From Melissa Davlin’s “Idaho Reports” blog
There have been quite a few accusations of government entities big and small violating Idaho’s open meeting laws recently. That’s not a trend journalists like to see.
So I’m keeping a running tally of such accusations throughout the state, starting retroactively in September. I’ll update with new stories when I see a link. Is there something I missed? Let me know: melissa.davlin@idahoptv.org.
(Full disclosure: I serve on the Idaho Press Club’s First Amendment Committee, which advocates for open government.)
If you need to brush up on Idaho’s open government laws, here’s a handy PDF, courtesy of Attorney General Lawrence Wasden’s office.
Sept. 29: Burley City Council admits to open meeting violation after unnoticed meeting regarding airport (via Times-News): https://magicvalley.com/news/local/mini-cassia/burley-council-admits-open-meeting-violation/article_28fed139-4022-5977-b81c-5550bc386857.html
Sept. 29: West Ada School District trustees void Superintendent Linda Clark’s contract extension after open meeting violation, then go into executive session, with one trustee accusing his colleagues of once again violating open meeting laws (via Idaho Education News): https://www.idahoednews.org/news/west-ada-trustees-void-superintendent-clarks-contract-extension/#.Vg1lPvlVhBd
Sept. 29: Idaho lawmakers pledge to open tax working group meetings to the public after previously meeting with little public notice (via Spokesman-Review): https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/sep/29/idaho-lawmakers-pledge-to-open-up-tax-discussions/
Sept. 27: Cassia County commissioners admit to third open meeting violation, but agree to pay back Perkins bill that taxpayers originally picked up (via Times-News): https://magicvalley.com/thevoice/news/cassia-commission-admits-to-rd-open-meeting-violation/article_74512d95-b81e-5ff5-a977-551a73fe9634.html
Sept. 20: Prosecutor: Transportation group violated open meeting law for its entire 25 years of existence; group will now post meeting notices (via Times-News): https://magicvalley.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/prosecutor-transportation-group-broke-open-meeting-laws-for-years/article_1aedc2d0-1887-55cf-abe5-ee269a1b367f.html
For updates, visit Melissa Dalvin’s Blog.
From Melissa Davlin’s “Idaho Reports” blog