Open Meeting Law

Open meeting laws are laws mandating that members of the public be allowed to attend government meetings. The goal of such laws is to ensure that the public is informed of the actions of its government.

Typically, open meeting laws include provisions mandating that governments give advance notice to the public of when and where their meetings will be held and the agendas for each meeting. Additionally, the laws often mandate that the government entity publish a record after the fact of what transpired at the meeting in question.

Websites and open meetings

The Transparency Checklist recommends that government websites at a minimum include:

• Time and place of meeting;
• Tentative agenda of an open meeting;
• Agendas archived for 3-5 years; and
• Minutes of all meetings for past 3-5 years.

Desirable

• Whether the meeting is open or closed;
• A video if the meeting is videotaped;
• Two weeks notice of the meeting and place of meeting; and
• Whether public input is allowed at the meeting and, if so, what the rules are that govern public input.

See also

• County websites
• City websites
• School district websites
• State agency websites

External links

• Public Notice Resource Center
• Washington Coalition for Open Government, Open Meeting law
• New York Open Meeting law