Open Door Laws

Britt’s opinion says the board of trustees violated the law by posting notice about an allowable purpose to meet in private but then discussed other matters behind closed doors.

The Open Door Law states that government agencies must hold publicly accessible and noticed meetings when the majority of a governing body is present. But the committee meetings were neither noticed nor open to the public.

A lawsuit filed by the Indiana Statewide Independent Living Council accuses the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County of violating Indiana’s Open Door Law, which requires public agencies to meet to make decisions publicly.

But the issue gets even more complicated when every member of a governing body is from the same political party, such as currently exists with Bloomington City Council, Monroe County Commissioners, and Ellettsville Town Council.