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Commission hears rules on emergency and closed meetings, including 0.667 vote requirement for closures
Summary
County attorney Kent Snyder told the commission that emergency meetings should have 24 hours' notice when practicable and that closed meetings require a specific statutory basis, a motion and a roll-call vote with a two-thirds (0.667) majority to approve; certain property-sale discussions may also warrant closure if public discussion would disclose appraisal or impede the transaction.
Kent Snyder reviewed the conditions that permit a public body to go into closed session and the special rules that apply to emergency meetings. "What you do, if it's gonna be a public meeting and you're going to be making a decision regarding something, there needs to be 24 hour notice," Snyder said, adding that if exigent circumstances exist (for example an active fire) the body may act but must later ratify and document the reasons.
Snyder listed proper statutory reasons for closure — personnel matters, pending or imminent litigation, purchase/exchange/lease of real property, water-rights discussions and certain development agreements — and stressed additional protections when real property is involved: "Before you can close the meeting to discuss a proposed development agreement or for the sale of real property, the county must find that public discussion would disclose the appraisal or estimated value of the property and prevent the county from completing the transaction on the best possible terms," he said. He also explained procedure: quorum present, motion naming the statutory reason, a roll-call vote and a 0.667 majority to approve a closed meeting.
Snyder further noted that the county must give prior public notice if the county or RDA holds a closed meeting about a property purchase and that terms of the sale must be publicly disclosed before approval. The training closed with confirmation that staff will continue publishing meeting schedules and materials as required by the Utah Open Meetings Act.
