The president of the board that oversees Iowa’s three public universities says the Supreme Court ruling that redefined what constitutes an “open meeting” among public officials raises questions for his board. Board of Regents president Bruce Rastetter has asked the board’s attorney for advice.
*
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled the Warren County Board of Supervisors likely broke the state’s open meetings law by having a county employee pass notes between the elected officials. Advocates of open government hailed the ruling, saying it ensures citizens can monitor the work of government. Rastetter says he’s unsure now whether conversations board members may have individually with the board’s executive director might violate the guidelines in the Supreme Court’s ruling — if those individual conversations cover the same topic.
*
Under Iowa’s open meetings law, any gathering where a majority of elected or appointed officials on a governmental body consider public policy must be open to the public. The Supreme Court’s ruling expanded that to include meetings where a majority of members communicate “by proxy” — which means they communicate to one another through another person.