§ 143-318.10. All official meetings of public bodies open to the public. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 143‑318.10.  Allofficial meetings of public bodies open to the public.

(a)        Except as provided in G.S. 143‑318.11, 143‑318.14A,143‑318.15, and 143‑318.18, each official meeting of a public bodyshall be open to the public, and any person is entitled to attend such ameeting.

(b)        As used in this Article, "public body" means anyelected or appointed authority, board, commission, committee, council, or otherbody of the State, or of one or more counties, cities, school administrativeunits, constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina, or otherpolitical subdivisions or public corporations in the State that (i) is composedof two or more members and (ii) exercises or is authorized to exercise alegislative, policy‑making, quasi‑judicial, administrative, oradvisory function. In addition, "public body" means the governingboard of a "public hospital" as defined in G.S. 159‑39 and thegoverning board of any nonprofit corporation to which a hospital facility hasbeen sold or conveyed pursuant to G.S. 131E‑8, any subsidiary of suchnonprofit corporation, and any nonprofit corporation owning the corporation towhich the hospital facility has been sold or conveyed.

(c)        "Public body" does not include (i) a meetingsolely among the professional staff of a public body, or (ii) the medical staffof a public hospital or the medical staff of a hospital that has been sold orconveyed pursuant to G.S. 131E‑8.

(d)        "Official meeting" means a meeting, assembly, orgathering together at any time or place or the simultaneous communication byconference telephone or other electronic means of a majority of the members ofa public body for the purpose of conducting hearings, participating indeliberations, or voting upon or otherwise transacting the public business withinthe jurisdiction, real or apparent, of the public body. However, a socialmeeting or other informal assembly or gathering together of the members of apublic body does not constitute an official meeting unless called or held toevade the spirit and purposes of this Article.

(e)        Every public body shall keep full and accurate minutes ofall official meetings, including any closed sessions held pursuant to G.S. 143‑318.11.Such minutes may be in written form or, at the option of the public body, maybe in the form of sound or video and sound recordings. When a public body meetsin closed session, it shall keep a general account of the closed session sothat a person not in attendance would have a reasonable understanding of whattranspired. Such accounts may be a written narrative, or video or audiorecordings. Such minutes and accounts shall be public records within themeaning of the Public Records Law, G.S. 132‑1 et seq.; provided, however,that minutes or an account of a closed session conducted in compliance withG.S. 143‑318.11 may be withheld from public inspection so long as publicinspection would frustrate the purpose of a closed session. (1979, c. 655, s. 1; 1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 932,s. 4; 1991, c. 694, ss. 1, 2; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 570, s. 1; 1995, c.509, s. 135.2(p); 1997‑290, s. 1; 1997‑465, s. 27.)