Blogtown, PDX

Monday, January 8, 2007

Portland Neighborhood Meeting of the Week!

Posted by Amy J. Ruiz on Mon, Jan 8 at 3:33 PM

Tonight, I’ll be at the Beaumont Wilshire Neighborhood Association meeting, for what’s sure to be a feisty debate about audio and video recording of their monthly meetings. I know you’re all super jealous.

The BWNA’s secretary, Jim Karlock, likes to videotape the meetings. Some members have objected. One member came up with a new bylaw, that would ban audio and video recording.

Karlock, of course, is making his case, citing the city’s open meetings standards for neighborhood associations, and arguing in favor of unfettered access. I’m definitely on Jim’s side—neighborhood association meetings are public meetings, and I’m all for complete transparency of public meetings (I’m also for neighborhood association minutes, something the BWNA could stand to devote some time debating; the group essentially ignores the city’s standards for keeping ‘em). And as a reporter, I certainly don’t want to check my little digital audio recorder at the door if I’m there to cover a story—it’s the BWNA, for crying out loud, not a speech by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

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Comments

If they aren't properly abiding by records standards, don't they then have to go register with the city as lobbyists? I seem to recall that NAs got an exemption from the lobbyist ordinance based upon their abiding by records and meetings standards.

Posted by b!X | January 8, 2007 5:46 PM

Who is exempt from registering as a lobbyist?

http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=41769&a=110922#8

"C. Any lobbying entity that satisfies all three of the following requirements:

1) Complies with state public record and meeting laws or with the standards adopted by City Council that govern Neighborhood Associations, District Coalitions, and Business District Associations referenced in City Code Section 3.96.020 G.;
2) Is an Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)3 Organization; AND
3) Is formally recognized or acknowledged by the City of Portland through City Council resolution or ordinance."

NA records/meetings standards:

http://www.portlandonline.com/oni/index.cfm?c=40260&#cid_97817

"2. Minutes shall be put in writing and made available to the public, except for minutes from executive sessions, within a reasonable time after the meeting. Neighborhood Associations are required to forward copies of their meeting minutes to their District Coalitions. Neighborhood Associations unaffiliated with a District Coalition are required to forward copies of their meeting minutes to the Office of Neighborhood Involvement."

Posted by b!X | January 8, 2007 5:56 PM

Good point. I'll look into that.

Posted by Amy Jenniges | January 8, 2007 6:53 PM

They are keeping minutes; The problem is that their quality is pretty low. Last night, I sat through 10 minutes of board members' amendments to last month's minutes, because Secretary Jim Karlock hadn't gotten them right, or missed crucial details. The rest of the board was clearly irritated, especially because it's Karlock insisting on videotaping the meetings as a backup, to ensure the accuracy of the minutes.

Which explains whyâ€”when we asked the BWNA last month to send us their minutes each monthâ€”the person I talked to asked if we really wanted them, because they were "shitty." We said we still did.

Posted by Amy Jenniges | January 9, 2007 11:03 AM

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