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Regional planner gives Open Meetings Act training; reminds council of state funding list deadline
Summary
Regional planner Shay Morrison led required Open Meetings Act training at the Jan. 27 Mona City Council meeting, covering notice and quorum rules, recording and minutes requirements, closed-session rules, roll-call voting, and the May 1 deadline to add projects to the state's Permanent Community Impact Board list.
At the Mona City Council meeting on Jan. 27, regional planner Shay Morrison provided the council’s required annual training on the Open Meetings Act and related governance topics, and urged the city to consider its projects for the state’s Permanent Community Impact Board list.
Morrison walked council members through posting and notice requirements, what legally constitutes a meeting, and how quorums operate in Mona’s six-member structure. "A meeting is essentially ... when [a public body] has a quorum present discussing the public's business," Morrison said, explaining that a quorum can exist even when some members are absent and that notice requirements still apply. He also emphasized that recordings for open meetings must not be edited and that pending and approved minutes have specific public-posting timelines.
Morrison described closed-meeting procedures under state code: communities must generally take a two-thirds vote of members present to enter a closed session, and the mayor must sign an affidavit if the closed session is claimed to have stayed within the allowed subjects. On emergency meetings, Morrison said the council must notify members and obtain a majority agreement, but those meetings require shorter notice than the standard 24-hour posting.
Morrison also urged the council to put projects on the state's CIV list to remain eligible for loans and grants. "CIV, if you're not aware, is the Permanent Community Impact Board. It's probably the biggest funding source in Utah for critical infrastructure projects and especially in rural Utah," Morrison said, and reminded the council the CIV list is open now and closes on May 1.
He offered practical governance advice: avoid texting or emailing among council members during meetings because those communications can be subject to records requests, prefer roll-call votes on action items, and ensure public hearings and other notices meet the statutory timelines.
On a council question about campaigning during meetings, Morrison said he could not find a clear state-code prohibition and described that as his non-legal opinion. The training concluded with a budget timeline overview (tentative budget availability in May; final budget approval by June 30) and suggestions for long-term planning such as pavement lifecycle analysis and road-funding approaches.
Morrison told the council he could assist staff with entering projects into the Utah project portal and would circulate a registration link for regional training events on May 6.
The training served as the council's annual OMA instruction and will be reflected in meeting minutes as documentation of the required certification.
