06-19-02 Orientation - Laserfiche WebLink

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Section 2: Open Meetings Act Texas Government Code, Chapter 551, is commonly referred to as the TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT. This article generally requires that every meeting of a governmental body be open to the public and enumerates some exceptions to the requirement. 2.1 "Meeting" means a deliberation between a quorum of a governmental body, or between a quorum of a governmental body and another person, during which public business or public policy over which the governmental body has supervision or control is discussed or considered or during which the governmental body takes formal action. 2.2 "Governmental Body" means every City Council in the State, and every deliberative body having rule making or quasi-judicial power and classified as a department, agency, or political subdivision of a city. 2.3 "Deliberation" means a verbal exchange during a meeting between a quorum of a governmental body, or between a quorum of a govemmental body and another person, concerning an issue within the jurisdiction of the governmental body or any public business. 2.4 A Posted Notice is required of a meeting of a City governmental body. Written notice of the date, hour, place, and subject of each meeting must be posted on a public bulletin board, located at a place convenient to the public in the City Hall for at least 72 hours preceding the scheduled time of the meeting. Only those matters posted can be discussed and acted on by the governmental body. 2.5 Minutes are required to be prepared or a tape recording made of each open meeting. 2.6 Closed Meetings. The Texas Open Meeting Act does not allow for closed or executive meetings on a few limited subjects. Closed meetings are allowed to discuss pending litigation, certain personnel matters, and the lease or acquisition of land. However, before a closed meeting can be held, a quorum of the governmental body must convene in an open meeting and the presiding officer publicly announce that a closed meeting will be held and identify the sections of the Open Meeting Act authorizing the closed meeting, No final action, decision, or vote can be made in a closed meeting. All final actions, decisions, and votes must be made in open meetings. Further, the governmental body is required to keep a certified agenda of the matters discussed in the closed meeting and a record of any further action taken, The presiding officer must include an announcement at the beginning and end of the closed meeting indicating the time and place, and must certify that the agenda is a true and correct record of the proceedings. In lieu of maintaining a certified agenda, a tape recording of the closed meeting may be made. It is a misdemeanor offense to participate in a closed meeting where a certified agenda or tape recording is not kept. It is also a misdemeanor offense for any individual to make public such certified agenda or tape recordings unless directed by a court order. These certified agendas or tape recordings must be preserved for at least two years.