The Sun Valley City Council passed a resolution Thursday that prohibits its members from sending e-mails or other forms of electronic communication to each other or to the public during meetings.
The resolution is partly a consequence of a story from a 2007 edition of The Missoulian, a newspaper in Missoula, Mont., that discusses that city's elected officials holding e-mail conversations throughout meetings. In the story, it was revealed that council members were making rude comments regarding residents speaking on issues before the body, as well as discussing matters at hand electronically, rather than out in the open.
Sun Valley City Council President Nils Ribi brought the matter to the attention of Mayor Wayne Willich and his fellow council members, as a number of them use laptop computers or handheld devices, such as Blackberrys, during council meetings. However, he did not accuse Sun Valley council members of acting as the Missoula council members allegedly did, and he described the resolution as a means of reassuring the public when they see council members using such devices.
The resolution does not prevent city officials from using the devices entirely, as they are considered useful tools for obtaining information. It does state, however, that "members shall not use an electronic communications device during a meeting that distracts their attention from the meeting, (or) to communicate with a member of the public or another member of the City Council. Such communication circumvents the spirit of communication at open public meetings."
The resolution also requires council members to provide a reason for not attending a meeting in person rather than via cell phone or computer. During the past fiscal year, council members Joan Lamb, Dewayne Briscoe and Dave Chase have participated electronically on multiple occasions.
Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com
