What is an open meeting?

Open-meeting requirements exist because a board spends other people's money under authority those people granted. Where a statute applies, it typically requires advance notice, an agenda, member access, and often an opportunity for owners to speak.

The scope of what counts as a meeting is broader than boards assume. A quorum of directors deciding something by email or in a group chat is, in several states, a meeting held without notice — the medium does not change the character of the act.

Emergency provisions usually exist for genuine emergencies, with a requirement to ratify at the next properly noticed meeting.