Opinion ID: 2637226
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Open Meetings Requirement

Text: The Open Meetings Law was conceived to afford the public access to a broad range of meetings at which public business is considered. Benson v. McCormick, 195 Colo. 381, 383, 578 P.2d 651, 652 (1978). We have read these provisions to give citizens a greater opportunity to become fully informed on issues of public importance so that meaningful participation in the decision-making process may be achieved. Cole v. People, 673 P.2d 345, 347 (Colo.1983). Open meetings are those meetings that concern matters related to the policy-making function of that body. Colo. Civil Rights Comm'n ex rel. Ramos v. Regents of the Univ. of Colo., 759 P.2d 726, 733 (Colo. 1988). The Open Meetings Law requires that any meeting of a public body where formal action is taken must be open to the public. § 24-6-402(2)(b), C.R.S. (2007). Specifically, section 24-6-402(2)(b) states that: All meetings of a quorum or three or more members of any local public body, whichever is fewer, at which any public business is discussed or at which any formal action may be taken are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times. § 24-6-402(2)(b). Upon a two-thirds vote of the members, however, the local public body may meet in a private, executive session. § 24-6-402(3). While in executive session, the members may discuss policies, but they are limited in their policy making authority and may not adopt positions or make formal decisions. Id. While section 24-6-402(4) provides a list of topics that may be considered at an executive session, see section 24-6-402(4)(a)(h), statutes governing specific local public bodies can limit these topics. For instance, the applicable statute identifying the powers of school boards, section 22-32-108(5), C.R.S. (2007), states that no final policy decisions may be agreed to in executive session: All regular and special meetings of the board shall be open to the public. . . . At any regular or special meeting, the board may proceed in executive session . . . but no final policy decisions shall be made by the board while in executive sessions. § 22-32-108(5). We have previously determined that important policy decisions cannot be made informally. Gavend v. City of Thornton, 165 Colo. 182, 186, 437 P.2d 778, 780 (1968). In Gavend, we held that an informal vote to approve an annexation, made in executive session, was not binding because the formal decisions of a public entity cannot be made in executive session. Id. at 780. Similarly, the formal decision not to renew a teacher's contract cannot be made in executive session. Here, the Board met on April 7, 2004, first in open session and then, for a much longer time, in executive session. The Board concedes that the question of whether to renew Barbour's contract was only discussed in the executive session of the April 7 meeting. Following that meeting, the Board superintendent, acting at the behest of the Board, wrote Barbour a letter entitled Letter of Intent, which stated in its entirety, I must regretfully inform you that the Hanover Board of Education does not plan to offer you a teaching contract for the 2004-2005 school year. The Board does not contend that its actions at the April 7 executive session amount to a policy decision or formal action. The Board agrees that the actual decision not to renew Barbour's contract was not made until the May 18 and May 26 meetings. The Board claims that the letter it asked the superintendent to send Barbour was notice of the Board's intent to act at a later time to terminate his contract. Nevertheless, the Board argues that the superintendent's letter of April 8, 2004, was notice to Barbour that his contract would not be renewed and that a second notice was not required by section 22-63-203(3). We agree that any decision not to renew Barbour's contract made by the Board in executive session could have no binding effect. Section 22-32-108(5) prohibits formal action or policy making during executive session. Because the decision not to renew a teacher is a final policy decision that can only be made at a public meeting, any Board actions during the April 7 executive session were inconsequential. Moreover, any and all communications with Barbour arising from that meeting could not have the effect of notifying him of his renewal status. We reject the Board's contention that despite the lack of effect of any action taken by the Board during the executive session, the superintendent's letter of April 8, 2004 was notice that Barbour's contract would not be renewed, satisfying the notice requirement of section 22-63-203(3).