The Journal (Cortez): When a governmental entity tells journalists of a special meeting, and encourages them to attend, that’s a pretty good indication that board members aren’t trying to hide anything.

In June, a Journal reporter attended a meeting between Montezuma County commissioners and Bureau of Land Management officials about public land access at Summit Ridge. The commissioners’ trip to Summit Ridge had been announced during a meeting with radio and Journal reporters in attendance.

One reporter gave notice that he wanted to attend the meeting and was encouraged to go. He went. The other one did not. That’s beside the point.

Holding public meetings can sometimes feel like an inconvenience. Nevertheless, if more than one commissioner shows up to do the public’s business, that’s a meeting, and with very few specific exceptions, the public has a right to know about it in advance and to attend.

Colorado has robust requirements for government transparency, and the Colorado Open Meetings Law requires specific kinds of notice. Members of the public are free to delegate their oversight of government to journalists, and they often do, but that doesn’t mean that public notice is optional. It’s not.

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