Public Meeting Law Complaints

What are Public Meetings Laws?

Public meetings laws are intended to ensure that governmental meetings are open and accessible to the public. These laws foster transparency, allowing the community to stay informed about decisions affecting their lives.

During the 2023 session, the Legislative Assembly enacted HB 2805, granting the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) the power to enforce Oregon’s Public Meetings Law (ORS 192.610 to 192.705).

Public Meeting Law Complaints

Public meeting laws aim to foster transparency and accountability in government by ensuring that meetings of public bodies are held openly and are accessible to the public. If these laws are violated, individuals have the right to file a complaint.

There are specific requirements that must be met before submitting a Public Meetings Law complaint to OGEC. These requirements also apply to complaints related to executive session provisions. If these mandatory prerequisites are not fulfilled prior to filing, your complaint will be dismissed.

Required Steps to File Complaints:

Step 1: Submit Grievance

If you believe a public body has violated Public Meetings Law, you must first submit a written grievance to the public body at issue before filing a complaint with OGEC, The public body may identify on its website the person to whom the grievance should be submitted. The written grievance must include:

1. Date of the submission of the grievance.

2. Name and contact information of the person filing the grievance.

3. Date that the alleged violation of the Public Meetings Law occurred.

4. Description of the facts and circumstances of the alleged violation of ORS 192.610-192.705.

The written grievance must be submitted to the public body within 30 calendar days of the alleged violation occurring. (OAR 199-050-0070(2)).

Written grievances can be submitted in person during regular business hours, by first-class mail, or via email to the Baker City, City Recorder at cityrecorder@bakercity.gov. The physical address is Baker City, City Hall, 1655 1st St. Baker City, OR 97814

City Hall hours are Monday through Thursday 7:30am – 5pm, Friday 7:30am – 12pm.

Step 2: Wait for Response

The public body has 21 calendar days to respond to your written grievance. The response should acknowledge receipt of the grievance and address it in one of the following ways:

o Deny the facts and circumstances alleged in the grievance. Provide the public body's version of events and why those facts are not a violation of the law.

o Admit the facts and circumstances alleged in the grievance, but deny that they are a violation of the law.

o Admit to the facts and circumstances alleged in the grievance and that they are a violation of the law. Explain the steps the governing body will take to address the violation.

Once you receive a response from the public body, or if no response is provided within 21 days of filing your grievance, you may proceed with filing a complaint with OGEC. (ORS 192.705(2))

Step 3: File Complaint

If you receive a response that satisfies your grievance, you can work with the public body and are not required to file a complaint.

If you don't receive a response within 21 days or are dissatisfied with the response, you may file a complaint with OGEC. To do so, you must include documentation showing that you have completed the mandatory prerequisites (steps 1 and 2). Complaints can be submitted through the OGEC Cases & Complaints web page.

You must include the following with your complaint:

o A copy of the written grievance.

o A copy of the public body's response (or affirmation that no response was received within the 21 days)

If you fail to satisfy the mandatory prerequisites before filing your complaint with OGEC, your complaint will be dismissed. (ORS 192.685(3))