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Open Meetings

Iowa Code § 21.5 — a closed session only by a two-thirds vote, and only for the listed reasons

  • Meetings of governmental bodies are preceded by public notice and held in open session unless a law expressly allows a closed one.
  • Minutes show the date, time, place, members present, the action taken, and each member's vote, and they are public records.
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A closed session needs an affirmative public vote of two-thirds of the members or all members present, and only to the extent needed for a listed reason, such as confidential records or litigation strategy with counsel.

Sources for this section (2)
  1. Iowa Code § 21.3 — Meetings of governmental bodies
  2. Iowa Code § 21.5 — Closed session

Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Iowa attorney.

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Walked through

This section is the long version of a step in one walkthrough. Each one takes the same law one decision at a time, with both sides of the moment written out.