Executive Session Security

[Guest WHB]

My question pertains to who can have knowledge of events/minutes from issues addressed in Executive Session. Our Board has a staff member that keeps minutes for regular and executive sessions. She then distributes copies for approval and/or revisions. Should she be allowed in executive session and should she be privy to those minutes or should the secretary keep the minutes and how should the be stored/archived without non-board members having access?

[George Mervosh]

This is all left to the discretion of the Board. Just keep the minutes separate from regular meeting minutes, as you already know.

[Steven Britton]

RONR/11 p.96, l. 9 - 14: "The minutes, or record of proceedings, of an executive session must be read and acted upon only in executive session, unless that which would be reported in the minutes - that is the action taken, as distinct from that which was said in debate - was not secret, or has been lifted by the assembly."

Also, RONR/11 p.95 l. 32 - "...only members of the body that is meeting, special invitees, and such employees or staff members as the body or its rules may detemine to be nessary are allowed to remain in the hall."

I'm assuming the staff member taking minutes is perhaps referred to as "clerk," or "executive,"something."

Generally, the Secretary or maybe the employee would read the "secretary's" or "clerk's" copy" of the executive session minutes to the body, in another executive session. Unless the executive session minutes are detailed, why would they need to be distributed ahead of time?

Unless the assembly some how orders otherwise, I would generally advise that additional copies not be made. If they are made, I would also advise that all copies only be distributed (and later collected) at the meeting.