City might be in violation of Open Meetings Act

March 08, 2010

The City of Belen might be in violation of the Open Meetings Act (OMA) because the city council hasn’t approved a required OMA resolution since October 2008.

According to OMA and the October 2008 OMA resolution, the city council is required to pass such a resolution every year in order to be in compliance with state law.

The purpose of the requirement is to help maintain an open government by clearly defining procedures for public notice of meetings and restrictions on how and when special and emergency meetings can be called, among other things.

Councilor Jerah R. Cordova today requested a copy of the city’s most recent OMA resolution and was given the October 2008 resolution.

Should that be the most recent OMA resolution, the city has been in violation of state law since October 2009.

Posted in: Reform