What is the North Carolina Open Meetings Law?
The North Carolina Open Meetings Law provides the public with a right of access to the meetings of “public bodies” at the state and local level. According to the statute, “public bodies” are defined as “any elected or appointed board, commission, committee, council, authority, or other body in state or local government that (1) has at least two members and (2) exercises or is authorized to exercise any of these powers: legislative, policy-making, quasi-judicial, administrative, or advisory.” The law also entitles its citizens to notice of these meetings, and gives you the ability to inspect and copy meeting minutes.
As a resident of North Carolina, you should be able to sit in on state and local government meetings, get the notes from the meeting, and notified of upcoming meetings. Use this to your advantage! Here at Down Home, our members are constantly in meetings and reviewing minutes to shape alternative policies and budgets that meet our community’s needs. Your watchful eye could be the difference between good and bad policy. Make your presence known and your voice heard! That’s how we achieve change in our towns and communities.
Read the statute in its entirety here.
