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• Designation as the head of the police department (repealed). • An automatic seat on the fire relief board (repealed). • The duty of grasshopper inspector (repealed). • The ability to marry people by virtue of the office (myth). IV. Selected areas of law There are a few major areas of municipal law of which every mayor should be aware simply because they are full of traps and easy to get wrong. Some include a particular role for the mayor, some do not, but they are all integral components to running a municipal corporation. This handbook is not intended to tell a mayor everything they need to know about the law, or even these areas. But it should give a mayor enough information to know when to be cautious and find out more. A. Open Meeting Law Minn. Stat. § 13D.01, subd. 1. With only a few exceptions, all city council meetings or gatherings must be noticed and open to the public. This rule applies not only to meetings of council, but meetings of any committee or subcommittee of council, as well as any board, department, or commission formed under the city's authority. Moberg v. Indep. Sch. Dist. No. The law does not define the term "meeting." The Minnesota Supreme Court, 281, 336 N.W.2d 510 (Minn. 1983). St. Cloud Newspapers, however, has ruled that under the Open Meeting Law, meetings are gatherings Inc. v. Dist. 742 community where a quorum or more of the council or other governing body, or of a Schools, 332 N.W.2d 1 (Minn. 1983). committee, board, department, or commission of the city council or other governing body are present, and at which the members intentionally discuss, decide, or receive information as a group on issues relating to the official business of that body. The Open Meeting Law does not generally apply in situations where less than a quorum of the council is involved. A quorum is a majority of the members of council (home rule charter cities may have different quorum requirements). However, serial meetings in groups of less than a quorum that are held in Minn. Stat. § 412.191, subd. 2. order to avoid the requirements of the Open Meeting Law may be found to Moberg v. Indep. Sch. Dist. No. violate the law, depending on the specific facts. As a result, while a mayor can 281, 336 N.W.2d 510 (Minn. 1983). call special meetings, in order to avoid the appearance of a serial meeting, the mayor should not call a special meeting by directly contacting other council members. Rather, best practice is to have the clerk or other city staff contact the council members to notify them of a special meeting. In most cities, the mayor has the authority to lead meetings. Therefore, it's critical the mayor be familiar with the Open Meeting Law and its exceptions. Again, meetings of council must generally be noticed and open to the public. In two cases, however, the council must close a meeting: Minnesota Mayors Association Chapter 1 8