Nevada Code § 241.020

Meetings to be open and public; size of facilities; limitations on closure of meetings; notice of meetings; copy of materials; exceptions
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1. Except as otherwise provided by
specific statute, all meetings of public bodies must be open and public, and
all persons must be permitted to attend any meeting of these public bodies at a
physical location or by means of a remote technology system. A meeting that is
closed pursuant to a specific statute may only be closed to the extent
specified in the statute allowing the meeting to be closed. All other portions
of the meeting must be open and public, and the public body must comply with
all other provisions of this chapter to the extent not specifically precluded
by the specific statute. Public officers and employees responsible for these
meetings shall make reasonable efforts to assist and accommodate persons with
physical disabilities desiring to attend.
2. If any portion of a meeting is open to
the public, the public officers and employees responsible for the meeting must
make reasonable efforts to ensure the facilities for the meeting are large
enough to accommodate the anticipated number of attendees. No violation of this
chapter occurs if a member of the public is not permitted to attend a public meeting
because the facilities for the meeting have reached maximum capacity if
reasonable efforts were taken to accommodate the anticipated number of
attendees. Nothing in this subsection requires a public body to incur any costs
to secure a facility outside the control or jurisdiction of the public body or
to upgrade, improve or otherwise modify an existing facility to accommodate the
anticipated number of attendees.
3. Except in an emergency, written notice
of all meetings must be given at least 3 working days before the meeting. The
notice must include:
(a) The time, place and location of the meeting.
If the meeting is held using a remote technology system pursuant to NRS 241.023 and has no physical location,
the notice must include information on how a member of the public may:
(1) Use the remote technology system to
hear and observe the meeting;
(2) Participate in the meeting by
telephone; and
(3) Provide live public comment during the
meeting and, if authorized by the public body, provide prerecorded public
comment.
(b) A list of the locations where the notice has
been posted.
(c) The name, contact information and business
address for the person designated by the public body from whom a member of the
public may request the supporting material for the meeting described in
subsection 7 and:
(1) A list of the locations where the
supporting material is available to the public; or
(2) Information about how the supporting
material may be found on the Internet website of the public body.
(d) An agenda consisting of:
(1) A clear and complete statement of the
topics scheduled to be considered during the meeting.
(2) A list describing the items on which
action may be taken and clearly denoting that action may be taken on those
items by placing the term for possible action next to the appropriate item
or, if the item is placed on the agenda pursuant to NRS 241.0365 , by placing the term for
possible corrective action next to the appropriate item.
(3) Periods devoted to comments by the
general public, if any, and discussion of those comments.
(4) If any portion of the meeting will be
closed to consider the character, alleged misconduct or professional competence
of a person, the name of the person whose character, alleged misconduct or
professional competence will be considered.
(5) If, during any portion of the meeting,
the public body will consider whether to take administrative action regarding a
person, the name of that person.
(6) Notification that:
(I) Items on the agenda may be taken
out of order;
(II) The public body may combine two
or more agenda items for consideration; and
(III) The public body may remove an
item from the agenda or delay discussion relating to an item on the agenda at
any time.
(7) Any restrictions on comments by the
general public. Any such restrictions must be reasonable and may restrict the
time, place and manner of the comments, but may not restrict comments based
upon viewpoint.
(8) If the meeting is being held using a
remote technology system pursuant to NRS
241.023 and does not have a physical location designated for the meeting
where members of the general public are permitted to attend and participate,
clear and complete instructions for a member of the general public to be able
to call in to the meeting to provide public comment, including, without
limitation, a telephone number and any necessary identification number of the
meeting or other access code.
4. Minimum public notice is:
(a) Posting a copy of the notice at the principal
office of the public body or, if the meeting has a physical location, at the
building in which the meeting is to be held. If the meeting is held using a remote
technology system pursuant to NRS 241.023 and has no physical location, the public body must also post the notice to the
Internet website of the public body not later than 9 a.m. of the third working
day before the meeting is to be held unless the public body is unable to do so
because of technical problems relating to the operation or maintenance of the
Internet website of the public body.
(b) Posting the notice on the official website of
the State pursuant to NRS 232.2175 not
later than 9 a.m. of the third working day before the meeting is to be held,
unless the public body is unable to do so because of technical problems
relating to the operation or maintenance of the official website of the State.
(c) Providing a copy of the notice to any person
who has requested notice of the meetings of the public body. A request for
notice lapses 6 months after it is made. The public body shall inform the
requester of this fact by enclosure with, notation upon or text included within
the first notice sent. The notice must be:
(1) Delivered to the postal service used
by the public body not later than 9 a.m. of the third working day before the
meeting for transmittal to the requester by regular mail; or
(2) Transmitted to the requester by
electronic mail sent not later than 9 a.m. of the third working day before the
meeting.
5. For each of its meetings, a public body
shall document in writing that the public body complied with the minimum public
notice required by paragraph (a) of subsection 4. The documentation must be
prepared by every person who posted a copy of the public notice and include,
without limitation:
(a) The date and time when the person posted the
copy of the public notice;
(b) The address of the location where the person
posted the copy of the public notice; and
(c) The name, title and signature of the person
who posted the copy of the notice.
6. Except as otherwise provided in
paragraph (a) of subsection 4, if a public body maintains a website on the
Internet or its successor, the public body shall post notice of each of its
meetings on its website unless the public body is unable to do so because of
technical problems relating to the operation or maintenance of its website.
Notice posted pursuant to this subsection is supplemental to and is not a
substitute for the minimum public notice required pursuant to subsection 4. The
inability of a public body to post notice of a meeting pursuant to this
subsection as a result of technical problems with its website shall not be
deemed to be a violation of the provisions of this chapter.
7. Upon any request, a public body shall
provide, at no charge, at least one copy of:
(a) An agenda for a public meeting;
(b) A proposed ordinance or regulation which will
be discussed at the public meeting; and
(c) Subject to the provisions of subsection 8 or
9, as applicable, any other supporting material provided to the members of the
public body for an item on the agenda, except materials:
(1) Submitted to the public body pursuant
to a nondisclosure or confidentiality agreement which relates to proprietary
information;
(2) Pertaining to the closed portion of
such a meeting of the public body; or
(3) Declared confidential by law, unless
otherwise agreed to by each person whose interest is being protected under the
order of confidentiality.
The public
body shall make at least one copy of the documents described in paragraphs (a),
(b) and (c) available to the public at the meeting to which the documents
pertain. As used in this subsection, proprietary information has the meaning
ascribed to it in NRS 332.025 .
8. Unless it must be made available at an
earlier time pursuant to NRS 288.153 , a
copy of supporting material required to be provided upon request pursuant to
paragraph (c) of subsection 7 must be:
(a) If the supporting material is provided to the
members of the public body before the meeting, made available to the requester
at the time the material is provided to the members of the public body; or
(b) If the supporting material is provided to the
members of the public body at the meeting, made available at the meeting to the
requester at the same time the material is provided to the members of the
public body.
If the
requester has agreed to receive the information and material set forth in
subsection 7 by electronic mail, the public body shall, if feasible, provide
the information and material by electronic mail.
9. Unless the supporting material must be
posted at an earlier time pursuant to NRS
288.153 , and except as otherwise provided in subsection 11, the governing
body of a county or city whose population is 52,000 or more shall post the
supporting material described in paragraph (c) of subsection 7 to its website
not later than the time the material is provided to the members of the
governing body or, if the supporting material is provided to the members of the
governing body at a meeting, not later than 24 hours after the conclusion of
the meeting. Such posting is supplemental to the right of the public to request
the supporting material pursuant to subsection 7. The inability of the
governing body, as a result of technical problems with its website, to post
supporting material pursuant to this subsection shall not be deemed to be a
violation of the provisions of this chapter.
10. Except as otherwise provided in
subsection 11, a public body may provide the public notice, information or
supporting material required by this section by electronic mail. Except as
otherwise provided in this subsection, if a public body makes such notice,
information or supporting material available by electronic mail, the public
body shall inquire of a person who requests the notice, information or
supporting material if the person will accept receipt by electronic mail. If a
public body is required to post the public notice, information or supporting
material on its website pursuant to this section, the public body shall inquire
of a person who requests the notice, information or supporting material if the
person will accept by electronic mail a link to the posting on the website when
the documents are made available. The inability of a public body, as a result
of technical problems with its electronic mail system, to provide a public
notice, information or supporting material or a link to a website required by
this section to a person who has agreed to receive such notice, information,
supporting material or link by electronic mail shall not be deemed to be a
violation of the provisions of this chapter.
11. If a public body holds a meeting using
a remote technology system pursuant to NRS
241.023 and has no physical location for the meeting, the public body must:
(a) Have an Internet website; and
(b) Post to its Internet website:
(1) The public notice required by this
section; and
(2) Supporting material not later than the
time the material is provided to the members of the governing body or, if the
supporting material is provided to the members of the governing body at a
meeting, not later than 24 hours after the conclusion of the meeting.
The inability
of the governing body, as a result of technical problems with its Internet
website, to post supporting material pursuant to this subsection shall not be
deemed to be a violation of the provisions of this chapter.
12. As used in this section, emergency
means an unforeseen circumstance which requires immediate action and includes,
but is not limited to:
(a) Disasters caused by fire, flood, earthquake
or other natural causes; or
(b) Any impairment of the health and safety of
the public.

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