(d) "Official meeting" means a meeting, assembly, or gathering together at any time or place or the simultaneous communication by conference telephone or other electronic means of a majority of the members of a public body for the purpose of conducting hearings, participating in deliberations, or voting upon or otherwise transacting the public business within the jurisdiction, real or apparent, of the public body. However, a social meeting or other informal assembly or gathering together of the members of a public body does not constitute an official meeting unless called or held to evade the spirit and purposes of this Article.
In the previously posted petition where you see the word "secret" please substitute the phrase "openly discussed at regular, advertised Town Council meetings". Council agendas are generally established well in advance of the regular meetings; all agenda materials and supporting documents are put together in the form of a "council book" the week before the meeting. If the council member would just read that material they would be reasonably prepared for the meeting.
Do council members ever contact each other privately to ask others opinions or promote their position on specific topics? Certainly, wouldn't you want them to, rather than try and hash things out at the meetings? That's the way things were done when I served on the council with former Mayor Smith.
Having attend most every meeting, I believe I have seen open discussion, deliberation, and votes on each of the "secret" matters noted in this petition.
By the way, how much credence do you give a document such as this one, presented anonymously by an author that failed to sign or identify themselves with an email address like Annie Onime@rip.ax.lt ? Would you sign it?
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