Closed meetings, procedure and limitation
When a government group wants to hold a closed meeting, most members must vote yes in public first, and the reason must be stated out loud and written down. The closed part of the meeting can only cover the specific topic that was announced — nothing else. Government records are considered open to the public unless a law says otherwise. If a member thinks closing a meeting is against the rules, that member can say so out loud before the vote, and that objection gets written down. A member who objects and votes against closing the meeting cannot be held legally responsible if the closure later turns out to be improper.
610.022. s, procedure and limitation — public s open unless — objections to closing meetings or records, procedure. — 1. Except as set forth in 2 of this section, no meeting or vote may be closed without an of the majority of a of the . The vote of each member of the public governmental body on the question of closing a public meeting or vote and the specific reason for closing that public meeting or vote by reference to a specific section of this chapter shall be announced publicly at an open meeting of the governmental body and entered into the minutes.
2. A public governmental body proposing to hold a closed meeting or vote shall give notice of the time, date and place of such closed meeting or vote and the reason for holding it by reference to the specific allowed the of section 610.021. Such notice shall comply with the procedures set forth in section 610.020 for notice of a public meeting.
3. Any meeting or vote closed pursuant to section 610.021 shall be closed only to the extent necessary for the specific reason announced to justify the closed meeting or vote. Public governmental bodies shall not discuss any business in a closed meeting, record or vote which does not directly relate to the specific reason announced to justify the closed meeting or vote. Public governmental bodies holding a closed meeting shall close only an existing portion of the meeting facility necessary to house the members of the public governmental body in the , allowing members of the public to remain to attend any subsequent open session held by the public governmental body following the closed session.
4. Nothing in sections 610.010 to 610.028 shall be as to require a public governmental body to hold a closed meeting, record or vote to discuss or act upon any matter.
5. Public records shall be presumed to be open unless otherwise exempt pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
6. In the event any member of a public governmental body makes a to close a meeting, or a record, or a vote from the public and any other member believes that such motion, if passed, would cause a meeting, record or vote to be closed from the public in violation of any in this chapter, such latter member shall state his or her objection to the motion at or before the time the vote is taken on the motion. The public governmental body shall enter in the minutes of the public governmental body any objection made pursuant to this subsection. Any member making such an objection shall be allowed to fully participate in any meeting, record or vote that is closed from the public over the member's objection. In the event the objecting member also voted in opposition to the motion to close the meeting, record or vote at , the objection and vote of the member as entered in the minutes shall be an to any filed against the objecting member pursuant to section 610.027.
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Source & history notes
(L. 1987 S.B. 2, A.L. 1993 H.B. 170, A.L. 1998 H.B. 1095, A.L. 2004 S.B. 1020, et al.) (1993) A school board's workshop designed to improve effective communication and group interaction did not violate open meetings law because no public business was discussed. Kansas City Star Co. v. Fulson, 859 S.W.2d 934 (Mo. App. W.D.).
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