Sicut Patribus Sit Deus Nobis.
God Be with Us as He Was with Our Fathers
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Civitatis Regimine Donata A.D.1822.
City Status Granted by the Authority of the State
in the Year of Our Lord 1822

Bostonia. Condita A.D. 1630.
Boston, Founded in the Year of Our Lord 1630

Offered by Councillor SAM YOON
http://www.cityofboston.gov/contact/?id=18

CITY OF BOSTON
http://cityofboston.gov/citycouncil

IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND EIGHT

AN ORDINANCE
REGULATING THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES

WHEREAS, The City of Boston currently provides, via the City Clerk, City Council meeting minutes and these records are available to the public on the internet; and

WHEREAS, The Open Meeting Law and Public Records Law is meant to cultivate public dialogue on governmental action and ensures this by imposing minimal standards for meeting minute content; and

WHEREAS, The City already meets these record standards; however, we should go beyond the minimum standards and make our City Council minutes not only publicly available, but more understandable; and

WHEREAS, Increasing the readability of our Council meeting minutes will foster public understanding and involvement in local government; NOW, THEREFORE

Be it ordained by the City of Boston, as follows that the City of Boston Code be amended by adding the following:-

Section 1.
CBC Chapter II is hereby amended by appending the following to 2-10.1 after the first paragraph:-

(a) In addition to keeping records of City Council meetings pursuant to M.G.L. c. 39, s. 23B, M.G.L. c. 66, s. 5A, and 950 CMR 32.00, the City Clerk shall make comprehensible City Council minutes.

For purposes of this subsection only "comprehensible City Council minutes" means a record of a City Council meeting translated from parliamentary procedure wording into plain language, including a brief summary of each topic discussed and/or all votes or formal decisions made during the meeting.

Under no circumstances shall the comprehensible City Council minutes include the substance of debates by and among the members of the City Council pursuant to chapter 447 of the Acts of 1947.

The City Clerk shall make the comprehensible City Council minutes electronically accessible on the City's website no later than two weeks after the meeting in question.


Section 2.
The provisions of these sections will become effective sixty (60) days after passage.

Research the City Code
at
http://www.cityofboston.gov/cityclerk/