In this morning’s Coeur d’Alene Press skewspaper article headlined Nelson plans to support Delavan, Kootenai County Commissioner Dan Green was quoted as saying, “I don’t think we have to come out to an open meeting after making a decision to terminate someone in an executive session.”
Wrong answer, Commissioner Green.
We call readers’ attention to the Idaho Open Meeting Law which is found in Idaho Code §§ 67-2340 through 67-2347. Pay particular attention to I.C. § 67-2345 Executive Sessions – When Authorized. Now compare Commissioner Green’s quote from today’s skewspaper with what the Idaho Open Meeting Law (hereafter Law) requires and forbids:
1. The Law requires the motion to convene an Executive Session must be made during a properly noticed public meeting.
2. The Law requires that the properly offered and seconded “motion to go into executive session shall identify the specific subsections of this section that authorize the executive session. There shall be a roll call vote on the motion and the vote shall be recorded in the minutes [of the public meeting]. An executive session shall be authorized by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the governing body.”
3. The Law explicitly and specifically forbids holding any executive session “for the purpose of taking any final action or making any final decision.” (more…)