Title 25. Definitions and General Provisions

Superseded Effective May 28,1998

Chapter 8
Open Meeting Act
§304. Definitions.

As used in the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act:

1. "Public body" means the governing bodies of all municipalities located within the State of Oklahoma, boards of county commissioners of the counties in the State of Oklahoma, boards of public and higher education in the State of Oklahoma and all boards, bureaus, commissions, agencies, trusteeships, authorities, councils, committees, public trusts, task forces or study groups in the State of Oklahoma supported in whole or in part by public funds or entrusted with the expending of public funds, or administering public property, and shall include all committees or subcommittees of any public body. It shall not mean the state judiciary or the State Legislature or administrative staffs of public bodies, including, but not limited to, faculty meetings and athletic staff meetings of institutions of higher education when said staffs are not meeting with the public body, or entry-year assistance committees, as defined in Section 70-6-152 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Furthermore, it shall not mean the multidisciplinary team provided for in subsection B of Section 63-1-502.2 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes or any school board meeting for the sole purpose of considering recommendations of said multidisciplinary team and deciding the placement of any child who is the subject of such recommendations.

2. "Meeting" means the conducting of business of a public body by a majority of its members being personally together or, as authorized by Section 3 of this act, together pursuant to a teleconference.

3. "Regularly scheduled meeting" means a meeting at which the regular business of the public body is conducted.

4. "Special meeting" means any meeting of a public body other than a regularly scheduled meeting or emergency meeting.

5. "Emergency meeting" means any meeting called for the purpose of dealing with an emergency. For purposes of this act, an emergency is defined as a situation involving injury to persons or injury and damage to public or personal property or immediate financial loss when the time requirements for public notice of a special meeting would make such procedure impractical and increase the likelihood of injury or damage or immediate financial loss.

6. "Continued or reconvened meeting" means a meeting which is assembled for the purpose of finishing business appearing on an agenda of a previous meeting. For the purposes of this act, only matters on the agenda of the previous meeting at which the announcement of the continuance is made may be discussed at a continued or reconvened meeting.

7. "Teleconference" means a conference among members of a public body remote from one another who are linked by interactive telecommunication devices permitting both visual and auditory communication between and among members of the public body and members of the public.

Laws 1977, c. 214, § 4, eff. Oct. 1, 1977; Laws 1982, c. 342, § 12, emerg. eff. June 2, 1982; Laws 1988, c. 153, § 6, eff. July 1, 1988; Laws 1993, c. 282, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993tempmarker