Training warns Ruston officials against serial meetings and clarifies executive-session limits

City Attorney Jennifer S. Robertson told the Ruston City Council and Planning Commission that sequential private communications (texts, emails, social-media exchanges) that collectively involve a majority of members may constitute a “serial meeting” and thus violate the Open Public Meetings Act. She illustrated the risk with a hypothetical email-and-text chain and advised that if members intend to deliberate or reach agreement, the conversation must occur in a properly noticed public meeting.