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Waitsfield
Government
Open Meetings
The Town
of Waitsfield strives to provide a high level of service, access,
and accountability to its citizens in its conduct of Town affairs.
The ability of citizens to participate in the process and
to access information are fundamental to this objective. There
are circumstances, however, when the public's interest is better
served by a board's ability to conduct certain business in private. The
information below was adapted from the Secretary
of State's Web site.
Meetings
Of A Public Body Must Be Open To The Public.
The public
must be given notice of the meeting.
The public
must be allowed to attend the meeting and be heard.
Minutes
of the meeting must be taken and made available to the public
within 5 days of the meeting.
Who
Does The Open Meeting Law Apply To?
Vermont's
open meeting law applies
to all boards, councils, and commissions of the state and its
political subdivisions (such as municipalities), including subcommittees
of these bodies. This means the open meeting law governs
meetings of the Selectboard, Planning Commission, Board of Civil
Authority, the Mad River Recreation District, auditors, listers,
etc. . .
When
Does The Open Meeting Law Apply?
The open
meeting law applies whenever a quorum (a majority) of a public
body meets to discuss the business of the board or to take action.
If a majority of a board happens to find themselves together
at a social function, they must take care not to discuss the business
of the board.
How
Should A Board Notice Its Meetings?
A board
can schedule regular meetings by adopting a resolution setting
the time and place of the meetings and making that information
public. Most Waitsfield boards and committees have a regular
meeting schedule, which are published annually in the Town Report.
Those schedules and any special meetings are also posted
on this Web site. For example, the Selectboard's regular
meeting schedule can be found on their page at www.waitsfieldvt.us/sb
and detailed agendas are posted at www.waitsfieldvt.us/sb/agenda.cfm.
Regular meeting schedules--and special meetings if the Webmeister
is informed--can also be found on the Waitsfield
Town Calendar. At a minimum, meeting notices are also
posted inside the Town Office, outside the Town Office on a bulletin
board accessible 24/7, and at the Waitsfield Post Office.
Special
meetings of a board must be announced publicly at least 24 hours
before the meeting, including the time, place, and purpose of
the meeting, by notifying the board members and the local news
media and any other media that has specifically requested notification,
and by posting notice of the meeting in or near the clerk’s
office and in two other public places in the municipality.
An emergency
meeting may be held in the event of a true emergency without public
announcement so long as some public notice is given as soon as
possible before the meeting.
What
Is The Public’s Right To Be Heard?
The public
must be given a reasonable opportunity to comment on matters considered
by the board at an open meeting, subject to reasonable rules set
by the chair of the board.
What
Do Minutes Of The Board Need To Include?
Minutes
must at least include the names of all members of the public body
present at the meeting, and other active participants, and all
motions, proposals, and resolutions made, and their dispositions,
and the results of any votes taken. Minutes are public records
and must be available for public inspection within five days after
the meeting.
When
Can A Board Meet In Private?
A board
may meet in private to deliberate in connection with a quasi-judicial
hearing, such as that of the Development Review Board or Planning
Commission. This is not an open meeting and does not need
to be warned. Decisions may be made in deliberative session
so long as there is a written decision that is public record.
A board
may only go into executive session upon a majority vote
of the board, on a motion made in open meeting, that indicates
the reason for going into executive session. The only allowable
reasons for going into executive session are set out in 1
V.S.A. § 313. A
board may invite into executive session its attorney, administrative
staff, and persons who are subjects of the discussion or whose
information is needed. No
decisions may be made in executive session.
What
Rights Do The Media Have?
Upon request,
the agendas of regular or special meetings must be made available
to the news media prior to a meeting.
News agencies
that wish to be notified of special meetings must provide a written
request to the public body.
Members
of the news media have the right to attend meetings and to tape
or videotape meetings so long as it is not done in a manner that
disrupts the meeting.
The media
has the right to know the reason a board is going into executive
session.
Links
(Documents and
outside links will open in a separate window)
Contacts
Jennifer Peterson, Town
Clerk/Treasurer
Waitsfield Town Office
9 Bridge Street
Waitsfield, VT 05673
Phone: (802) 496-2218
E-mail: 
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Valerie J. Capels, Town Administrator
Waitsfield Town Office
9 Bridge Street
Waitsfield, VT 05673
Phone: (802) 496-2218
Fax: (802) 496-9284
E-mail: 
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Updated
July 4, 2007
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Waitsfield's
Official Web Site
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Please
send comments to: webmeister@waitsfieldvt.us
Copyright © 2007-2009 Town of Waitsfield, Vermont.
Hosted by http://www.networksolutions.com
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