Laserfiche WebLink
GGY coin'...yr o.ESTRUCTUaS AND GENERAL LEGISLATION PROPOSED POLICIES <br />. • - <br />GSGL-1. OPEN MEETINGS (A) <br />to <br />City officials strongly support the basic premise of the open meeting <br />law --to assure the public's right to be informed about the conduct of public <br />business. Experience with this law since 1974, however, indicates clearly that <br />there are areas where the legislation should be amended in the public interest. <br />The League believes that there are certain specific instances where the public <br />interest would be better served by permitting a local governing body to meet in <br />executive or closed session. These instances include certain discussions <br />relating to employees such as "hiring" interviews, discussions regarding the <br />purchase or sale of land for a public purpose, and discussions of information <br />protected under the Data Practices Act. These latter situations are parti- <br />cularly troublesome since it is often necessary for the council to choose <br />between violating either the open meeting law or the data practices act. <br />Additionally, the League opposes any legislative attnmpt to alter the <br />recent court ruling that the open meeting law applies only to meetings where a <br />quorum of the governing body or its established committees is present. 'rhe <br />ruling clarified the law which was often viewed as applying to any meeting <br />between two office holders. Limiting the application of the law to gatherings <br />of a quorum or more is a common sense approach to implementing the statute and <br />should not be altered. <br />GSGL-2. ABSENTEE BALLOTING (A) <br />the use of punch card voting devices for <br />Currently, the law allows the use of punch card devices for absentee <br />balloting when a voter applies in person to the municipal clerk for an absentee <br />ballot. The League recommends that the law be expanded to include use of punch <br />card devices for all absentee balloting, including mailed ballots and absentee <br />balloting in health care facilities. <br />GSGL-3. PURCHASING AUTHORITY OF PLAN B MANAGERS (B) <br />Currently the law allows Plan B city managers to make purchases under <br />$1,000 without council approval. This provision has not been changed for many <br />years and inflation has seriously eroded the utility of the provision. The law <br />should be amended to increase the figure to the dollar amounts in the uniform <br />municipal contracting law which allows purchases under $10,000 to be made <br />relatively easily. <br />-3- <br />