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Open Meeting Law
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, G.L.c.30A 18-25
Public Meeting Posting
Except in cases of emergency, a public body must provide the public with notice of its meeting 48 hours in advance, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. Notice of emergency meetings must be posted as soon as reasonably possible prior to the meeting. For local public bodies, meeting notices must be filed with the Town Clerk sufficiently in advance of a public meeting to permit posting of the notice at least 48 hours in advance of the public meeting.
As of May 2, 2011, the Town of Tewksbury has officially filed with the Attorney General has written notice of the adoption of an alternative public meeting posting method, as required by 940 Code of Massachusetts Regulations 29.03 (more commonly referred to as "the 24/7 requirement"). In order to ensure compliance with Open Meeting Law, public meeting notices, including a listing of topics the Chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting, are posted on the Official Meeting Calendar found on the front page of our municipal website. Meeting notices are also accessible to the public in the Town Clerk's Office, during normal business hours. (Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm)
Other References
- Town of Tewksbury Reference Guide for Boards, Committees, and Commissions (PDF)
- Website of the Attorney General of Massachusetts
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts Open Meeting Law (PDF)
- 940 CMR 29 Regulations Promulgated by the Attorney General
- Open Meeting Law Guide (PDF)
- Open Meeting Law Web Training Videos
This presentation has been recorded by the Attorney General's Division of Open Government to serve as a resource to members of the public and public bodies seeking to understand the requirements of the Open Meeting Law. The presentation is divided up into six videos. The run time for all six videos together is about one hour. You may view the six videos in succession to cover the entire presentation, or you may select specific videos on topics of interest. While this presentation is meant to provide an overview of the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, specific questions should be addressed to the Division of Open Government at Phone: 617-963-2540 or by email.