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City of Arden Hills Planning Commission April 8, 2015 P:\Planning\Planning Commission\PC Miscellaneous\Open Meeting Law Page 1 of 1 MEMORANDUM DATE: April 8, 2015 PC Work Session Agenda Item 2.A TO: Planning Commission FROM: Ryan Streff, City Planner SUBJECT: Open Meeting Law Requested Action Given that the Planning Commission has some new Commissioners, it is appropriate to review the Minnesota Open Meeting Law and its applicability to meetings and communication among Commissioners. Discussion The State of Minnesota has an Open Meeting Law which requires that meetings of public bodies must generally be open to the public. Under the Minnesota Open Meeting Law, all City Council meetings and executive sessions must be open to the public with only a few exceptions. The Open Meeting Law also requires meetings of any committee, subcommittee, board, department, or commission of a public body to be open to the public. For example, the governing bodies of local public pension plans, housing and redevelopment authorities, economic development authorities, and City-created corporations are subject to the Open Meeting Law. The League of Minnesota Cities has published a handbook for Minnesota cities. The section on the Open Meeting Law is attached. Some of the key points to remember in terms of conducting Planning Commission business are: • Avoid discussions involving a quorum or more of Planning Commission members either personally or electronically (phone, emails, etc.). This includes serial discussions where one Planning Commissioner talks (or sends an email) to another and so forth. • Avoid non-meeting discussions with applicants for subsidies, transactions, or land use approvals. • Meet only after providing the required public notice of special meetings. Attachments A) League of MN Cities Handbook – Open Meeting Law