What acequias need to know!
Acequias safe guard themselves against future challenges and demonstrate attention to the laws set out to encourage a fair process by following the Open Meetings Act.
Five key points of the OMA
- Pass an Open Meetings Act Resolution (see the NMAA Governance handbook for a sample and more details).
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Give reasonable notice of meetings. The office of the Attorney General recommends:
- 10 days notice for membership meetings
- 3 days for commission meetings
- Whatever your bylaws or OMA resolution say if they exceed the above.
- Take minutes at meetings.Include at aminimum the date, time, and placeofthe meeting, the names of commissioners in attendance and theproposals considered,andarecord of any decisions and votes takenthat show how each commissioner voted.
- Emergencymeetings canonlybeheld whereunforeseencircumstances will resultin injuryor damageto persons or propertyif not addressed immediatelybytheacequia (see more details in NMAA Governance Handbook).
- The acequia mayrecessand reconveneameeting or closepart ofameeting for executivesession in certain limited situations. (see more details in NMAA Governance Handbook).
Copies of the Governance hand book are available at the NMAA office and at our events. It can also be found at: https://www.lasacequias.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Governance-Handbook-Rev-2014.pd