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City attorney reviews open-meeting and data-practices rules with Arts & Culture Commission
Summary
City attorney Jack Brooksbank trained the commission on Minnesota open-meeting rules and the Government Data Practices Act, warning that quorums, serial communications and social-media threads can trigger public-meeting and public-record obligations and advising commissioners to use city email and staff posting to reduce discovery risks.
Jack Brooksbank, the city attorney, told the North St. Paul Arts and Culture Commission on Feb. 4, 2026, that "all meetings of public bodies must be open to the public," and laid out practical steps commissioners should take to avoid inadvertent violations of the state open‑meeting law and the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
Brooksbank said the law defines a meeting to include any time a quorum — more than half of the commission — discusses city business in person, by text, email, or on social media. He warned that serial communications (a chain of messages passing information among members) and comment threads on platforms such as Facebook that include four…
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