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Cemetery commission adopts clearer rules for handling public emails and solicitations
Summary
Members discussed frequent outside solicitations and agreed to route responses through the chair to avoid multiple replies and potential Open Meetings Act issues, while treating the body as advisory for best practices.
The Clay Street Cemetery Commission discussed how to handle outside emails and solicitations and agreed to centralize responses through the chair to avoid multiple members replying directly.
During New Business commissioners said they had received both phishing attempts and legitimate inquiries (including an email from Betsy Mickel seeking to view nuns' graves). The clerk explained the Alaska Open Meetings Act and recommended best practices used by city groups, including blind‑copy distribution lists and directing replies through the chair. The clerk said, "Any time that Danny emails the city council, she blind copies them so that no one can accidentally reply all," and recommended a similar, simplified protocol for the advisory commission.
Members said the goal is to prevent a member‑to‑member email chain that could be construed as a meeting while ensuring members with expertise can contribute. The commission agreed members who want to respond should first tell the chair or clerk and let the chair decide who will reply to the public contact. That approach was framed as a practical step, not a formal legal opinion, because the commission is advisory rather than a decision‑making body.
