More than 45 people gathered at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston the evening of Dec. 8, 2014 for the first of four open-government workshops in North Idaho this week featuring Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden. The free sessions, sponsored by Idahoans for Openness in Government, or IDOG, cover how to comply with Idaho’s two key open government laws, the Idaho Open Meeting Law and the Idaho Public Records Act, and are for local and state government officials and employees, reporters, editors and photographers from all media, and interested citizens.

Monday night’s session, co-sponsored by the Lewiston Tribune, included interactive skits in which audience members took on roles, including one in which Doug Bauer of the Tribune portrayed a county prosecutor and Jaynie Bentz of the Port of Lewiston a county commissioner, helping illustrate the do’s and don’ts and generating laughs along the way. Lewiston Tribune Publisher Butch Alford guaranteed the session would be worth the price of admission, or he’d refund double the price – it was free.

Among the issues that came up during the session: Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane noted that members of public boards shouldn’t be texting one another during meetings. “We’ve actually had cases of folks texting during a meeting and not having the discussion,” he said. “If you’re texting during the meeting, you’re robbing the public of the purpose of the Open Meeting Law.” Plus, he noted, those texts become public records and the public’s entitled to see them.

He also emphasized a line in the Open Meeting Law that says the “mere presence of legal counsel” does not justify a closed executive session; the law requires more than that. “The corollary to that is folks will send an email and copy it to their attorney, and claim it’s attorney-client privilege” to evade the public records law, Kane said. “It doesn’t work that way.”

When an audience member asked where notice should be posted if a board meeting is held at a board member’s home, the answer was: That’s not advised. A public meeting means anyone can come in, even to that home. But if that’s the place, notice must be posted somewhere prominent, like on the front door or the mailbox out front.

In evaluations, participants gave the session high marks. One public agency employee wrote that he learned something he can put to use right away: Information on what really qualifies under the “labor negotiations” exemption from the Open Meeting Law, and on how to “cure” open meeting violations by redoing the meeting in public. The labor negotiations exemption is for formal negotiations between the agency and a union representing its employees; not for general discussion of employment issues.

A citizen who attended said he learned how to be more watchful of local events – something he really wants to do. A local official said she learned to watch agenda changes, and follow the proper procedures for them. A reporter called the session “informative.” Another member of the news media wrote that his takeaway was: “Public process is our ticket to democracy!”

The IDOG workshops are funded in part by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation through the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Moscow, Idaho’s historic, wood-paneled City Council chambers was the scene of some hilarity on Tuesday night, Dec. 9, 2014, as City Councilman Walter Steed played the part of a lucky reporter overhearing his local county commissioners illegally conducting public business over breakfast at a local café – while Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson played the county commission chairman, throwing in some zingers at Steed while he was at it. The skit was part of a workshop on Idaho’s open meeting and public records laws that drew nearly 30 people, ranging from local elected officials to reporters, records clerks, lawyers, civic volunteers and interested citizens.

In the skit, the fictional county commissioners ended up with $500 apiece fines for knowingly violating the Idaho Open meeting Law. “An important note with the penalties,” Deputy Idaho Attorney General Brian Kane told the crowd, “Those are to you as a person, meaning that your government entity doesn’t pick up the tab for you violating the open meeting law.”

Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden was the lead presenter at the workshop, sponsored by Idahoans for Openness in Government and co-sponsored by the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Wasden said all sides need to understand what the rules are. Lee Rozen, Daily News managing editor, said, “These laws are often misunderstood in the details and in the intent – either by the public, by the press, by government staff and by elected officials.” That’s why all those groups are invited to the IDOG sessions.

Moscow’s session was the 31^st that IDOG and Wasden have presented around the state since 2004, visiting all parts of the state on a three-year cycle; the sessions last came to North Idaho in 2011.

Attendees in Moscow gave the session high marks. “Should have done this 12 years ago,” commented an elected official. “Good material.”

“Thanks for doing this,” wrote a member of a state commission. She said she learned something she’ll put to use right away: “How to handle executive sessions.”

A government employee said he came away with a “much better sense of what I need to pay attention to in my job.”

A local attorney offered this as the takeaway: “Proceed cautiously – serve the public.” Wrote another attendee, “As a newly elected legislator, a great overview of the process as well as explanation of the history and background for the open meeting and public records laws.”

Wrote a reporter: “It is the public’s business.”

The IDOG sessions are funded in part by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation through the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

More than 50 people gathered in the spacious Conference Room at the Development Center in Rexburg on Thursday evening, Oct. 17, 2013, filling the room, to learn about Idaho’s public records and open meeting laws. They ranged from reporters and editors to college students to elected officials to employees of school and hospital districts, cities, counties and interested citizens.

Asked to sum up what he learned from the evening, a city councilor wrote in his evaluation of the session, “A lot!” Wrote a newspaper editor, “Very helpful and informative.”

An elected official wrote that he learned, “If you think you know everything, ha – you may be surprised.” Another elected official wrote that she had learned something she’d immediately be able to put to use: “Draft minutes must go out before formally adopted by the board – label as draft.”

A citizen wrote, “I have rights as a citizen to records I never knew I could access.”

Said another, “I went to a city council meeting, and this explains a lot of the rules they have to abide by.”

The crowd snacked on refreshments supplied by IDOG and co-sponsors the Rexburg Standard Journal and the Idaho Falls Post Register, while learning about the laws and their real-life, practical application through interactive skits, stories, a slide show, and presentations from Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane, and IDOG President Betsy Russell, with assistance from communications director Bob Cooper of the Idaho Attorney General’s office.

The well-attended session sparked lots of questions, all of which were answered. There were plenty of laughs, and a few heated moments.

Wrote one media member who attended, “I learned that Jefferson County has problems.”

A planning and zoning administrator wrote, “The information about executive session was very helpful.” What she plans to put to use from the session: “Making sure that we follow the open meeting law.”

A student at BYU-Idaho had this comment: “If you want to be an educated citizen, which you should, this is an integral component of that education.”

A city clerk called the session a “great refresher course,” and a reporter wrote, “The meeting minute information was especially helpful.”

A county employee said this is what she plans to put to use from the seminar: “How to better assist the public.”

FORT HALL, Idaho – The beautiful new Sho-Ban Hotel & Event Center was the setting for a highly entertaining and very well-attended IDOG seminar on Idaho’s open meeting and public records laws on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, co-sponsored by the Blackfoot Morning News, the Idaho State Journal and the Post Register.

More than 60 people attended, including representatives of five cities – Idaho Falls, Roberts, Shelly, Blackfoot, and Aberdeen – several counties, numerous districts ranging from school to hospital to sewer to cemetery districts, state agencies, reporters and editors for news media from the Blackfoot Morning News to the Idaho State Journal to the Sho-Ban News, interested citizens, elected officials, political party representatives and more.

A highlight of the evening was when a clerk for a small district comically and despairingly asked if it was good enough for a public meeting agenda to simply say, “New business, old business, adjournment,” and the answer was a clear “no.” The crowd laughed with her as she resolved to do better.

There were also entertaining moments in the interactive skits, as Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, took a turn portraying a blustery citizen, and Monsanto Corp. official and former Idaho GOP Chairman Trent Clark acted the part of a snoopy reporter.

Through it all, there was lots of learning going on, and the crowd took it in good spirits.

Asked to sum up what he’d learned, one elected official wrote, “Learn the rules – then think.”

“You must know your stuff when serving on public boards/councils,” wrote a city councilor.

“I’m a new employee with the city, so it helped with my training,” wrote another attendee.

A government worker wrote, “This has been a good, common-sense approach to a sometimes difficult law.”

“This presentation has answered my questions,” wrote a citizen.

“I’ve looked at the material before, but this put it in perspective,” wrote a citizen activist.

A reporter wrote, “I need to quit being lax and do a better job asking for records. I needed the refresher course on the state laws.”