The Town Board of the Town of Fulton has the specific authority, powers and duties, pursuant to §§ 60.22, 60.24, 19.85, 19.89 and 19.90, Wis. Stats., to manage and direct public meetings in the Town of Fulton to comply with the State Open Meeting Law.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See §§ 19.81 to 19.89, Wis. Stats.
All meetings of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton shall be held in open session and shall be open to the public, except as noted in § 85-18. In addition, all meetings of any special offices, any committees, any commissions, any agencies, and boards and any other special government units of the Town of Fulton shall be held in open session and open to the public, except as noted in § 85-18.
A. 
General public notice. All meetings of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton and all meetings of any special offices, any committees, any commissions, any agencies, any boards or any other special government units of the Town of Fulton shall provide public notice of these meetings pursuant to § 19.84, Wis. Stats., and pursuant to this chapter.
B. 
Responsible person. The Town Chair of the Town of Fulton, or his or her designee, and the chair or presiding officer of any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton, or his or her designee, shall be the responsible person to communicate orally or in writing notice of any meeting to any concerned media which have filed a written request for such public notice of meetings and to any official newspaper for the Town of Fulton.
C. 
Time for notice. The public notice of any meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton and the public notice of any meeting of any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton shall be given at least 24 hours prior to the commencement of the meeting, unless for good cause such public notice is impossible or impractical, in which case shorter notice may be given, but in no case may public notice of any meeting be provided less than two hours in advance of the meeting.
D. 
Elements of notice. Any written public notice of any meeting shall set forth the time, date, place and subject matter of the meeting, including any possible closed meeting and any subject matter intended for consideration of any possible closed session. The actual form of the written public notice shall be used that is reasonably likely to apprise members of the general public, any concerned media and the official newspaper of the Town of Fulton of the meeting.
Any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or other special government unit of the Town of Fulton shall comply with Ch. 19, Wis. Stats., and the sections of this chapter.
A. 
Posting. At minimum, the responsible person to provide any public notice or his or her designee shall post written public notice of any meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton and any meeting of any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton at or near at least three public places.
B. 
Publishing. In lieu of or in addition to the above-noted written posting of the public notice for the meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton and any other special office or other special government unit noted herein, proper written public notice may be achieved under Ch. 19, Wis. Stats., and this chapter by the Town Chair of the Town of Fulton or his or her designee publishing a Class 1 notice pursuant to Ch. 985, Wis. Stats., for any meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton or any other government unit noted herein, in the Town of Fulton official newspaper and by publishing public notice of any meeting at the discretion of the Town Chair of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton in any other publication likely to apprise the general public of the meeting. Publication of the public notice of a meeting in the official newspaper or in any other publication is not required by this chapter except as noted below.
C. 
Annual Town Meeting date and location. Any Annual Town Meeting that has been established at a date different than the second Tuesday of April or established at any location different than the location of the last annual meeting shall require that the Town Clerk of the Town of Fulton or his or her designee, pursuant to Ch. 985, Wis. Stats., publish a Class 2 notice stating the purpose, date, time and location of the Annual Town Meeting. The time for publication of the notice shall be not more than 20 nor less than 10 days prior to the Annual Town Meeting. If the Town of Fulton has designated a weekly publication as the official general circulation newspaper, the Town Clerk shall post the meeting notice in at least three public places and publish once in the official newspaper.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
D. 
Special Town Meeting date and location. Any Special Town Meeting that has been established shall require that the Town Clerk of the Town of Fulton or his or her designee publish a Class 2 notice stating the purpose, date, time and location of the Special Town Meeting. The time for publication shall be not more than 20 nor less than 10 days prior to the Special Town Meeting.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
A. 
General media coverage rule. Pursuant to § 19.90, Wis. Stats., any concerned media, the official newspaper of the Town of Fulton or any other person may broadcast, photograph or record any part or all of any open session of an Annual Town of Fulton Town Meeting, a Town of Fulton Special Town Meeting, a meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton or any meeting of any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton covered by this chapter.
B. 
Exceptions. The Town Chair of the Town of Fulton or the chair or presiding officer of any Town of Fulton Town Meeting or any other Town government meeting of the Town of Fulton, its officers or its employees may, prior to or at the meeting, establish reasonable standards for the location and placement of any broadcasting, photography or recording devices. No person shall broadcast, photograph or record any matter or persons at any Town of Fulton government meeting in the Town of Fulton in such a manner as to unreasonably interrupt the deliberations and discussions or unreasonably block the view or the opportunity to hear of any person at any Town of Fulton government meeting.
A. 
Procedure for closed session. Any meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton and any public meeting or any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton may be held in closed session upon a motion for a closed session duly made and carried by a roll call vote of the members. The vote shall be conducted in a manner to allow the public to ascertain how each member of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton or each member of the committee, commission, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton voted on the motion. The actual vote for a closed session shall be recorded in the minutes by the recording officer of the meeting with a clear identification of the names of the members voting for the motion and the names of the members opposing the motion. Prior to the adoption of the motion, the Town Chair of the Town of Fulton or the presiding officer of the meeting formally shall, at the open meeting portion, announce to all persons at the meeting the nature of the business or matter to be considered at such closed session and shall also formally announce the specific closed meeting exemption and subsection under Ch. 19, Wis. Stats. No person in the closed session shall bring before any closed session meeting any business or matter except that business or matter which relates to the business or matter contained in the formal announcement of the closed session by the Town Chair of the Town of Fulton or by the presiding officer of the public meeting.
B. 
Purposes for closed session. A closed session of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton or a closed session of any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton may be held as provided by law.
C. 
Exceptions.
(1) 
The Town Board of the Town of Fulton and any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton may not commence a meeting, subsequently convene in closed session and thereafter reconvene in open session within 12 hours after completion of the closed session, unless public notice of such subsequent open session was given at the same time and in the same manner as the public notice of the meeting convened prior to the closed session. For this purpose, the officer or designee effecting notice may use the phrase "The Board may reconvene in open session to consider other topics."
(2) 
Neither the Town Board of the Town of Fulton, any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any special government unit of the Town of Fulton nor any member of the above-noted, nor any person, shall construe this chapter to authorize the Town Board of the Town of Fulton or any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton to consider at a closed session meeting the final ratification or approval of any collective bargaining agreement under Subchapter IV or V of Ch. 111, Wis. Stats., where this agreement has been negotiated by the Town Board of the Town of Fulton or by any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton or on its behalf.
(3) 
The Town Clerk/Treasurer of the Town of Fulton shall have the right to attend all closed sessions of the Town Board of the Town of Fulton unless the Town Board by a majority vote excludes the Town Clerk/Treasurer from any particular closed session.
The Town Board of the Town of Fulton and any member of any special office, committee, commission, agency, board or any other special government unit of the Town of Fulton shall comply with all applicable provisions of the State Open Meeting Law (Ch. 19, Wis. Stats.). Any meeting established, notices provided and any employees and any agents of the Town of Fulton shall comply with all applicable provisions of the State Open Meeting Law (Ch. 19, Wis. Stats.).