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City attorney reviews Open and Public Meetings Act; council cautioned on public comment changes
Summary
City Attorney Amy Hugie provided annual Open and Public Meetings Act training, emphasizing public-notice requirements, limits on closed sessions, and prohibitions on electronic deliberations; she cautioned that allowing public comment on agenda items during meetings could violate notice rules.
City Attorney Amy Hugie conducted the required annual training on the Open and Public Meetings Act, summarizing key requirements including a 24-hour minimum public-notice requirement for meetings, recordkeeping (minutes and recordings), the narrow grounds for closing a meeting, and prohibitions on deliberating via text or email. She emphasized that violations can carry criminal penalties (Class B misdemeanor).
Councilmembers questioned whether the public could be allowed to speak to agenda items during meetings; Hugie and Mayor Travis Mote explained that permitting such on-the-spot comments without proper notice could create legal risk under open-meetings rules and recommended citizens contact council members in advance if they wish to raise agenda items at a meeting.
