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RELEVANT LINKS: Moberg v. lndep. Sch. Dist. No. 281, 336 N.W.2d 510 (Minn. 1983). See also IPAD 10-011 and IPAD 06-017. Mankato Free Press v. City of North Mankato, 563 N.W.2d 291 (Minn. Ct. App. 1997). Mankato Free Press v. City of North Mankato, No. C9-98- 677 (Minn. Ct. App. Dec. 15, 1998) (unpublished decision). Compare St. Cloud Newspapers, Inc. v. Dist. 742 Community Schools, 332 N.W.2d 1 (Minn. 1983) and A.G. Op. 63a-5 (Feb. 5, 1975). A.G. Op. 63a-5 (Feb. 5, 1975). Moberg v. Indep. Sch. Dist. No. 281,336 N.W.2d 510 (Minn. 1983). 6. Serial meetings The Minnesota Supreme Court has noted that meetings of less than a quorum of the public body held serially to avoid public hearings or to fashion agreement on an issue may violate the open meeting law depending on the circumstances. A Minnesota Court of Appeals' decision also indicates that serial meetings could violate the open meeting law. The Minnesota Court of Appeals considered a situation where individual councilmembers conducted separate, serial interviews of candidates for a city position in one-on-one closed interviews. Although the district court found that no meetings had occurred because there was never a quorum of the council present, the court of appeals remanded the decision back to the district court for a determination of whether the councilmembers had used this interview process for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of the open meeting law. On remand, the district court found that the private interviews were not conducted for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of the open meeting law. This decision was also appealed, and the court of appeals, in an unpublished decision, agreed with the district court's decision. A city that wants to hold private interviews with applicants for city employment should first consult with its city attorney. 7. Training sessions Whether the participation of a quorum or more of councilmembers in a training program should be considered a meeting under the open meeting law would likely depend on whether the program includes a discussion of general training information or a discussion of specific matters relating to an individual city. The attorney general has advised that a city council's participation in a non- public training program devoted to developing skills is not covered by the open meeting law. However, the opinion also stated that if there were to be any discussions of city business by the attending members, either outside or during the training session, it could be seen as a violation of the open meeting law. 8. Telephone, email, and social media It is possible that communication through telephone calls, email, or other technology could violate the open meeting law. The Minnesota Supreme Court has indicated that communication through letters and telephone calls could violate the open meeting law under certain circumstances. League of Minnesota Cities Information Memo: 11/14/2014 Meetings of City Councils Page 19