within 10 working days, be treated as public records under IPRA, and be presented to the board at its next meeting for review and approval.

The board did not conduct further substantive business after losing quorum; members agreed to reschedule and to confirm logistics for members, speakers and a meeting space before posting the special meeting notice.