As political subdivisions, acequias are required to follow the Open Meetings Act, which is intended to allow the public access to decision-making by elected officials. The Open Meetings Act requires that meetings of the acequia be open to the public and that such meetings can only be held after reasonable notice.
Each acequia should have an Open Meetings Act resolution adopted annually that specifies the time and method for providing notice. NMAA has provided a template at: https://www.lasacequias.org/news/open-meetings-act-resolution/
The template resolution includes:
– 10 day notice by posting in a public place (additional notice optional such as email, snail mail or as specified in your bylaws.
– The agenda should be posted or available (the notice should specify how to obtain a copy of the agenda) within 72 hours of the scheduled meeting time.
– It is especially important that any action items be identified on the agenda prior to the meeting.
For more information about compliance with the OMA, contact the NMAA at 505-995-9644.
*NMAA is available to attend acequia meetings by invitation. Please let us know if you would like NMAA staff to attend or to give a presentation on a range of topics related to water rights or acequia governance. It is best if we could have a two week notice of your meeting.