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City attorney walks council through open meetings, quorum and public-records rules
Summary
City Attorney Bardoff provided an extended training on open meetings law, walking quorums, email/social-media cautions, public-records retention (7 years), enforcement options and Robert's Rules-based parliamentary procedures; the presentation emphasized that a quorum is six and reviewed penalties and enforcement remedies.
City Attorney Bardoff delivered a comprehensive training for the Monroe Common Council on open meetings and public-records obligations. He opened the presentation by saying the public "is entitled to the fullest and most complete information regarding the affairs of government," then reviewed core concepts: a meeting generally exists when one-half or more of a governmental body's members take part in deliberations, a council quorum is six, and certain supermajority votes (for example a budget) can require a 0.667 majority. Bardoff warned about "walking quorums" (informal sequential contacts that effectively assemble a quorum) and cautioned that email exchanges and social-media posts can create an official record if they include discussion or decisions.
The attorney outlined compliance requirements and consequences: agendas must be posted at least 24 hours in normal circumstances (shorter notice allowed in emergencies), public records generally must be maintained for seven years, enforcement can be undertaken by the district attorney or attorney general and, after 20 days, private individuals may bring suit. He cited possible forfeitures and attorney-fee exposure (a range discussed on the record as roughly $169 to $515) and reminded members that voiding of actions is a potential remedy when open-meetings violations occur. He also reviewed parliamentary rules adopted by city code, including time and speaking limits and motions' procedural classifications.
