Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Open Meetings topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City attorney gives annual Open Meetings and GRAMA training, urges transparency for breaks and social posts
Summary
Garrett Wilcox presented mandatory Open and Public Meetings Act and GRAMA training, advising openness about brief recesses or text messages during meetings and clarifying transitory correspondence and privilege boundaries.
Garrett Wilcox, Midvale City Attorney, provided the statutorily required annual training on Utah’s Open and Public Meetings Act and the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) at the Feb. 4 council meeting.
Wilcox reviewed the Acts’ intent, key definitions, common violations and best practices for elected officials’ social media use. When Mayor Dustin Gettel asked whether receiving a text during a meeting could be permissible, Wilcox recommended the council “ask openly for a 5-minute recess to keep everything transparent.” Council Member Bonnie Billings asked about retention of text messages; Wilcox explained the concept of transitory correspondence and that retention depends on whether a message becomes part of a record tied to a civic decision.
Wilcox also addressed attorney-client privilege limits, telling staff that not every conversation with legal counsel is privileged. Council members raised scenarios about mistaken social-media posts and how to remediate them; Wilcox said such situations are judged case-by-case under the Acts and related case law.
