(a) A news medium organization that wishes to be given advance notification of special meetings of a Municipal body shall file with the Clerk of Council a written request therefor on a standard form provided by the Clerk.
In the event of an emergency requiring immediate official action as referred to in subsection (d) hereof, a special meeting shall not be held unless at least twenty-four hours advance notice of the time, place and purpose of such special meeting is given to the news media organizations that have requested such advance notification in accordance with subsection (b) hereof.
(b) News media requests for such advance notification of special meetings shall specify:
(1) The Municipal body that is the subject of such request;
(2) The name of the medium organization;
(3) The name and address of the person to whom the written notification may be mailed; and
(4) The names, addresses and telephone numbers (including addresses and telephone numbers at which notification may be given either during or outside of business hours) of at least two persons to whom oral notification may be given.
Any such request shall be effective for one year from the date of filing with the Clerk or until the Clerk receives written notice from the medium organization canceling or modifying such request, whichever is earlier. Each requesting news medium organization shall be informed of such period of effectiveness at the time it files its request. A request may be modified or extended only by filing a complete new request with the Clerk. A request shall not be deemed to be made unless it is complete in all respects and unless such request may be conclusively relied on by the Municipality, the Municipal body that is the subject of such request and the Clerk.
(c) The Clerk shall give oral or written notification, or both, as the Clerk determines, to the news media organizations that have requested such advance notification, in accordance with subsection (b) hereof, of the time, place and purpose of each special meeting, at least twenty-four hours prior to the time of such special meeting.
(d) In the event of an emergency requiring immediate official action, a special meeting may be held without giving twenty-four hours advance notification to the requesting news media organizations. A person calling such meeting, or the Clerk on such person's behalf, shall immediately give oral or written notification, or both, as the person giving such notification determines, of the time, place and purpose of such special meeting to such news media organizations in accordance with subsection (b) hereof. The minutes or the call, or both, of any such special meeting shall state the general nature of the emergency requiring such immediate official action. (Ord. 75-26. Passed 1-5-76.)