Lawsuit over meetings revived

Associated Press

LEBANON, Ohio

A lawsuit challenging a township’s longstanding practice of holding informal gatherings before official public meetings is headed back to a southwest Ohio court.

An Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals judge ruled recently that the lawsuit was dismissed prematurely by a Warren County court. He sent it back to resolve conflicting testimony on whether Clearcreek Township trustees are violating state open meetings law.

Judge Robert Ringland wrote that were too many unanswered questions, including whether the “pre-meeting meetings were prearranged, what the purpose of the meetings was and whether deliberations took place therein.” Township officials defend the practice of having informal gatherings in the administrator’s office ahead of the twice-monthly township meetings, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Township administrator Dennis Pickett said his office is open as township trustees come in and out to gathering information to prepare a half hour before the scheduled public meetings.

“My door’s open. They wander in and out,” he said.