Even the hint of exclusionary practices by a public board can destroy a fragile trust that takes years to build. Eager journalists and watchdog citizens scrutinize public board actions for any signs of foul play. Charleston, South Carolina, now faces an irate citizenry because it notified the public of a construction project only after it had deliberated its merits in private. Charleston is not alone. Public boards implementing six best practices can meet and exceed the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act, the Public Meetings Act and state-level refinements of those laws.
Best Practices for Complying with Open-Meeting Laws
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Post meeting agendas and minutes on a public-facing website.
- Some public-facing website hosts lack fundamental security features. Public file-sharing sites like Google Docs practically invite hackers to hijack your information. They often offer no encryption or limited encryption (128-bit, not 256-bit). What's more, they park your documents on the public cloud, where even an amateur hacker could break in.
- Many website-hosting services have a tepid commitment to public boards. They might abandon the public-facing website altogether to focus on the intranet features that private clients prefer, as SharePoint did this summer. Stranded public customers must now hire ''migration managers'' to handle the move to a new website host.
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Make meeting attachments searchable.
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Make meeting agendas, attachments and minutes accessible to handicapped constituents.
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Protect your materials from bad actors.
- Store documents on a private cloud-based fully encrypted server, not on ''the cloud.'' A private cloud-based server stores your data off the four-lane highway that is the public ''cloud.'' Many a hacked Google Docs user has rued his ignorance of the difference. Maximum protection also calls for full 256-bit encryption.
- Automate segregation of board materials from public materials. Board members often must see highly sensitive information that the general public absolutely must not see - not even once. Most people, though, have a story of a time that the wrong people saw the wrong material. Maybe they sent a critical evaluation of a colleague not only to the boss, but also to the colleague herself.
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Limit board texting and emails.
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Post video of meeting proceedings.
Media Highlights
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