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City attorney quizzes new Syracuse council on Open and Public Meetings Act
Summary
City Attorney Colin led a Q&A training covering the Open and Public Meetings Act: public body definitions, quorum rules, 24‑hour notice and agendas, permissible closed‑meeting topics, electronic meetings, minutes and penalties for violations.
City Attorney Colin led a roughly 20‑minute Open and Public Meetings Act training for newly seated council members, framing the presentation as a question‑and‑answer exercise to clarify statutory obligations.
Topics covered included: how the statute defines a 'public body' and a 'meeting'; quorum rules and what constitutes a meeting; required public notice (at least 24 hours and an agenda sufficiently descriptive to let the public know what will be discussed); exceptions that permit closed meetings (for example discussion of character, professional competence, physical or mental health of an individual and certain real property negotiations); and the requirement that minutes and recordings must be maintained for open meetings. Colin repeatedly emphasized that final action cannot be taken on items not on the agenda except in emergencies and explained that knowingly violating closed‑meeting rules can be a class B misdemeanor with fines up to $1,850 and up to six months in jail.
Council members asked clarifying questions about quorums, workshops and electronic meetings; Colin confirmed Syracuse has an ordinance permitting electronic meetings and reminded members to publish an annual meeting schedule. He also advised councilors to avoid private communications that could be construed as deliberations, and said draft minutes are public under records law.
