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Open Meetings Provisions: Guidelines for Chairs

1. Inform the designated committee/staff member and follow procedures for announcing the meeting via the Open Meetings Calendar.

2. If requested to do so in advance, inform the designated committee/staff member at least 49 hours before the effect of, and on a regular workday, any change in the regular meeting schedule or any unscheduled meeting, providing the following information as appropriate:

a. Name of Group
b. Change of Time and/or place of regularly-scheduled meeting

i. Previously-scheduled time and place
ii. Re-scheduled time and place
iii. Unscheduled meeting time and place

Should it become necessary to change the location of a meeting when it is impossible to provide notice (such as when it is learned that the scheduled meeting place is acutely unavailable), care should be taken to place on the door of the scheduled meeting place a notice of the change in location, and it would be prudent to delay the opening of the meeting at the new site for enough time to permit individuals attending in response to the posted place to arrive at the new site.

3. If requested to do so in advance, inform the designated committee/staff member immediately upon having informed the members of the group of any emergency meeting. Provide the following information:

a. Name of Group
b. Time, place, and purpose of emergency meeting

Be aware that the law requires that the business conducted at the emergency meeting be restricted to the stated purpose.

4. Follow the prescribed procedures for moving into closed session. All meetings must begin in open session, even those for which all business is to be conducted in closed session. The only permissible reasons for moving into closed session and the required procedures for moving into closed session are given in "Open Meetings Provisions: Procedures for Moving into Closed Session."

a. Cause minutes of all meetings to be taken and approved by the members. The law states that the minutes should be "full and accurate" records of the meetings. Minutes need, in response to the law, be no more or less detailed than is determined by the membership as appropriate to facilitate and document its work. Minutes would normally be expected to identify the date, time, and place of the meeting, the identity of the chair and person taking minutes, and the agenda items which were discussed, and it should describe any formal actions taken.
b. Cause approved minutes to be maintained in a form compatible with providing access to the public to the minutes of specific meetings on request. Publication of approved minutes on committee web pages or anonymous ftp sites will meet this requirement.

5. At the end of the year, submit to the appointing official, along with the annual report of the group, copies of the minutes of all meetings.