Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Opma Training topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission completes required Open and Public Meetings Act and ethics training
Summary
As required by state code, commissioners viewed an auditor-produced video on the Open and Public Meetings Act and took a follow‑up quiz; training covered closed‑meeting thresholds, notice and recording timelines, and ethics/conflict‑of‑interest disclosure rules.
The Oakley Planning Commission completed its annual Open and Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and ethics training following the land‑use discussion at its Feb. 5 meeting. Lisa (Speaker 5), who led the session, introduced an ~8‑minute training video prepared by the Utah State Auditor and then administered a brief quiz to reinforce key points.
Lisa walked commissioners through OPMA basics, citing the statute: "We're talking about the open and public meetings act, which is found in Utah code, titled 52, chapter 4." She emphasized that closed meetings require a two‑thirds vote of the governing body to convene and outlined standard exceptions (personnel, litigation, real‑estate negotiations, attorney‑client privileged strategy sessions). Commissioners discussed quorum definitions and the requirement that recordings of open meetings be posted within 72 hours; Lisa reiterated that written minutes should be approved and posted per code timelines.
The training also covered notice classes for different hearing types (class A/B) and the specific 10‑day minimum notice for land‑use public hearings. Lisa reviewed municipal ethics provisions and conflict disclosures, warning that accepting compensation or gifts tied to municipal actions could create criminal exposure and that substantial changes in private interests must be disclosed in an open meeting and posted. "If you've got something that you feel you must disclose, it has to be in a sworn statement in an open meeting, and then it has to be posted on the website," she said.
Commissioners asked procedural questions about training frequency (annual) and practical recordkeeping. Lisa noted that proposed rules of order for the planning commission are being drafted and will be brought back for review and possible vote in coming months. The training concluded without incident and the commission proceeded to brief announcements about upcoming City Council dockets.
