Reference Library

Meetings

• Legal Q & A articles from New Hampshire Town and City published by the Local Government Center
  • The Inside Scoop on Nonpublic Sessions
    June 2012
    New Hampshire’s Right to Know Law, RSA Chapter 91-A, is a critical statute for local officials and employees to understand. One of the more difficult areas to navigate is nonpublic sessions. Recently, we have received an incredible number of legal inquiries about this subject. Here are some of the most frequently-asked questions about nonpublic sessions.
  • Parliamentary Procedure in Local Government
    May 2012
    As a city manager with more than thirty years of service, city council meetings are a way of life. In the background of all governing body meetings are the rules of parliamentary procedure. Until I began a formal study of parliamentary procedure, I was in the dark about its origins, fundamental principles, and overall benefits. This article will review the history of parliamentary procedure, its basic principles, and how using it correctly will benefit both governing body members and the public.
  • Of Meeting Minutes and Machines
    April 2011
    Minutes must be created to record the result of meetings of public bodies in order to comply with the Right to Know Law. However, when recording equipment is used, the issues become more complex, and other statutes become involved. In the end, some decisions need to be made by public bodies about how to record meetings, whether the recordings should be preserved and, if so, in what format. The answers are not always straightforward.
  • Public Meetings and Freedom of Speech: When Do Citizens Have a Right to Speak?
    March 2009
    In the months leading up to town meeting, public participation in local government reaches an annual peak. Citizens attend meetings of the board of selectmen, school board, budget committee and planning board and speak at public hearings on proposed budgets, bond issues and zoning ordinances. It all culminates in the discussions, deliberations and votes at the annual meetings. Participation is, of course, encouraged because the vitality of local government is measured by the level of public interest and involvement. Many citizens feel empowered to make their views known frequently throughout the year. Yet, there is a good deal of misunderstanding among public officials and citizens alike concerning the rights of the public to speak at public meetings.
  • Meeting Minutes 101
    June 2007
    Boards often wrestle with taking meeting minutes—worrying that too much information will get them in trouble if an issue goes to court. This fear is balanced against the desire of board members to make sure their minutes are informative and helpful to citizens and to the board itself. Does the law require that meeting minutes contain certain information? Is it better to be brief and vague when preparing the minutes? Should meetings be tape recorded so that greater detail can be put into the minutes? If the meeting is tape recorded, does that mean the tape is available to members of the public?
• "Controling meetings" Plan-link subject, December 2004 
• "Controling meetings" Plan-link subject, December 2004
• Public Meetings and Hearings , University of Vermont Center for Rural Studies, August 2004
• Public Meetings and Hearings , University of Vermont Center for Rural Studies, August 2004
• The Riggins Rules, Suggested Do’s and Don’t’s for the Conduct of Public Hearings and the Deportment of Members of Boards, Commissions & Other Bodies.
• Planning Board Minutes (Brent v. Paquette)
• Thomas Ettinger & a. v. Town of Madison Planning Board
  Argued: October 13, 2011 Opinion Issued: December 8, 2011
  "Consultations with legal counsel" are not considered "meetings" under RSA Chapter 91-A, New Hampshire’s Right to Know Law. RSA 91-A:2, I(b). This is significant because gatherings which are not "public meetings" do not have to follow the ordinary requirements for notice, minutes and public access. This case explores for the first time the boundaries of what a "consultation with legal counsel" is.

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