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Presenter: Annual open-meetings training stresses legal duties and penalties
Summary
At a joint city-and-school training required by South Dakota law, the presenter reviewed notice, quorum and executive-session rules and warned that violating 'SCCL 1-25' can be a criminal offense punishable by fines or jail.
The joint meeting of city and school board officials met for the mandatory open-meetings training required under South Dakota law. Chair called the session to order and the Presenter led the training, noting the state attorney general’s open-meeting pamphlet is available as a reference.
The Presenter said the statutory requirement exists to preserve public participation, and emphasized legal risk for noncompliance. "So, if you violate SCCL 1 dash 25, it's a crime. It's an act of crime that you can go to jail for and be fined for," the Presenter said, urging officials to follow notice and quorum rules.
The instruction covered definitions of a public meeting, best practices for posting notices and packet access, and a review of recent open-meetings commission findings. The Presenter referenced local cases the commission reviewed to illustrate common mistakes and recommended conservative practices — such as posting notices and avoiding deliberation outside open sessions — to reduce enforcement risk.
The training concluded with an offer to take questions and a reminder that formal actions must be taken in open session; the meeting then moved to adjournment.
