1. All meetings of a public agency shall be held at specified times and places which are convenient to the public, and all public agencies shall provide for a schedule of regular meetings by ordinance, order, resolution, by laws or by whatever other means may be required for the conduct of business of the public agency. The schedule of regular meetings shall be made available to the public.
2. Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the following requirements shall govern special meetings of public agencies:
(a) The presiding officer or a majority of the members of the public agency may call a special meeting;
(b) The public agency shall provide written notice of the special meeting containing the date, time, place of the special meeting and the agenda. Discussions and action at the meeting shall be limited to items listed on the agenda in the notice.
(c) As soon as possible, written notice shall be delivered personally, transmitted by facsimile, or mailed to every member of the public agency as well as each media organization which has filed a written request, including a mailing address, to receive notice of special meetings. The notice shall be received at least twenty-four (24) hours before the special meeting. The public agency may periodically, but no more often than once in a calendar year, inform media organizations that they will have to submit a new written request or no longer receive written notice of special meetings until a new written request is filed. A public agency may satisfy the requirements of this section by transmitting the written notice by electronic mail to public agency members and media organizations that have filed a written request with the public agency indicating their preference to receive electronic mail notification in lieu of notice by personal delivery, facsimile machine or email. The written request shall include the electronic mail address or addresses of the agency member or media organization.
(d) As soon as possible, written notice shall also be posted in a conspicuous place in the building where the special meeting will take place and in a conspicuous place in the building which houses the headquarters of the agency. The notice shall be posted at least twenty-four (24) hours before the special meeting.
3. In the case of an emergency which prevents compliance with the notice requirements in this section, this subsection shall govern a public agency's conduct of a special meeting. The special meeting shall be called pursuant to subsection 2(a) of this section. The public agency shall make a reasonable effort, under emergency circumstances, to notify the members of the agency, media organizations which have filed a written request pursuant to this section, and the public of the emergency meeting. At the beginning of the emergency meeting, the person chairing the meeting shall briefly describe for the record the emergency circumstances preventing compliance with the notice requirements of this section. These comments shall appear in the minutes. Discussion and action at the emergency meeting shall be limited to the emergency for which the meeting is called.
(Ord. No. 1793, § 1, 8-8-11)