Open Meeting Law

The Vermont Legislature passed Act 133 (S.55) that amended Vermont’s Open Meeting Law, 1 V.S.A. effective July 1, 2024. Highlights of Act 133 (S.55) include:

• Permits “advisory bodies” – those that do not have supervision, control, or jurisdiction over legislative, quasi-judicial, tax, or budgetary matters – to meet electronically without a physical meeting location (i.e., remotely);

• Requires all other public bodies (i.e., “non-advisory bodies”) to record, in audio or video form, their meetings and post the recordings in a designated electronic location for a minimum of 30 days following the approval and posting of the official minutes of the meeting which was recorded;

• Allows all public bodies to meet remotely in response to a state of emergency or “local incident”;

• Requires all public bodies to provide local residents, members of the press, or members of the body itself electronic/telephonic or in-person meeting access options to a regularly scheduled meeting, if requested (unless it causes an undue hardship);

• Requires a municipality to post on its website (if it maintains one):

• An explanation of the procedures for submitting notice of an Open Meeting Law violation to the public body or the Attorney General; and

• A copy of the text of 1 V.S.A. § 314; and

• Imposes annual training requirements on board chairs, town managers, and mayors.

The text of 1 V.S.A. § 314 (procedures for submitting notice of an Open Meeting Law violation to the public body or Attorney General) is available through The Vermont Statutes Online and as a supporting document available for download by clicking here.