Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Open Meetings topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City attorney trains council on open‑meeting rules, ethics and public‑records obligations
Summary
City Attorney Eric Johnson led a training explaining Utahs open‑public‑meetings and ethics rules, emphasizing that council members should avoid deliberations outside posted meetings, that emails and texts about city business are public records, and that conflicts must be disclosed in writing.
Eric Johnson, the cityattorney, reviewed Utahlaw on open public meetings and ethics at the Richfield City Council meeting, telling council members they must avoid deliberating about city business outside a publicly noticed meeting. "You should not be deliberating together about city matters outside of an open public meeting," Johnson said, noting that three members meeting informally could constitute an improper deliberation.
Johnson told the council that electronic communications such as emails and texts about city business are subject to public inspection and retention requirements even when they are on a personal device. "If you receive on your personal phone a text about something to do with the city, that is a public document even if it's in your personal phone," he said, adding that the cityretention expectation is generally one year for emails and that text retention can be less explicit in city policy.
On conflicts of interest, Johnson said elected officials must disclose conflicts in writing to the mayor and may choose how to participate thereafter, but they may not vote on matters in which they have a conflict. He described common practices — leaving the dais, sitting in the audience while still participating in discussion, or recusing entirely — and encouraged annual disclosure for standing conflicts.
Johnson also described the limited exceptions that allow emergency agenda items and noted the need for an anchor location if members participate electronically. He recommended that the council err on the side of transparency: "Always be on the side of caution," Johnson said.
The training concluded with council members asking procedural questions about annual disclosure forms and when to bring items to the agenda. The mayor asked staff to ensure the training is recorded in the meeting minutes or otherwise documented for compliance purposes.
