The Open Meeting Laws adopted by all states are geared to opening up public meetings to the community for purposes of accountability. The laws require that all public agencies post the minutes of meetings to the public within a reasonable time (usually 2 weeks) from the date that the meeting was held. The content of the minutes must contain the present members of the agency, the motions, resolutions and orders that were proposed and the content of these proposals. Posted minutes should also contain the results of the votes and the name of each member who voted and how she voted.
Although posting of minutes of open meetings is a requirement of the open meeting laws, there are exceptions. Executive sessions are one such exception in which the public is excluded from the meetings due to the confidential nature of the meetings. Examples of agendas discussed in executive sessions are: employment or termination of an agency employee, litigation issues, purchase or lease of property. A public agency must refrain from posting minutes of an executive session until the board members have sanctioned the posting of the minutes to the public.
The federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) mandates government agencies furnish the public with information about the public meetings and provide access to public records. This information not only includes notices but also minutes of the procedure of public or open meetings. This means that government agencies covered by this act are responsible for making public information accessible to the community within a reasonable period of time.
When posting public meeting minutes, concerns of personal privacy may ensue. The Personal Privacy and Protection Act allows government agencies to collect, maintain and use personal information in a manner that is fair. This law prohibits the disclosure or posting of personal information that was recorded during a meeting, unless it is in the absolute interest of the public to access this information. Government agencies also have the responsibility to allow an individual to correct and amend information pertaining to him, in public records such as minutes.