Q&A: Recording meetings

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From the Spencer Evening World:

Q: Are government entities such as a board of county commissioners required to tape record meetings for record purposes? Our commissioners keep only written minutes. They previously recorded the meetings but stopped that practice.

A: Governing bodies are not required by law to tape record public meetings.

They are required during the meeting to keep a memoranda, which includes the date, time and place of meeting; members recorded as absent or present; the general substance of all matters proposed, discussed or decided; and a record of all votes taken by individuals if there is a roll call vote. [See IC 5-14-1.5-4(b).]

Since the memoranda is created during the meeting, it should be available for inspection when the governing body’s office is next open for business following the meeting.

The memoranda can be created by hand, on a computer, or by a tape or video recorder.

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