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SF0017 • 2021

Governmental publication requirements.

AN ACT relating to governmental publication requirements; amending publication and online posting requirements for governmental entities; and providing for an effective date.

Education
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Corporations
Last action
2021-03-05
Official status
inactive
Effective date
3/1/2021

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included specific changes that were not fully supported by the provided official source material.

Government Publication Requirements

This act amends rules for how cities, towns, and counties must publish their meeting minutes and other important information online or in newspapers.

What This Bill Does

  • Amends the publication requirements for city and town meetings to include posting on official websites instead of just in local newspapers.
  • Requires county boards to post summaries of meetings online rather than only in newspapers.
  • Updates rules for school districts to publish financial details, including salaries, on their official websites.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Cities and towns in Wyoming
  • Counties in Wyoming
  • School districts in Wyoming

Terms To Know

qualified online publication
An electronic platform used by cities, towns, or counties for publishing required information that has been consistently published within the area for at least one year.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass and therefore its provisions are not in effect.
  • It is unclear how many cities, towns, and counties currently have agreements with qualified online publications.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SF0017S2001

2nd reading • Senator Ellis

Failed

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirement for cities and towns to post meeting minutes and ordinance titles on their official websites within twelve days of a regular or special meeting.

  • Adds a new rule requiring city and town governing bodies to post and maintain on their official website, within twelve days after any regular or special meeting, the minutes of all meetings and the titles of all ordinances passed.
  • The amendment text includes many technical details about reinserting stricken language which are not fully explained here.
  • It's unclear how this change will affect other parts of the bill that were also amended.
SF0017SW001

Committee of the Whole • Senator Nethercott

Failed

Plain English: The amendment adds new definitions for 'qualified online publication' for cities, towns, counties, and school districts, allowing these entities to use such publications instead of or in addition to their websites.

  • Adds a definition for 'qualified online publication' for city or town use, which must have been published continuously for at least one year before an agreement is made with the provider.
  • Adds a similar definition for county use, requiring continuous publication within the county for at least one year prior to an agreement.
  • Includes a definition for school district use, requiring continuous publication within the district's boundaries for at least one year before an agreement.
  • The amendment does not specify how these new publications will be regulated or if there are any additional requirements beyond the definitions provided.

Bill History

  1. 2021-03-05 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Failed 9-20-0-0-1

  2. 2021-03-04 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  3. 2021-03-03 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  4. 2021-02-04 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  5. 2021-02-04 Senate

    S07 - Corporations:Recommend Do Pass 4-1-0-0-0

  6. 2021-01-12 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S07 - Corporations

  7. 2021-01-12 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  8. 2020-12-28 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
21LSO-0183
2021
STATE OF WYOMING
21LSO-0183
Numbered
2.0

SENATE FILE NO. SF0017

Governmental publication requirements.

Sponsored by: Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to governmental publication requirements; amending publication and online posting requirements for governmental entities; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 15
‑
1
‑
110(a), (b)(intro) and (i), 18
‑
3
‑
516(a), (b)(intro), (i) and (f) and 21
‑
3
‑
110(a)(ii) and (xvi)(A) are amended to read:

15
‑
1
‑
110.

Minutes of meetings and titles of ordinances passed to be posted; contents; posting of salary information of specified officials and employees.

(a)

The governing body of any city or town shall designate a legal newspaper and
,

publish once therein

within twelve (12) days after any regular or special meeting of the governing body of the city or town, post and maintain on its official website
the minutes of all regular and special meetings of the governing body and the titles of all ordinances passed. If
a newspaper is not published in
the city or town
does not have an official website
the proceedings or ordinances shall be posted for at least ten (10) days in the city or town clerk's office and in such other places as the governing body determines. The clerk of each city or town shall within twelve (12) days after adjournment of every meeting, furnish the newspaper a copy of the proceedings of the meeting. Except for salaries and wages published under subsection (b) of this section, the
copy
post
shall include any bill presented to the governing body stating the amount of the bill, the amount allowed, the purpose of the bill and the claimant. Claims for
part
‑
time employees may be summarized by department without listing each part
‑
time employee.
The newspaper shall publish the copy of proceedings within nine (9) days after receipt.

(b)

A city or town required to
publish
post
minutes
to its official website
under subsection (a) of this section shall separately
publish
post on its official website
:

(i)

Within sixty (60) days after the end of each fiscal year, the name, position, base annual salary of and amount of overtime pay paid to each full
‑
time employee and each elected official. A brief statement shall accompany the salary
publication
post
specifying that all salaries are listed as base annual salaries or actual wages, not including any benefits such as health insurance costs, life insurance benefits and pension plans. The statement shall also indicate that any overtime the employee earned and was paid by the city or town is included
. The city or town shall maintain this information on its official website
;

18
‑
3
‑
516.

Posting of proceedings; posting of salary information of certain officials and employees.

(a)

Each board of county commissioners shall post a comprehensive summary of the entire proceedings of all regular and special meetings held by the board on the county's official website in the manner provided in
this
subsection
.

(f) of this section and publish the comprehensive summary of the entire proceedings of all regular and special meetings held by them one (1) time in the county's designated official newspaper.

The county clerk of each county shall within twelve (12) working days after adjournment of every meeting for which the next scheduled meeting will be called to order in two (2) weeks time or less, or within eighteen (18) working days after adjournment of every meeting for which the next scheduled meeting will be called to order in more than two (2) weeks time, furnish the
paper
county's official newspaper
with a copy of the proceedings
and post and maintain on the county's official website a comprehensive summary of the proceedings
.

Except for salaries and wages published under subsection (b) of this section, the
copy
post
shall include
any bill presented to the board stating the amount of the bill, the amount allowed, the purpose of the bill and the claimant. Claims for part
‑
time employees may be summarized by department without listing each part
‑
time employee.
The newspaper shall publish the copy of proceedings within nine (9) days after receipt.
The board shall post on its official website, and if practicable publish
in the county's designated official newspaper
, notice of the time of all regular and special meetings.

(b)

Each board of county commissioners shall post on the county's official website
:
in the manner provided in subsection (f) of this section and publish separate from the minutes of the proceedings:

(i)

Within sixty (60) days after the end of each fiscal year, the name, position, base annual salary of and amount of overtime pay paid to each full
‑
time employee and each elected official. A brief statement shall accompany the salary
publication
post
specifying that all salaries are listed as base annual salaries or actual wages, not including any benefits such as health insurance costs, life
insurance benefits and pension plans. The statement shall also indicate that any overtime that the employee earned and was paid by the county is included.
The county shall maintain this information on its official website.

(f)

For all publications required by statute to be posted on a county's official website,
except as provided in subsections (a) and (b) of this section,
the publication shall be posted at times required for publication in a designated official newspaper.
Until June 30, 2016,
In addition, e
ach board of county commissioners shall cause to be published in the designated official newspaper once per
month, no less than twelve (12) times per
year
,
a general public notice pertaining to access to county information.

After June 30, 2016, this general public notice shall be published at least once per year.

21
‑
3
‑
110.

Duties of boards of trustees.

(a)

The board of trustees in each school district shall:

(ii)

Keep minutes of all meetings at which official action is taken and a record of all official acts including a record of all warrants issued against the monies belonging to the school district.

The minutes and records shall be public records.

A list of each warrant over five hundred dollars ($500.00) shall be
published one (1) time in a legal newspaper of general circulation within the respective county
posted on the school district's official website
within thirty (30) days of the date of the meeting
and maintained on the school district's official website
. Individual yearly gross salary payments
need
shall
be
published
posted
only once in March of each year
as follows
:

(A)

Each individual annual gross salary shall be identified by category and each individual salary shall be
published
posted
as a gross dollar amount without identification other than by category.

Categories shall include superintendent, assistant superintendent, high school principal, assistant high school principal, junior high principal, junior high assistant principals, elementary principals, elementary assistant principals,
first grade teachers, second grade teachers, third grade teachers, fourth grade teachers, fifth grade teachers, sixth grade teachers, kindergarten teachers, high school departmental teachers (business, language arts, foreign languages, science, social studies, mathematics, or other), vocal music, instrumental music, elementary music, secondary art, elementary art, secondary physical education, elementary physical education, vocational education, secondary guidance counselors, secondary librarians, elementary librarians, driver education, special education teachers, remedial teachers, nurses, teacher's aides, head coaches, assistant coaches, dramatics, secondary secretarial, junior high secretarial, elementary secretarial, business managers, janitorial, bus drivers, and other categories which may be selected so that every individual salary may be categorized.

Each category shall show a cumulative subtotal and there shall be a grand total of all categories.

At the end of the salary
publication
post
there shall be printed the district salary schedule
. The school district shall maintain this information on its official website
;

(B)

Forms shall be furnished to the school districts by the state department of education for such
publications
posts,
which shall be the same in all unified districts.

(xvi)(A)

Publish the following notice in a newspaper of general circulation in
Conspicuously post on the official website of
the school district at least two (2) times each year, once within a week after the first regular meeting in December and once as a part of the statement of revenue and expenditures of the district:

Notice of School Board Meetings and Availability of Minutes

Notice is hereby given that regular meetings of the board of trustees of .... County School District Number ...., State of Wyoming, are held each month, at .... o'clock on .... (here insert days or dates) in Room .... of the .... school building in .... (city or town), Wyoming, and such meetings are open to the public.

Notice is also given that official minutes of each regular or special meeting of such board, including a record of all official acts and of all warrants issued, are available for inspection by any citizen during regular office hours at the office of the clerk of said district, at .... (here insert address of office).

...........................

Chairman, Board of Trustees

............. County School

District, Number ..........

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2021
.

(END)

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SF0017