02-25-2015 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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RELEVANT LINKS: The Free Press i'. County of Blue Earlh, 677 N.W.2d 471 (Minn. Ct. App. 2004) (holding that a county's statement that it was closing a meeting under the attorney- client privilege to discuss "pending litigation" did not satisfy the requirement of describing the subject to be discussed at a closed meeting). Minn. Stat. § 13D.05. subd. I (d) Minn. Stat. § 13D.04, subd. 5. Minn. Stat. § 13D.03. IPAD 13-012. Minn. Stat. § 13D.03. Minn. Stat. § 13D.01, subd. 3. IPAD 05-027. IPAD 00-037. The commissioner has also advised that citing the specific statutory authority that permits the closed meeting is the simplest way to satisfy the requirement for stating the specific grounds permitting the meeting to be closed. Both the commissioner and the Minnesota Court of Appeals have concluded that something more specific than a general statement is needed to satisfy the requirement of providing a description of the subject to be discussed. All closed meetings, except those closed as permitted by the attorney-client privilege, must be electronically recorded at the expense of the public body. Unless otherwise provided by law, the recordings must be preserved for at least three years after the date of the meeting. The same notice requirements that apply to open meetings also apply to closed meetings. For example, if a closed meeting takes place at a regular meeting, the notice requirements for a regular meeting apply. Likewise, if a closed meeting takes place as a special meeting, the notice requirements for a special meeting would apply. 1. Meetings that may be closed The public body may choose to close certain meetings. The following types of meetings may be closed: a. Labor negotiations under PELRA A meeting to consider strategies for labor negotiations, including negotiation strategies or development or discussion of labor -negotiation proposals, may be closed. However, the actual negotiations must be done at an open meeting if a quorum of the council is present. The following procedure must be used to close a meeting under this exception: • The council must decide to close the meeting by a majority vote at a public meeting and must announce the time and place of the closed meeting. • Before closing the meeting, the council must state on the record the specific grounds permitting the meeting to be closed and describe the subject to be discussed. • A written record of all people present at the closed meeting must be available to the public after the closed meeting. • The meeting must be tape-recorded. • The recording must be kept for two years after the contract is signed. • The recording becomes public after all labor agreements are signed by the city council for the current budget period. League of Minnesota Cities Information Memo: 11/14/2014 Meetings of City Councils Page 11