They may not seem like much, but minutes are kind of a big deal. Last time, we explored a legal meeting, and minutes are the legal record of legal meetings.
What makes them important? Once a government body formally adopts the minutes of a meeting (or a work or executive session), it becomes a legal record. In some future lawsuit or court trial, the minutes may be cited to legally establish a fact. Legally adopted minutes can also serve as form of proof for state laws, contracts, and the district’s bond rating.
Given their importance, you’d probably assume there’s a standard format for minutes that all government bodies must follow. And you’d be wrong. State law doesn’t spell out how minutes should be taken or structured, only that they must provide a record of what occurred. Some government bodies use verbatim minutes, capturing every word spoken by every person in the meeting. Others (like my board) use a shorter summary format that meets the legal standard for a record of the meeting.
Sometimes, patrons who are angry about something will become even more agitated when they realize their exact words won’t be recorded in the minutes. They may insist they want their words to be “on the record,” perhaps believing that gives their words greater legal status. It doesn’t. (Besides, like many bodies, our meetings were saved on video, so they’ll still have proof of how they told those idiots on the school board off.)
As prescribed by law, our minutes listed every item, the action taken, which member made the motion and who seconded it, as well as the vote, usually 5-0. They’re not legal until they’re formally approved by the body at its next legal meeting.
So now we’ve been through types of sessions, how meetings proceed, and how the outcomes are formally recorded for legal purposes. If there’s one recommendation I’d make to every local government board or council, it’s to take a little extra time in each meeting to discuss processes or provide greater insight into a particular agenda item. Once you’ve served, it’s easy to forget how confusing and intimidating meetings can be, especially for first-time attendees. Providing that insight is not only helpful, but it’s a gesture of respect to patrons that often defuses tension.
When I ran our board meetings, I always took time to provide information about what we were doing. Our meetings proceeded so quickly, patrons might wonder whether we were taking anything seriously or carefully. I’d explain that the matters flying by were routine items that the members had all reviewed in advance. And then I’d point out that the last approved motion that took less than ten seconds was us spending $12.6 million (or whatever) on payroll and all the month’s bills.
What’s a sign of a local government body running an extremely effective legal meeting? A boring meeting. A businesslike session that doesn’t degrade into chaos is evidence good governance is underway.