SEC. 67.11. STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR CLOSED SESSIONS.
§ 67.11
Before holding a closed session, a policy body must publicly state the general reasons for closing and cite the specific legal authority for doing so; the body may only discuss matters listed in that statement. The statement must follow the same format and disclosure rules as regular meeting agendas, except for urgent items, which require the statement before the urgency determination is made.
When a government board wants to meet behind closed doors, it must first tell the public why it's closing the meeting and which law allows it to do so. During that closed meeting, the board can only talk about the topics it announced beforehand. For regular meetings, this notice goes in the agenda. For emergency items added to the agenda, the board must make the statement before deciding the item is urgent. The board doesn't have to disclose information that state or federal law keeps secret.
- Complex:The section involves cross-references to Section 67.8, conditional logic for different meeting types (regular, special, adjourned, continued, urgent), and interconnected disclosure requirements that require understanding multiple regulatory layers.
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Official text
Prior to any closed session, a policy body shall state the general reason or reasons for the closed session, and shall cite the statutory authority, including the specific section and subdivision, or other legal authority under which the session is being held. In the closed session, the policy body may consider only those matters covered in its statement. In the case of regular and special meetings, the statement shall be made in the form of the agenda disclosures and specifications required by Section 67.8 of this Article. In the case of adjourned and continued meetings, the statement shall be made with the same disclosures and specifications required by Section 67.8 of this Article, as part of the notice provided for the meeting.
In the case of an item added to the agenda as a matter of urgent necessity, the statement shall be made prior to the determination of urgency and with the same disclosures and specifications as if the item had been included in the agenda pursuant to Section 67.8 of this Article. Nothing in this section shall require or authorize a disclosure of information prohibited by state or federal law.
(Added by Ord. 265-93, App. 8/18/93; amended by Proposition G, 11/2/99)