personal comments in minutes

[Guest Guest]

A local lady attended a meeting of a tax supported district.  In the minutes of that meeting the next month she was incorrectly quoted, called some rather improper names and given a wrong title twice.  She asked that the minutes be corrected to actually say what she said--she had written her comments down and read from that document.  And asked that the personal note on her mental condition be removed as that was improper to be in the minutes and was totally wrong.  The board refused to change the minutes saying they had the right to say what was in her mind, although it was not what she said and even if the titles they gave her were wrong, they would stay.  She is on some state level and local boards, but was at the meeting as a private person.  She was not representing anyone other than herself.  She said that to the board when she asked that the incorrect  titles be removed.  Does she have any recourse.  She is planning on writing a letter to the board and having in included in the current months minutes.  She is a kind and gentle person who only wants the best and in the meeting quietly asked some rather interesting questions--obviously to the audience that she had hit a nerve that the board did not want discovered so they are doing the name calling thing.  Thank you for your help.  I will give her your response.

[Edgar Guest]

The board refused to change the minutes saying they had the right to say what was in her mind, although it was not what she said . . . 

 

Comments don't belong in the minutes at all, whether it was what she said or not. Or whether it was anything the board members said or not.

 

That said, the minutes of many municipal boards will "summarize" the public comments. If those summaries are inaccurate I'm afraid there's not much recourse. In the end (at the end of the day?) the minutes will say what the board wants them to say.

 

Edited to add: I guess the recourse is to elect different board members (i.e. ones who don't claim the ability to read minds).

[Chris Harrison]

Agreeing with Mr. Guest I would also note that she may have some legal recourse but she would need to talk to a lawyer as to what they may be.

[Guest Guest]

Thank you so much.  Is there anything I can tell her that is in Roberts that states just what minutes are to include...and that not being mean, onery and unfounded statements about a citizen.  We  have read and not found any concise statement to quote.  I think at the next meeting --or should I as her friend??----ask what version of Roberts do you use if any for the meeting agenda, etc?  This treatment has several folks quite up in arms.  And yes, an election would be wonderful, but that is four years away and recalls are too expensive.  So are lawyers.  Besides, they need more than nasty name calling to be ousted!!  If the public was allowed to see the checkbook, that might be an option for legal recourse...but that is a hidden document and when one citizen asked what were the current bills and to whom...WOW!!  that brought about a huge verbal explosion by the board chair and secretary.  Interesting, to say the least.  Again, thanks for the comments.  I will share them with her.

[Edgar Guest]

Is there anything I can tell her that is in Roberts that states just what minutes are to include . . .

 

RONR includes sample minutes. You'll find them remarkably brief. You may even think there should be more to them.

 

Some people are under the mistaken impression that the minutes should be so complete that, by reading them, you'll feel like you were at the meeting and didn't miss a thing. But that's not what minutes are for. If you want to hear everything that was said at a meeting you'll need to actually attend the meeting. The minutes, as we never tire of saying, are the official record of what was done (e.g. motions made), not what was said (e.g. debate, discussion, and comments).

 

But, again, the board is free to put recipes for brownies in its minutes.