Towns prepare for substantial changes in Open Meeting Law

"The state's Open Meeting Law requires that meetings of governmental boards and committees be conducted in sessions open to the public, with few exceptions which are strictly limited. The goal of the law is to eliminate as much of the secrecy around discussions and decisions of public policy, by requiring that discussion to be done in a public meeting.

"Amendments to the Open Meeting Law have been made many times since it was first adopted in 1958, most recently last July when Gov. Deval Patrick signed the ethics, lobbying and campaign finance reform bill that included changes to the Open Meeting Law. The changes, some of which are substantial, are scheduled to go into effect July 1."

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