What procedures must be followed to close meetings, records or votes?
It is the public policy of this state that all public meetings and records shall be open unless otherwise provided by law (Section 610.011.1). The public governmental body must follow the procedures set out in Section 610.022 if a public meeting is related to one or more of the statutory exceptions and may be closed under Section 610.021. Section 610.022.3 requires that the meeting be closed only to the extent necessary to discuss the specific announced exception. No other business should be discussed during the closed meeting. Also, the public governmental body may only close a portion of the meeting facility, allowing space for the public to remain and attend any subsequent open session. A public governmental body planning to hold a vote must follow the notice procedures for a regular meeting set out in Section 610.020, adding that the meeting will be closed and citing the specific exception allowing the closure (Section 610.022.2). Notice of a closed meeting is not required to inclu
