Shall minutes of a meeting include discussion and results of salary decisions?

[Guest Jeff]

I'm on the board, and am secretary, of a rural water company.  We will soon discuss salaries for our employees.  Are those discussions to be listed in the minutes?  Are the results of the votes by the board on salary decisions to be included in the minutes?  Or are these considered personnel matters that are not to be recorded for public minutes?

[J. J.]

Discussions, i.e. debate, on any subject is not included in the minutes.  A main motion, e.g., "That the manager's salary be set at $_____ ," would be recorded in RONR (48:4).

Any law governing this in your state will supersede RONR, so it is advisable to check with your company's attorney.

[Richard Brown]

3 hours ago, Guest Jeff said:

I'm on the board, and am secretary, of a rural water company.  We will soon discuss salaries for our employees.  Are those discussions to be listed in the minutes?  Are the results of the votes by the board on salary decisions to be included in the minutes?  Or are these considered personnel matters that are not to be recorded for public minutes?

I would think that all salary  discussions would take place in executive session. What transpires in an executive session is essentially secret and cannot be disclosed, with a few exceptions. There should be minutes of what was done in the executive session (but not what was said) but those minutes should be kept confidential and approved only in an executive session.those minutes should be kept separate from the minutes of regular open meetings.

is this organization considered a public body subject to open meetings laws (Sunshine laws)?

Even though the salary discussions and votes might take place in executive session, nothing prohibits the body from making the salaries public. Whether to make them public or keep them confidential is a matter within the control of the body itself.

 

 

[Richard Brown]

3 hours ago, Guest Jeff said:

Or are these considered personnel matters that are not to be recorded for public minutes?

In my opinion salary discussions are personnel  matters.  However, that is something not directly discussed in RONR.. That is an issue for your organization to decide.  There might even be statutory law or court decisions on that point.