Walk It Through: The Public Meeting
A tentative agenda twenty-four hours ahead, any open meeting recorded, and a closed one only with permission.
A resident wants to know what the city council will consider at its next meeting.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One city council meeting. The rule that meetings are open, the grounds on which a meeting may be closed, and the penalties and remedies for a violation are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Recording a meetingA public body allows the recording of any open meeting by audiotape, videotape or other electronic means, and may set guidelines to minimize disruption.
- Tentative agendaThe matters to be considered that a public governmental body gives notice of, with the time, date and place of the meeting, at least twenty-four hours before it, not counting weekends and holidays when the facility is closed.