Indiana's public access counselor said the Anderson City Council violated Indiana's Open Door Law.
Michael Hurst, access counselor, said that five of the nine members met on April 15 at one of the member's restaurants to discuss city budgets with city employees. The council failed to provide a notice to the public about the meeting 48 hours in advance.
Indiana's Open Door Law was created for a reason: to allow the public to be fully informed of the actions of public agencies. All Indiana agencies under the Open Door Law, including city councils such as Anderson's and Muncie's, must make sure they meet all the requirements of the law.
The access counselor did say that there was no reason to think the council broke the law on purpose. Mistakes happen, even to government agencies.
However, the Anderson City Council should make meeting the Open Door Law a priority.
Keeping tax payers informed of decisions is important in a democratic society. Citizens need to be aware of what their government is doing and how it is spending their tax dollars.
This includes when the Board of Trustees meets to make decisions about Ball State, including the presidential search. It also includes when the Muncie City Council meets to make decisions about property taxes.
Both citizens and members of public agencies need to learn the requirements of the Open Door Law to make sure it is not violated.
Hiding government actions, even on accident, should not be allowed.
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