On February 13, 2024, Public Act 214 of 2023 (“PA 214”) takes effect, amending Michigan's Open Meetings Act to give some public bodies greater freedom in holding electronic meetings....more
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 16, 2020, at the Attorney General’s request, Governor Greg Abbott utilized Section 418.016 of the Government Code to suspend certain requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Act...more
Public bodies across the state utilize consent agendas during their public meetings to streamline certain routine items. Typically, these items include approval of minutes, payment of bills, acknowledgement of staff reports...more
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the work of public entities had to continue. Amended Substitute House Bill 197 made that possible, by modifying the requirements of R.C. 121.22 to permit public bodies to meet by...more
On October 16, 2020, Governor Whitmer signed SB 1108 amending the Open Meetings Act (“OMA”) to allow meetings of public bodies to be held electronically or with remote participation, at least through December 31, 2020. The...more
On April 2, the Division of Local Government Affairs in the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) issued an operational guidance document to ensure the continuity of land use application procedures and to ensure...more
Usually, this is a busy time for municipalities and school districts, as they are in the process of crafting and seeking approval of their budgets for the ensuing fiscal year. Depending on the particular applicable charter...more
In a recent Illinois Appellate Court decision, a taxpayer unsuccessfully challenged a school district’s guaranteed energy savings contract. School Board members should be aware of this decision because the favorable outcome...more
Does your agency place a time limit on public comments at meetings? So long as time restrictions placed on public comment periods are reasonable and don’t violate state or federal law, the Second District Court of Appeal,...more
Public entities can place reasonable time restrictions on public comment at their meetings as long as the time restrictions do not violate state or federal law, a California appellate court said in a fairly sweeping decision....more
Like years past, there were plenty of laws passed in Sacramento in 2016 that will impact public agencies. Here is a summary of those that have specific importance to your work. We hope that you will contact us for further...more
In a crucial victory for transparency, a Florida state appeals court ruled that the state's open meetings law will not "condone hiding behind federal mediation" when municipal governments try "to thwart the requirements of...more