Guest Nancy Posted April 24, 2019 at 02:09 PM Report Share Posted April 24, 2019 at 02:09 PM My question is - if a public (open) meeting is being held in a community to provide information to residents, does it automatically become an official board meeting if trustees "take their seats"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted April 24, 2019 at 02:24 PM Report Share Posted April 24, 2019 at 02:24 PM Probably not. A "Board Meeting" would be a meeting of the Board members, as called per the bylaws, or a previously adopted resolution. See page 575. The public might be invited, but that is up to he Board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted April 24, 2019 at 02:36 PM Report Share Posted April 24, 2019 at 02:36 PM 23 minutes ago, Guest Nancy said: My question is - if a public (open) meeting is being held in a community to provide information to residents, does it automatically become an official board meeting if trustees "take their seats"? 8 minutes ago, jstackpo said: Probably not. A "Board Meeting" would be a meeting of the Board members, as called per the bylaws, or a previously adopted resolution. See page 575. The public might be invited, but that is up to he Board. While I don't disagree at all with Dr. Stackpole's response, I believe we need more information in order to properly answer the question. For example, exactly what body is meeting? Is it a board meeting to which members of the community have been invited? Is it a community meeting at which some board members might appear for the purpose of providing information and answering questions? btw, you mention "board meeting" and "trustees" taking their seats. I assume the "trustees" you mentioned are the board members. If not, then we need to have that cleared up, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldon Merritt Posted April 24, 2019 at 08:42 PM Report Share Posted April 24, 2019 at 08:42 PM I think we also need to know if this is a publiic body of some sort. It it is, then the state open meeting law may come into play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted April 24, 2019 at 10:11 PM Report Share Posted April 24, 2019 at 10:11 PM 7 hours ago, Guest Nancy said: My question is - if a public (open) meeting is being held in a community to provide information to residents, does it automatically become an official board meeting if trustees "take their seats"? Exactly what sort of "board" is this? Is it an elected public body or commission? If so, sunshine laws will certainly apply, which vary somewhat from state to state. So it may be that if a quorum of board members meets anywhere, an official meeting is presumed, which could carry with it certain notice requirements and other rules governing what is a properly called meeting. This does not necessarily mean the board must conduct business other than providing information, but it may well be considered an official meeting. But specific answers to legal questions are beyond the scope of this forum, and getting a clear answer to your question might well require consulting an attorney familiar with the applicable regulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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