PAC – Open Meeting Laws | Independent Voters of Brown County IN

This post at Brown County Matters.

Mar 9, 2024. Access to Indiana’s Public Access Counselor (PAC) is among the few options citizens have to hold our elected officials accountable for complying with Indiana’s Open Meeting Laws. I have had to use the PAC on several occasions in order to get copies of public documents.

The other option is for voters to be more vigilant and not elect officials who may be ethically and morally challenged. Power can be an addicting drug for individuals who have never been in positions where they had much if any, power to affect the lives of others. We may have some power addicts (non-compliance with open meeting laws) in responsible positions.

The Basics. Discussing issues (working sessions) that may lead to decisions must be discussed in public meetings. Decisions have to be made at a public meeting. Elected officials can have an Executive Session where sensitive topics are discussed, and these meetings are closed to the public. Executive Sessions also have to be advertised, and topics are restricted by statute. Elected officials can have “administrative meetings” to discuss the more mundane matters.

Transparency. I have used the PAC frequently in order to get copies of information that is available to the public. It can take up to two months just to get a copy of a memo or other information that would take just minutes to provide. The lack of transparency can be an effective strategy for keeping citizens uninformed and ignorant of pending issues and decisions that can be “fast-tracked” before the public has time to react.