Texas Open Meetings Act Texas Government Code, Chapter 551 1.

 

What is the Open Meetings Act?

Under the Texas Open Meetings Act (the Act), the general rule is that every regular, special, or called meeting of a governmental body, and most boards and commissions, must be open to the public and comply with all the requirements of the Act. The Act does not apply to purely social gatherings or conventions and workshops, as long as any discussion of public business is only incidental and no vote or action is taken.

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What kind of notice of meetings does the Open Meetings Act require?

The Act provides that the public must be given notice of the time, place, and subject matter of meetings of governmental bodies. The agenda/notice must be posted at the Government Center (Hardin County courthouse) in a place readily accessible to the public at all times for at least 3 Business Days before the meeting.

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Is a governmental body required to let citizens speak at their meetings?

No. The purpose of the Act is to ensure the public's access to meetings of governmental bodies so that they have the opportunity to be informed concerning the transactions of public business. It does not provide a public forum for every citizen wishing to express an opinion on a matter. However, if the governmental body decides to allow citizens to speak up, it must not unfairly discriminate, but may establish reasonable restraints on the number, length, and frequency of presentations.

However, ESD#7 welcomes comments from the public but would like to keep them to a minimum to conduct our meeting in a timely manner.  Comments will be addressed at the following regular business meeting.

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