Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Open Government topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Verona adopts ordinance banning municipal nondisclosure agreements
Summary
The council unanimously adopted ordinance 26-1087 to prohibit the city from executing nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements that would prevent public access to government information, with council and counsel noting rare, narrow exceptions could be revisited later.
The Verona Common Council voted to ban municipal nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements, a move the mayor framed as a protection for open government.
Mayor Mary Diaz told the council such agreements run counter to the public-records principles that guide municipal government. "The idea that the government could sign an NDA and say, well, now we're going to keep public records secret because we signed a contract — that's ridiculous," the mayor said.
Council members across the dais expressed broad support. The city attorney noted the council has discretion to adopt such a prohibition but described a narrow, unusual circumstance in which a municipality might use a confidentiality agreement during transactional negotiations (for example, acquiring a privately owned recreation asset), and that courts ultimately decide public-records disputes. He said the council could revisit the ordinance if a uniquely compelling situation arose.
The ordinance (26-1087) was moved by Alderman Tucker Long, seconded by Alderman Harrison, and approved by voice vote.
What comes next: The ordinance establishes a citywide prohibition on executing NDAs in most municipal contexts; the council may consider formal exceptions and procedures through future ordinance amendments if a rare and demonstrable need arises.
