Open Meeting, Public Records, Ethics Laws Archives - Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA)

Open Meeting, Public Records, Ethics Laws

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MMA Best Practice Recommendation: Considering Social Media Policies in the Context of the Opening Meeting and Public Records Laws

Established by MMA Policy Committee on Municipal and Regional Administration, published in MMA Best Practices Series, vol 4, 2019

Massachusetts Statewide Records Retention Schedule

Open Meeting, Public Records, Ethics LawsGuidancepdf - 4 MB

Electronic Records Management Guidelines

Open Meeting, Public Records, Ethics LawsGuidancepdf - 96 KB

Open Meeting Law: What is a Meeting and Why Does it Matter Anyway?

Open Meeting, Public Records, Ethics LawsPresentationpdf - 1 MB

The Massachusetts Public Records Law

Open Meeting, Public Records, Ethics LawsPresentationpdf - 35 MB

Law: SJC Decision Guides Open Meeting Law Compliance

Open Meeting, Public Records, Ethics LawsArticlepdf - 440 KB

Explanations for the Attorney General's Revisions to the Open Meeting Law Regulations

Open Meeting, Public Records, Ethics LawsGuidancepdf - 23 KB

To Tweet or Not To Tweet? Social Media, Public Records and the Open Meeting Law

Open Meeting, Public Records, Ethics LawsArticlepdf - 3 MB

Letter from Attorney General’s Office to Rockport Board of Selectmen to Settle an Open Meeting Law Complaint

OML 2015-164, October 27, 2015

Open Meeting Law Guide (2015 update)

Published by the Office of Attorney General Maura Healey, March 18, 2015

Mass Municipal Lawyers Association Open Meeting Law Guide

Presentation at 2015 MMA Annual Meeting, January 24, 2015

O’Rourke v. Attorney General of Massachusetts decision

Presentation at 2015 MMA Annual Meeting, January 24, 2015

2014 Selected Statutes and Cases

Presentation at 2015 MMA Annual Meeting by Christopher Petrini of the law firm Petrini and Associates, January 24, 2015

Act Further Regulating Town Meeting Notices

Presentation at 2015 MMA Annual Meeting, January 24, 2015

Public Body Checklist for Posting a Meeting Notice

Issued by the Attorney General’s Division of Open Government, March 12, 2013

Public Body Checklist for Creating and Approving Meeting Minutes

Issued by the Attorney General’s Division of Open Government, March 12, 2013

Open Meeting Law, Collins v. Wayland Board of Selectmen

Public Body Checklist for Entering Into Executive Session

Issued by the Attorney General’s Division of Open Government, March 12, 2013

Open Meeting Law and Applications for Tax Abatement or Exemption

Q&A from attorney Kevin Batt with the firm Anderson & Kreiger, 2013

Easton Statement of Values

Town of Easton, Statement of Values of the Board of Selectmen. Used as a handout at the MMA Annual Meeting, January 21st, 2012.

Easton Statement of Ethics

Town of Easton, Statement of Ethics of the Board of Selectmen. Used as a handout at the MMA Annual Meeting, January 21st, 2012.

Regulations governing the open meeting law

Published by the Office of the Attorney General’s Office, Division of Open Government, October 1, 2010

The Open Meeting Law

Link to attorney general's Division of Open Government for complete information

Local Officials Must Be Prepared for Changes to Open Meeting Law

By James Lampke, published in the MMA’s Municipal Advocate magazine, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2010

Recovering and Preserving Public Records in the Age of Electronic Documents

By Robert J. Kerwin, published in the MMA’s Municipal Advocate magazine, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2010

The New Open Meeting Law – Taking and Maintaining Minutes

By Brian W. Riley and Lauren F. Goldberg of Kopelman and Paige, January 20, 2010

Ethics 101 - A Guide for Town Managers

Presentation by Belmont Town Administrator Tom Younger, chair of the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association's Ethics Committee, September 22, 2009

Ethics Reform: Chapter 28 of the Acts of 2009

Presentation by attorney Lisa Mead of the firm Blatman, Bobrowski & Mead, September 22, 2009

Summary of key provisions of the Ethics Reform Act (Ch. 28 of the Acts of 2009)

Prepared by the MMA, October 14, 2009

Ethics Commission letter to communities regarding new conflict-of-interest law requirements

Sent on September 22, 2009