Keeping Meeting Minutes

Minutes of all public meetings must be created and kept.

Minutes are required to contain:

• a statement of the time, date and place of the meeting;
• the members present as well as absent;
• a record of any decisions made at the meeting and a record of all roll-call votes; and
• an explanation for the purpose(s) if the meeting is a closed session.

A copy of the minutes from the July 20, 2010 meeting of the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners is typical of the style and form of minutes kept at public meetings in Michigan.

Minutes Are Public Records

Minutes are considered public records that are open for public inspection. Minutes must be available for review as well as copying at the address designated on the public notice for the meeting or through the FOIA process. The public body must make copies of the minutes available to the public at the reasonable estimated cost for printing and copying.

While required to be created and kept by law, minutes taken during closed session are exempt from public inspection or copying unless ordered by a court otherwise.

Timeline Requirements

Proposed minutes must be available for public inspection within eight business days after a meeting.

Approved minutes must be available within five business days after the meeting at which they were approved.

Corrections to the minutes must be made no later than the next meeting and must then be available no later than the meeting after the correction approval. Corrected minutes must show both the original entry and the correction.

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