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Got a question? Try Ask the MMA What are the requirements for minutes of a public meeting?
Q: What are the requirements for minutes of a public meeting?
A: The Open Meeting Law (M.G.L. Ch. 39, Secs. 23B), as well as the Public Records Law, requires every governmental body to maintain accurate minutes of all its meetings. At a minimum, minutes must set forth the date, time and place of the meeting, the identity of the members present or absent, and all “action taken.” Action taken includes not only votes and other formal decisions made at a meeting, but also discussion or consideration of issues for which no vote is taken or final determination is made. Each discussion held at the meeting must be identified; in most cases this is accomplished by setting forth a summary of each discussion. A verbatim record of discussions is not required.
The Open Meeting Law contains no provisions regarding the form in which minutes of meetings must be maintained. The longevity requirements for record preservation under the Public Records Law, however, require that a governmental body eventually put its minutes into a written form. Such a requirement is also consistent with the Open Meeting Law’s intent of providing ready access to legible minutes. For the same reason, typed minutes, though not required, are preferable.
Adapted from Open Meeting Law Guidelines, published by the Middlesex district attorney’s office in September 2003
Got a question? Try Ask the MMA What are the requirements for minutes of a public meeting?
What are the requirements for minutes of a public meeting?
Q: What are the requirements for minutes of a public meeting?
A: The Open Meeting Law (M.G.L. Ch. 39, Secs. 23B), as well as the Public Records Law, requires every governmental body to maintain accurate minutes of all its meetings. At a minimum, minutes must set forth the date, time and place of the meeting, the identity of the members present or absent, and all “action taken.” Action taken includes not only votes and other formal decisions made at a meeting, but also discussion or consideration of issues for which no vote is taken or final determination is made. Each discussion held at the meeting must be identified; in most cases this is accomplished by setting forth a summary of each discussion. A verbatim record of discussions is not required.
The Open Meeting Law contains no provisions regarding the form in which minutes of meetings must be maintained. The longevity requirements for record preservation under the Public Records Law, however, require that a governmental body eventually put its minutes into a written form. Such a requirement is also consistent with the Open Meeting Law’s intent of providing ready access to legible minutes. For the same reason, typed minutes, though not required, are preferable.
Adapted from Open Meeting Law Guidelines, published by the Middlesex district attorney’s office in September 2003
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