Open Public Meeting Act: Public must be the watchdog

The Open Public Meetings Act has been in the news locally. Roger Whitten of Oakesdale used it as part of his recent recall effort against two county commissioners. He accused them of violating the law.

That recall failed at the hearing level, and even though the open meetings act has been around since 1971, the judge misinterpreted elements of its requirements.

As important and as established as it is, the act is often misunderstood. More often it still is considered an intrusion on the workings of government by officials subject to it.

Despite the problems with its interpretation and implementation, it is an important element in the protection of the public from overreaching governing bodies.

The Open Public Meetings Act applies, of course, to much more than just county officials. The act applies to all governing bodies at all levels of government.

Locally, that includes such entities as hospital boards, school boards, city councils, library boards and cemetery boards. The Port of Whitman County, too, is constrained by the act.

The primary difficulty in the act occurs when governing boards are small and a quorum of the boards amounts to only two people. This is the case with the board of county commissioners and the port. Even so, the act stands as a vital defense of transparent government, and the inconveniences it causes are minor.

It is up to public officials to comply with the law. Most officials are schooled in its requirements, whether they take it seriously or not.

Ultimately, however, it is up to the public to be the watchdog for its compliance.

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