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Participant challenges meeting’s legality as trustees cite fire-marshal limits
Summary
An attendee challenged whether the meeting was legal and questioned room capacity; trustees and meeting leaders said fire-marshal capacity governs attendance and that the Open Meetings Act does not require accommodating everyone who arrives, and asked for order so business could proceed.
A participant interrupted the start of the Board of Trustees meeting to say the session was “illegal,” and said they had contacted the state Open Meetings Liaison (OML). The Chair and other meeting leaders asked for order and emphasized the need to follow fire-marshal capacity limits.
During the exchange, a staff member told the board they had contacted OML counsel (naming Christian Reinhart in the record) and recommended proceeding under the town’s usual procedures. The Chair responded that the fire marshal sets a maximum capacity and said, “there’s nothing in the open meetings act that says that we have to accommodate every person that comes in.” Meeting leaders repeatedly asked for respect and gave instructions to allow the agenda to continue.
The dispute did not result in any formal action; the board proceeded to its agenda after the brief interruption. The transcript records the claim that OML was contacted and the exchange about capacity and legal obligations, but does not record any formal legal opinion on the record.
