Generally, board meetings will be open meetings, unless a closed session or exempt meeting is provided for by law. The board will hold a closed session or exempt meeting only when a closed session or exempt meeting is permitted under Iowa law.
Board meetings at which a quorum is not present, or gatherings of the board for purely ministerial or social purposes when there is no discussion of policy or no intent to avoid the purposes of the open meetings law, are exempt from the open meetings law requirements. The board may also hold an exempt session for the reasons outlined in Iowa law.
Since gatherings of this type are exempt from the open meetings requirements, they can be held without public notice, be separate from an open meeting, be held without taping the gathering or taking minutes, and be held without a vote or motion.
Legal Reference: Iowa Code §§ 20.17; 21; 22.7; 279.15, .16, .24.
Approved March 26, 2018
Reviewed September 27, 2021
Revised March 26, 2018
