Should records be kept of meetings of Haines Borough Assembly subcommittees, borough boards and other advisory groups to the local government?
Bill Kurz, who makes videos of local government meetings for broadcast on local cable TV, thinks so.
Kurz said too much can get lost in translation if accurate records aren’t kept. He points to a meeting of the borough’s Energy and Sustainability Commission last fall. An account of discussion at the meeting provided to the assembly by member Steve Vick was very different from what actually was said, Kurz said. “It was like we were at two different meetings.”
Kurz points to a section in state municipal law that says “A municipal clerk shall attend meetings of the governing body and its boards and committees as required and keep the journal.”
Borough clerk Julie Cozzi said this week the code section cited by Kurz doesn’t apply to “home-rule” governments, such as the Haines Borough. And it’s a good thing, she said. “I’d be spending all my time on minutes. I’d be getting nothing else done.”
Cozzi said the law binding Haines would be found in section 2.60 of Haines Borough Code, titled, “Committees, Boards and Commissions.”
That section reads: “Unless otherwise provided by resolution, the committee, board or commission shall keep minutes of the committee, board or commission proceedings and such minutes shall record the vote of each member upon every question.”
The code goes on to say minutes are to be filed in the clerk’s office as soon as feasible and no later than two weeks following a committee meeting and should be a public record open to inspection by anyone.
Code goes on to say that each committee, board and commission shall prepare an annual report to be submitted to the manager and assembly prior to July 30, summarizing the activities and business of the committee during the 12 months prior to June 30th.
Clerk Cozzi said the requirement hasn’t been applied to committees of assembly members, but “when I read 2.60, I don’t know why we haven’t applied it to assembly standing committees,” she said.
The last time those committees kept minutes came about seven years ago when assemblywomen Debra Schnabel and Stephanie Scott developed a template for keeping minutes used by assembly committees they chaired. Not all assembly committees at the time followed suit, she said.
As for the borough’s other advisory committees, it’s hit and miss, Cozzi said. “It’s done by some. I’ve beaten the drum about it (but) not everybody does it.”
The borough provides a clerk for borough planning commission meetings, which are preserved in recordings and minutes. Cozzi said that under former tourism director Lori Stepansky, minutes of meetings of the Tourism Advisory Board were filed regularly. “Other (committees) have been more sporadic.”
Kurz said there needs to be accurate records of all meetings of borough committees. “If we’re going to have a committee, it only stands to me and to common sense to have an accurate record of it.”
Kurz said he has no preference on whether meetings are recorded by written minutes or audio recording. “I don’t care how it’s done. I just care that they have an accurate record.”
Cozzi said she would do further research on the question.