Opinion ID: 2094322
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Alleged Violations of the Open Meetings Act at the January 9 Meeting.

Text: Barrett also alleges that the board was guilty of an agenda violation and of arranging for a de facto closed meeting with regard to its January 9 meeting. The agenda item (designated as 8G) reads as follows: 8G Conduct evaluation of superintendent (May go into closed session as provided in Section 21.5(1)(i) of Iowa Code). A memorandum accompanying the agenda suggested the format for evaluation of the superintendent and did not indicate that other matters would be discussed when this topic was taken up. The record does not contain direct evidence of an intention to exclude other policy matters that the board intended to discuss from the agenda in the portion of the meeting in which it evaluated the superintendent's performance. There was evidence that after everyone but Lode and the members of the board had left the meeting the board did in fact discuss matters of policy other than the evaluation of the superintendent. Whether the board members intended this additional discussion to take place at the time the agenda was prepared is an issue of fact that may not be resolved by summary judgment. Of course, if the board did agree to discuss policy matters not involving the evaluation of the superintendent and omitted those topics from the agenda, this would be a violation of the notice requirements of section 21.4(1). KCOB/KLVN, 473 N.W.2d at 174 (an item not included on the agenda cannot be discussed if the governmental body had predetermined to discuss an item and omit it from the agenda). Moreover, even if the discussion of additional matter was not contemplated when the agenda was prepared, that discussion would be a violation of the act unless found to be an emergency item. See id. at 174 (requiring board to defer discussion on issues not included in the tentative agenda unless the new item is an emergency). Concerning the claim involving the arrangement of a de facto closed meeting on January 9, the reporter for the local paper states in her deposition testimony that the superintendent asked her to leave when item 8G came up for consideration. Superintendent Lode denies that he did so in an affidavit that he filed. Whether an act to exclude the reporter occurred and was within the knowledge of the board are factual issues that cannot be resolved by summary judgment. If the reporter's testimony is believed and if the board was aware of Lode's actions, this would establish additional violations of the open meetings act.