Public Records Disclosure #12 The Law is Clear

The Law is clear.
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When must minutes of an open meeting be made available to the public?

Minutes of open meetings, regardless of form, are public and must be made available at the close of the meeting. There is no requirement that the minutes be transcribed or approved before they are made public. A records custodian should clearly mark all such minutes “unofficial.” Minutes of prior open meetings, regardless of form, should be reviewed and accepted promptly. Copies of the minutes of all open meetings should be readily available. Records custodians are strongly encouraged to waive all fees associated with the minutes of open meetings. Minutes of executive session meetings must be reviewed and released regularly and promptly. Executive session minutes must be released to the public as soon as the stated purpose for the executive session protection has ceased.The Open Meeting Law is enforced by the local District Attorney for the county in which the records custodian is located. Any questions regarding the content of minutes, requirements to keep minutes or any procedural aspects of the Open Meeting Law should be addressed to the local District Attorney.

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Since October 2007, the Middleboro Board of Selectmen have not ensured that Meeting Minutes are regularly posted on the Town's Web Site.

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A review of the site, LINK reveals numerous missing minutes, in addition to those that have been posted being out of order and in a 'doc' format.

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It needs to be corrected.

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Chairwoman Brunelle explained that they were 'getting caught up.'

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Mrs. Brunelle, please point out in the law where there is a provision that provides for your excuses.

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This needs to be corrected.

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All that is required is a click of the mouse to post the Meeting Minutes.

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Please do your job.

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Eileen Reese commented on the Selectmen's Meeting.