05/07/08

WEST JORDAN, Utah (AP) _ Sometimes, West Jordan's city council
wishes nobody could attend their meetings.

That's against the law, but they seem to have found the next
best thing: Making sure the public can't hear them.

During a recent workshop where the council debated raising
property taxes, council members decided they didn't want to use
microphones so nobody would know what they were discussing.

Mayor Dave Newton says council members need to be able to meet
in an informal setting without worrying about what they say.

The state's Open and Public Meetings Act doesn't specify that
microphones should be used.

But a Salt Lake City attorney who specializes in the open
meetings law says that by intentionally making it difficult for
residents to hear what's going on, the public's being kept out of
the process.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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