From The Greeley Tribune:  We were disappointed to learn of House Bill 1259, which would allow Aims Community College and Colorado Mountain College boards of trustees to meet and make decisions electronically.

The bill, it seems to us, flouts the state’s open meetings laws that ensure the public can not only hear what their governing bodies are doing with these colleges but participate in the discussion.

Colorado Mountain College is the driving force behind the bill. Officials there claim it is difficult to get all the members together at regular intervals. Colorado Mountain College consists of 11 campuses in seven counties separated by some of the most dangerous roads in the state.

So what they’re asking for seems reasonable at first blush. However, this bill takes it way too far.

First, meeting by phone — which then gives the public an opportunity to listen and chime in on meetings even if they can’t be present — is allowed and should be an adequate solution in times of inclement weather.

Second, there is no verbiage in the bill that specifies which items are allowed to be voted on electronically. Officials at Colorado Mountain College have stated they plan to use the rule only when it comes to minor issues where a unanimous vote is expected. The problem, of course, is this makes it far too tempting for the trustees to avoid a public meeting to dodge any kind of controversy.

Granted, the bill tries to solve this by requiring the trustees to notify the public of items being decided electronically. If a member of the public raises a concern, the item then would be addressed in a public forum. But this puts the public in charge of policing the trustees, rather than a long-established law. We prefer the latter.

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