ADV OM 99-05 (1999).

• Case Date: May 05, 1999
• Court: Rhode Island

Rhode Island Attorney General Opinions 1999. ADV OM 99-05 (1999). State of Rhode IslandDepartment of the Attorney GeneralADV OM 99-05 (1999)ADV OM 99-05 North Kingstown Town CouncilOM Advisory 99-05May 5, 1999A. Lauriston Parks, Esq. Providence, Rhode Island 02903Re: North Kingstown Town CouncilRequest for Open Meetings Act Advisory Opinion Dear Mr. Parks: We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 4, 1999. You are the solicitor for the Town of North Kingstown and, in that capacity, you are requesting an advisory opinion to the North Kingstown Town Council on the Open Meetings Act. In your letter you relate that the Economic Development Corporation and the Governor of the State of Rhode Island are currently considering a proposal for a large container port at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. You further represent that the Town of North Kingstown has been involved in the stakeholder process and is currently engaged in formulating its response with respect to this proposed port facility. Three meetings are contemplated, all of which form the basis of your request. The first meeting has been scheduled for May 7, 1999, and will be held with Mr. Martin Grasso, a spokesman for the developer of the proposed port. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the developer's proposal and to express the Town's concerns about that proposal. The second meeting has been scheduled for May 14, 1999, and will be held with the Governor. The purpose of this meeting is to inform the Governor of the Town's concerns with respect to the proposal. The third meeting has yet to be scheduled, but would be held with the leadership of the General Assembly in order to express the Town's concerns. It is your understanding that the Town Manager and the Town's port consultant will attend all three meetings. You are requesting an advisory opinion concerning the applicability of the Open Meetings Act to all three meetings in the event that (1) either the majority and/or the entire Town Council attend or (2) only one or two members of the Town Council attend. A. Lauriston Parks, Esq. May 5, 1999 Page 2 of 3 The Act mandates that all "public bodies" hold open meetings unless closed pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 42-46-4 and 42-46-5. A "meeting" is defined as "the convening of a public body to discuss and/or act upon a matter over which the public body has...