Open Meetings Act: Opening the Door to Public Meetings (.pdf)
Michigan Township News, December 2006

All meetings of a township board and other township public bodies must be open to the public according to Michigan's Open Meetings Act (OMA), Public Act 267 of 1976, MCL 15.261, et seq.

Any time a quorum of the members of a public body gather to discuss township business, they are considered to be officially participating in a "meeting," and must comply with the OMA. To comply with the OMA, a public body must:

Properly notice all public meetings

Keep minutes of each public meeting and make them available to the public

Provide an opportunity for public comment

Do all business in open session

Go into closed session only for reasons permitted by the OMA

Vote only in open session

The public is allowed to participate in a public meeting in the following ways:

All meetings must be held in a place available to the general public.

All decisions of a public body must be made at a meeting open to the public.

All persons must be permitted to attend any meeting, except as otherwise provided by the OMA.

A person attending an open meeting has the right to tape record, video tape or broadcast live the proceedings of the meeting.

At least one opportunity for public comment must be included in each public meeting.

The OMA provides for injunctive relief and penalties for noncompliance and intentional violation. However, the purpose of the Act is to ensure the decisions of a public body are made in public, so the primary remedy for a violation of the Act is to reenact the actions taken in compliance with the Act.