This Wednesday Mayor England had an illegal meeting in his office with City Council members Bob Caesar and Steve Price. Also attending this meeting were Deputy Mayor Carl Malysz, City Attorney Shane Gibson, along with Fire Dept. and Union Representatives and Fire Chief Matt Juliot.
The subjects of the discussions and meeting were:
1. closing of 13th Street Firehouse.
2. ambulance service changes in our city.
Mr. Mayor, why don't you and City Attorney Gibson read Indiana Code?
IC 5-14-1.5 "OPEN DOOR LAW"
IC 5-14-1.5-1 "official action", "be conducted openly"
IC 5-14-1.5-2 (b)
(b) Governing body means any 2 or more individuals
(d) Official action means to:
(1) Receive information
(2) Deliberate
(5) Make decisions
IC 5-14-1.5-4
* Posting an agenda of meeting
IC 5-14-1.5-5
* Public Notice of meetings 48 hours before the meeting
To: Mayor Doug England,
The word "official action means to receive information, deliberate, make recommendations, establish policy, make decisions, or to take final action."
All meetings of the governing body of a public agency must be open at all times for the purpose of permitting members of the public to observe and record them. Indian Code 3-14-1.5-3(a)
There are several examples Mayor England, of what meetings are and what it means to take public action set forth on pages seven and eight of the Public Access Counselor's "Handbook on Indiana's Public Access Laws."
We also suggest that you start following Indiana Law and STOP having illegal/secret meetings Mr. England!
Councilmen Caesar and Price, why did you participate in this illegal meeting?
Mr. Mayor, why did you NOT post this meeting?
