In May of 2020, early in the pandemic, the legislature enacted a new law setting out provisions for remote meetings during a state-level state of emergency. See my blog post here, to see a review the statute, and my blog post here, to see a summary of the recent clarifying amendments to the new law […]
Posts Tagged ‘open meetings’
Clarification of Rules for Remote Meetings Under State Level State of Emergency: No More Waiting 24 Hours After Public Hearings!
Friday, June 18th, 2021At the beginning of the pandemic, a new statute regarding remote meetings– GS 166A-19.24— provided a roadmap for managing government business. Public officials have learned so much about how to do things differently. Shout out to all of you who have pivoted in so many new directions, to keep people safe and healthy, and keep […]
Statutory Permission to Take Up Items Not on the Special Meeting Notice
Monday, January 26th, 2015The Mayor of Transparent City has called a special meeting to allow the city council to designate an interim manager following the former manager’s unexpected departure. In accordance with the open meetings law, the clerk posts a notice stating the time, location, and purpose of the meeting on the council’s bulletin board 48 hours before […]
Who Has Access to Applicant Information?
Thursday, June 5th, 2014Under North Carolina law, records containing information about applicants for local government jobs are confidential. Of course, employees and officials of the local government itself may view applicant information. This blog explores who, within the unit of government, can have access to employee information, and who may participate in closed sessions involving applicant information.
Quick-Reference Guide for Closed Sessions
Thursday, March 13th, 2014The North Carolina open meetings law requires most official meetings of public bodies to be open to the public. The law also lists nine permitted purposes for meeting in closed session. It sets rules for announcing and conducting closed sessions, and cases have interpreted these provisions, providing additional guidance. This blog post outlines the general […]
Who May Attend a Closed Session?
Thursday, November 21st, 2013Two new members have been elected to the Pleasantville town council and are scheduled to be sworn in at the December meeting. A special meeting has been called for November 25, at which the current board plans to address several matters in closed session. As set out in the meeting notice, those matters are: Discussion […]
Remote Participation in Meetings
Tuesday, August 20th, 2013A local government board member will not be able to attend an upcoming meeting. Can she participate by calling in? Regular blog followers may recall that I have written several posts on this topic. With the benefit of your comments and some additional research, I’ve replaced those blog posts with a Local Government Law Bulletin […]
Can the Board Take Action in a Workshop Meeting?
Wednesday, July 10th, 2013A newly elected local government board member is attending an orientation session. Her hand shoots up. “One thing I’ve always been confused about is whether or not it’s legal for a board to take action in a workshop or retreat meeting.” All eyes turn to the board attorney for an answer. “That’s a great question,” […]
Criticizing Public Employees in Public
Wednesday, February 6th, 2013An incident involving the police department has riled up the citizens. The manager and the police chief are coming under heavy criticism. Several people have signed up to speak at the regular public comment period at the next council meeting and have indicated that they will speak about “the need for the firing of the […]
Closed Session Minutes and General Accounts Under the Public Records Law
Wednesday, July 25th, 2012North Carolina’s open meetings and public records laws contain the core transparency requirements for local governments. They’re so often considered together that they can be thought of as first cousins, or even siblings. But they’re not twins, and the North Carolina Supreme Court has made clear that their requirements must be considered independently. (“The Public […]
A Road Trip, a Parking Lot Conversation, and a Site Visit: Are These Illegal Meetings?
Thursday, April 19th, 2012A North Carolina county board of elections, which has three members, is scheduled to meet with representatives of the State Board of Elections in Raleigh. May they legally travel together in one car to the meeting? Three members of a five-member town council are seen conversing in the parking lot after a board meeting. Are […]
Canceling and Rescheduling Meetings
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012Sometimes there just aren’t enough board members to have a meeting. Suppose that a clerk for a North Carolina city or county learns in advance of a meeting that several governing board members have conflicts and will not be able to attend. There won’t be a quorum without these members. What should be done? What […]
Open Meetings and the Public’s Right to Speak
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011North Carolina’s open meetings law creates a broad public right of access to meetings of public bodies by requiring notice of most kinds of meetings, and allowing anyone to attend them. Do those who attend have a guaranteed right to speak at these meetings? The answer is “no.” The open meetings law itself does not […]
When Do Government Transparency Laws Apply to Private Entities?
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011A city contracts with a private company to collect solid waste within the city. If not for this contract, city employees would carry out this function. The only connection between the city and the company is the contract. It’s a small company and the contract accounts for a significant portion of its revenue. Is the […]
Self-Executing Constitutional Provisions
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011This session, legislators have introduced bills (House Bill 87, Senate Bill 67) proposing to amend the North Carolina Constitution to create a right of access to public records, and to require that all meetings of public bodies be open. The law preserves existing provisions of law dealing with these subjects, and creates additional requirements for future […]
Open Meetings and Confidential Taxpayer Information
Thursday, November 11th, 2010What happens when the open meetings requirement clashes with the obligation to keep taxpayer income information confidential? This conflict most commonly involves county boards of equalization and review, but the issue could easily arise at the city level as well with privilege license taxes or occupancy taxes.
Open Meetings Book: New Edition Now Available
Friday, March 10th, 2017Can the board of county commissioners meet in closed session to discuss the performance of the elected sheriff or register of deeds? The open meetings law allows a public body to meet in closed session to talk about employees. But are these elected officials considered to be employees? The county commissioners have no authority to […]
Tags:closed sessions, Minutes, notice of meetings, open meetings, Public Comment, public hearings, sunshine week
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