Open Government Training

I received a note from the Chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission that there will be a training session at city hall tonight at 6PM on the subject of open government. I assume that this training will specifically relate to Open Meetings. I understand the VHS tapes are being provided by a citizen and not the city. If you serve on council or a board or commission subject to TOMA, you are required to get this training.

The state also has a training session on Open Records laws. As of a few weeks ago, our city administrator had not received this training.

From Section 552.011, State law on Open Government:

• Each public official shall complete a course of training of not less than one and not more than two hours regarding the responsibilities of the governmental body with which the official serves and its officers and employees under this chapter not later than the 90th day after the date the public official: (1) takes the oath of office, if the person is required to take an oath of office to assume the person’s duties as a public official; or (2) otherwise assumes the person’s duties as a public official, if the person is not required to take an oath of office to assume the person’s duties.

A certificate is issued after the completion of training as described in the law:

• A governmental body shall maintain and make available for public inspection the record of its public officials’ or, if applicable, the public information coordinator’s completion of the training.

When I checked recently, no certificates for Open Records training or Open Meetings training were on file at city hall. Some, but not all, public officials have completed this training.