County attorney reviews Open Meetings Act, warns against private decision-making and closed-session missteps

Sam Woodall, the county attorney, opened a brief training on the state's Open Meetings Act, telling commissioners the law exists so "the public wants to know what's happening" and that officials must avoid decision-making outside public forums.

Woodall singled out ex parte communications as a common trap, saying, "They call that ex parte communication," and urged officials to decline private requests that would amount to pre-decisional bargaining. He also defined what triggers the Act: "For purposes of our Iron County Commission, a quorum is 2," adding the commission must be careful when members meet outside the chamber.

On closed meetings, Woodall explained the required steps: hold an open meeting first, announce the move to closed session, state the statutory reason and vote on the record. He warned there can be legal consequences for improper closed meetings — including court costs and, he said, a "class B misdemeanor" if a body intentionally disregards the Act — and noted that courts can void actions taken in violation of the law.

Staff clarified routine posting and records practices: agendas should be posted at least 24 hours before meetings and audio recordings and approved minutes must be posted in a timely manner. The county also makes video recordings available online as a transparency practice, though video posting is not yet explicitly contemplated in the code.

The training concluded with staff offering to help commissioners with notice and records questions and a pledge to follow up on any legislative or technical changes that might affect local practice.