Background on the MA Open Meeting Law

The Massachusettts Open Meeting Law was initially adopted into the local government in 1975.  This meant public officials lost all rights to make decisions regarding public agenda privately.  However, this law spent years being unenforced or misconstrued.  Sometimes, government officials would discuss public information in cafes or over the phone, without a public presence.

Ever since the responsibility of the Open Meeting Law has changed hands to the Attorney General’s Office in 2010, the enforcement of this law has progressed.  Martha Coakley, the Attorney General, enforced this law by providing better guidelines and issuing informational documents.  Many local officials have been improving their meeting minutes, posting detailed agendas, and making other minutes more exact.  However, there are still some local government officials who have trouble with the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, as there have been a fair amount of violations.

To help local governments with the specific details of this law, it is best for public officials to outsource their meeting minutes and agendas to Office Solutions Plus LLC.  The Office Solutions Plus LLC business specializes in meeting minutes according to the rules and regulations of the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.

Reference

“OPINION: Open Meeting Law Is Not a Gag Order.” http://www.enterprisenews.com. 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.enterprisenews.com/opinions/editorials/x1170540392/OPINION-Open-Meeting-Law-is-not-a-gag-order&gt;.

Depositions will Play a Vital Role in Drunk Driving Accident

Residents of a small town inTexashave filed a petition to gain the depositions of a liquor store.  This particular store may have sold alcohol illegally to minors; minors that later died in a drunk driving accident.  On September 18, 2011, three minors were killed in this car accident.  The driver of the car had surpassed the legal blood alcohol limit.

The residents Kimberly Jones, Harold Brantley, Jack Smith, Kelly and James Bates, and Dawn Fluts filed a petition requesting a deposition on February 24^th in front of the Jefferson County District Court.  These community members are seeking the deposition of Triangle Marketing corporate representative Hussain Ali Habib to further investigate into any wrongdoing on the part of the store.

The petition asserts, “The alcohol consumed by said minor driver had been illegally provided by The County Store in violation of the law prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors.”  These community members are asking for the reports, video, and any testimony in regards to the selling of the alcohol.  Receiving a deposition and supporting documents will go a long way into providing a conclusion to this unfortunate affair.

Office Solutions Plus LLC handles depositions in many different types of court cases and even provides rush depositions.  OS Plus has over 15 years of experience and uses the latest technology to get your projects done quickly and efficiently.  When looking for court reporting/depositions, look no further than Office Solutions Plus LLC!

Reference

Yates, David. “NewsJeffersonCounty.” Depositions Sought in Potential Dram Shop Suit over Minors Killed in Drunk Driving Collision. 29 Feb. 2012. Web. 07 Mar. 2012. <http://www.setexasrecord.com/news/242229-depositions-sought-in-potential-dram-shop-suit-over-minors-killed-in-drunk-driving-collision&gt;.

Complaint of Open Meeting Law Violation

Rehoboth Financial Committee Resolves Meeting Minutes After Christopher Morra Reports Complaint

FinCom member Christopher Morra filed a complaint against the Rehoboth Financial Committee for not including his testimony and motion in the meeting minutes.  This complaint was filed on December 14th citing that the minutes taken on October 13th violate the Open Meeting Law.  An entire discussion on Article 19, street acceptance on Franlee Drive, was completely absent. 

This issue began because Morra’s motion was ruled out of order by the chairwoman and was not recognized as a conducted motion.  Christopher Morra claimed that, because he motioned to recommend Article 19, it should be visible in the meeting minutes. 

“My point is, this is the law. It needs to be included,” Morra stated. “…These minutes are supposed to be so anybody from the public can go to the clerk’s office and see what was discussed at the meeting.”

To conclude, the Finance Committee did vote on this issue and a 5-1 vote called for amending the meeting minutes.

 

Reference

Nichols, Christopher. “Rehoboth Financial Committee Amends Minutes after Morra Files Open Meeting Law Complaint.” http://www.tauntongazette.com. 06 Feb. 2012. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x1200259868/Rehoboth-Financial-Committee-amends-minutes-after-Morra-files-Open-Meeting-Law-complaint&gt;.