Board Open Meeting Policy
Adopted February 1, 2010 and amended February 5, 2010
Crestwood Homes Association
Open Meetings Policy
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On May 21, 2009, the Kansas City Council passed Ordinance 081033, approving its current Zoning and Development Code. One section of the Code, Section 88-505-11 Registered Neighborhood and Civic Organizations, provides that in order for neighborhood organizations such the Crestwood Homes Association to be eligible for such City registration, it must keep all meetings, including the required annual meeting, open to the public. The purpose of this Policy is to provide a framework to comply with that requirement. |
Open Meetings — Attendance, Participation
All meetings of the Association, its Board and committees, shall be open to the public; and whenever possible, notice of such meetings will be provided or available to the Association’s Members.
Any Member of the Crestwood Homes Association (titled landowners within Crestwood) on three days prior notice to the Board Secretary or President may attend any such meeting; and is permitted to speak at such meeting, except when the Board meets in Closed Session. The Board is allowed to establish a reasonable time limit and rules for Members to speak at or before meetings, to regulate the order, and limit discussion to relevant points relevant to a meeting agenda.
Members of the general public who are not Association Members are allowed to observe, but are allowed to speak only upon invitation from the presiding officer of the meeting. Only members of the body that is meeting (i.e., Association, Board or committee) will be eligible to vote.
All decisions of the Association, the Board, or committees during any meeting shall be deemed public information, and shall be communicated to all affected parties, including minority opinion reports.
Limited Closed Sessions
The Association’s Board of Directors may, however, decide by a majority vote of those Directors present, a quorum being present, to hold its meeting, or portion thereof, in Closed Session. The Board may then reconvene in Closed Session to discuss and possibly vote upon business of a sensitive nature related to the Crestwood Homes Association. Such Closed Sessions are limited to the following matters:
· Legal matters or causes of action in which the Association or the Board is, or may become involved. May include contractual or real estate negotiations; but may not include zoning.
Crestwood’s Open Meetings Policy allows the Board to utilize Closed Sessions in limited circumstances, but such closure is never required. When in doubt, such meetings/documents should be public.
The nature of any and all matters to be considered in Closed Session shall first be announced in open session. Once in Closed Session, no other business may be discussed during the Closed Session. The Board may close only that portion of the meeting necessary for Board members to deal with the limited subject matter(s) in Closed Session.
A vote of the majority of the Board of Directors present shall be required before any action considered in the Closed Session is taken on behalf of the Association. Minutes of the Closed Session must be taken, and must include, but are not limited to, the time, date, place, members present and absent and a record of votes taken during the Closed Session. Any minutes, vote or agreements relating to matters discussed in Closed Session must be made public upon final disposition of the matter voted upon.
Other than special-call meetings to address urgent matters, the Board must give at least 7 days’ public notice before holding a meeting, and will post the notice on the Association’s website. If the meeting, or a portion of the meeting, will be conducted in Closed Session, the notice must state the limited subject matter to be discussed in Closed Session.
Electronic Messages
When the Board takes action or makes a decision outside of a regular meeting, such as by electronic message, the message must be copied to the records of the Board Secretary and then made available as a public record, unless it is subject to a limited exception allowing it to be a Closed Session matter.