Q&A: Copy of ordinance draft

0
26

From the Hoosier Environmental Council:

Q: Are town councils required to make available to the public a copy of an ordinance being considered at a council meeting prior to or during the meeting?

A: A draft of an ordinance should be available under an Access to Public Records Act request.

It shouldn’t be subject to any confidentiality exceptions, so there shouldn’t be any reason why a copy of the proposed ordinance couldn’t be provided quickly.

Whether you receive the proposed ordinance before the meeting would depend upon when you requested the draft and the “reasonable” time it would take for the staff to make a copy.

Contact Steve Key, HSPA executive director and general counsel, with media law questions at skey@hspa.com or (317) 624-4427.