Bill to Exempt Some Municipal Boards from Open Meetings Act Moves from Committee

JUNEAU – The Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee (CR&A) has taken action towards exempting municipal boards, commissions and committees from certain provisions of the Alaska Open Meetings Act.  Under its original form, SB 48, sponsored by Senator Gene Therriault (R-North Pole), exempted road service boards from the open meetings requirement to allow members the ability to expeditiously respond to unpredictable weather conditions.  The CR&A committee adopted a new version of the bill expanding  the exemption to include all municipal boards, commissions, and committees meeting solely to administer and manage existing policy.  A public meeting must still be noticed and held if the agenda includes policy matters such as contract negotiations or setting service area tax rates.

“The committee substitute makes a distinction in the Open Meetings Act between the meetings of boards or committees that are strictly administrative, as opposed to ones which discuss and set public policy,” Therriault said.  “If we have a road washout due to flooding, road commission members need the ability to decide how to deal with the problem without being in violation of the open meetings act.”

SB 48 also clarifies an abnormality in state law regarding the definition of a “meeting.”  Currently, meeting requirements for advisory bodies are more stringent than those for policy setting bodies.  SB 48 places the same open meetings requirements on advisory bodies as are on government agencies authorized to establish public policy.

SB 48 has been referred to the Senate Transportation Committee.

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