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A. Legal requirements for meeting records <br />Minn. Stat. § 15.17. <br />Municipal officers must keep all records necessary to provide a full and <br />accurate knowledge of their official activities. Keeping adequate records <br />involves preserving through a records retention policy the documents that are <br />considered by the council. These include such documents as bills, contracts, <br />and correspondence. Another vital component of keeping adequate records <br />involves taking meeting minutes. <br />1. Records retention <br />Minn. Stat. § 15.17. <br />Records that public officers are required to keep, and those that are necessary <br />Minn. Stat. § 138.225. <br />and appropriate to the proper discharge of the duties of an office, are <br />Minn. Stat. §§ 138.161-.21. <br />government records. It is a crime to destroy such records without statutory <br />authority. <br />To get a copy of the General <br />The state has adopted a general schedule for the retention and destruction of <br />Records Retention Schedule, <br />see"Records Retention Data" <br />a variety of city records. This is commonly known as the "Records Retention <br />at www.mcfoa.org or contact <br />Schedule." Cities that have adopted the general schedule have continuing <br />the Research Department of the <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />authority to destroy listed records after keeping them for the prescribed time. <br />(651-281-1220 or 1-800-925 <br />A city must not destroy any government records that are not on the schedule <br />1122). <br />without specific authorization from the State Records Disposition Panel. <br />2. Meeting minutes <br />Minn. Stat. § 412.151, subd. 1. <br />A statutory city clerk must keep a minute book of all city council meetings. <br />Whalen v. Minneapolis special <br />Generally, the clerk has wide discretion as to how to keep the minutes. A <br />Sch. Dist. No. 1, 309 Minn. <br />292, 245 N.w.2d440 (Minn. <br />verbatim record of everything that was said is not normally required. However, <br />1976). <br />the law does require that the following be included in the minutes: <br />Minn. Stat. § 13D.01, subd. 4. <br />• The members of the public body who are present. <br />Minn. Stat. § 331A.01, subd. 6. <br />Minn. Stat. § 15.17, subd. 1. <br />Minn. Stat. § 412.151, subd. 1. <br />• The members who make or second motions. <br />Minn. Stat. § 412.191, subd. 3. <br />Minn. Stat. § 331A.01, subd. 6. <br />Minn. Stat. § 331A.01, subd. 6. <br />0 Roll call vote on motions. <br />Minn. Stat. § 412.151, subd. 1. <br />Minn. Stat. § 412.191, subd. 3. <br />Minn. Stat. 13D.01, Subd. 4. <br />Minn. Stat. § 331A.01, subd. 6. <br />0 Subject matter of proposed resolutions or ordinances. <br />Minn. Stat. § 412.151, subd. 1. <br />Minn. Stat. § 331A.01, subd. 6. <br />0 Whether the resolutions or ordinances are defeated or adopted. <br />Minn. Stat. § 412.191, subd. 3. <br />Minn. Stat. § 13D.01, subd. 4. <br />• The votes of each member, including the mayor. <br />Minn. Stat. § 331A.01, subd. 6. <br />Minn. Stat. § 412.151, subd. 1. <br />Minn. Stat. § 412.191, subd. 3. <br />Home rule charter cities may have additional requirements in the charter. <br />Minnesota <br />Mayors Chapter 1-23 <br />Association <br />