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A.G. Op. 63-A-5, Jun. <br />13, 1957 <br /> <br />A.G. Op. 10-b, Jul. 3, <br />1975 <br /> <br />A.G. Op. 10-b, Jul.& <br />1975; A.G. Op. 63a-5, <br />Aug. 28, 1996 <br /> <br />A.G. Op. 63a-5, Aug. 28, <br />1996; Sovereign v. Dunn, <br />498 N.W.2d 62 (Minn. <br />App. 1993) <br /> <br />A.G. Op. 471-e, May 23, <br />1978 <br /> <br />St. Cloud Newspapers, <br />Inc. v. District 742 <br />Community Sch., 332 <br />N.W.2d I (Minn. 1983) <br />Moberg v. Independent <br />Sch. Dis~ No. 28t, 336 <br />N.W.2cl 510 (Minn. <br />1983) <br /> <br />3. Executive sessions <br /> <br />The Attorney General has found that an executive session of a city <br />council where the public's attendance was prohibited until after the <br />discussion and deliberations of the council was a violation of the Open <br />Meeting Law. <br /> <br />4. Committees and liaisons <br /> <br />The Attorney General has found that citizens' advisory panels that are <br />appointed by a gpverning body are also subject to the open meeting law. <br /> <br />Many city councils create committees to make recommendations to the <br />council. Commonly, such committees will be responsible for doing <br />research in a particular area and submitting a recommendation to the <br />council for its approval. Such committees are usually advisor,:,, and the <br />council is still responsible for making the final decision. <br /> <br />The Attorney General has found that a citizens' advisory panel that was <br />appointed by a governing body was subject to the Open Meeting Law. <br />However, a more recent opinion determined that if a committee or <br />department has no authority to make a decision, it would not be subject <br />to the Open Meeting Law. <br /> <br />City councils routinely appoint individual councitmembers to act as <br />liaisons between the council and particular committees. These types of <br />meetings may also be subject to the Open Meeting Law if the committee <br />contains a quorum or more of the council or has decision-making <br />authority. In addition, there may be notice needed for a special council <br />meeting if a quorum of the council will be present at the meeting and <br />participating in the discussion. <br /> <br />The Attorney General found that a private discussion between one <br />councilmember and one HRA member was not a violation of the Open <br />Meeting Law because a quorum of neither body was present. <br /> <br />5. Chance'or social gatherings <br /> <br />Chance or social gatherings of a quorum are not considered meetings <br />under the Open Meeting Law and are therefore exempt from it. <br />However, a quorum may not, as a group, discuss or receive information <br />on official business in any setting under the guise of a social gathering. <br /> <br />12 League of Minnesota Cities <br /> <br /> <br />