Library Board meetings are public governmental meetings and must comply with the Kansas Open Meeting Act (KOMA). Here are 10 tips on Open Meeting requirements:
1. Be just as open as you can: it violates state policy for any library board meeting or board committee meeting to be held in a time or place to avoid open meeting requirements. Don’t have a budget committee meeting in your home or in the library with the doors locked!
2. A meeting includes in-person gatherings as well as telephone, email or any interactive method of communication. Serial meetings shall also be open. Serial meetings are multiple meetings that have the collective effect of involving a majority of the board. For example, if trustee A talks to Trustees B and C, and Trustee B talks to trustees D and E in order to privately reach agreement on a matter of library business, that is a violation of the Open Meeting Act.
3. The public is entitled to attend the meeting but the library board may determine if, and according to what rules, the public may speak at the meeting.
4. A discussion of library business by less than a majority of the library board is not regarded as a meeting, but do not use that as a subterfuge to avoid a public meeting.
5. No binding action by such bodies shall be by secret ballot, including in committee meetings.
6. Libraries are not required to publish a notice of meetings. However, notice of the date, time and place of any regular or special meeting of a public body designated hereinabove must be furnished to any person requesting such notice. Any agenda relating to the business to be transacted at such meeting must also be made available on request.
7. Any motion to recess for a closed or executive meeting shall include a statement of (1) the justification for closing the meeting, (2) the subjects to be discussed during the closed or executive meeting and (3) the time and place at which the open meeting shall resume. Discussion during the closed or executive meeting shall be limited to those subjects stated in the motion.
8. Executive sessions may only be called for the purposes stated allowed in the Open Meeting Act. For Library Boards those are generally:
- Personnel matters of nonelected personnel;
- Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship;
- Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations.
- Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property;
9. No binding action shall be taken during closed or executive sessions, and such sessions shall not be used as a subterfuge to defeat the purposes of the Open Meeting Act.
10. Any trustee who knowingly violates any of the provisions of this act shall be liable for the payment of a civil penalty in a sum set by the court of not to exceed $500 for each violation.
Jim Minges is the Director of NEKLS. You can reach him by email (jminges (at) nekls.org) or by phone. Visit the 
