One More Question About SEWRPC's Annual Private Club Dinner: Do Public Meeting Rules Apply?

SEWRPC has acknowledged that it is again holding at public expense an annual dinner for itself and invited guests at the University Club.

As blogger Gretchen Schuldt asked last year, does this event need a public meeting notice, and is it indeed a public meeting?

Put another way, can a public commission's governing body and senior staff have a regularly scheduled private meeting just after their annual meeting is adjourned a few blocks away?

Last year, a quorum or majority - - two-thirds of the 21-member commission attended - - and in the explanation (below) of the event provided by SEWRPC, it sounds to me as if SEWRPC activities and personnel will be central to the discussions even if no formal votes are taken:

STATEMENT REGARDING COMMISSION AWARDS DINNER
FOLLOWING ITS DECEMBER 1, 2010 ANNUAL MEETING

David L. Stroik, SEWRPC Chairman

The dinner which follows the Commission meeting is an awards dinner and gathering for SEWRPC Commissioners. The dinner will be held at the University Club, near the War Memorial Center, which is the location of the Commission Annual Meeting. The dinner honors the service of those Commissioners who have left the Commission in 2010 and those Commissioners who have served the Commission for 10 years and 25 years. The dinner helps build relationships and understanding among the Commissioners from the Region’s seven counties. The dinner is attended by current SEWRPC Commissioners, former Commissioners who left the Commission in 2010, and select SEWRPC staff--Executive Director, Executive Secretary, and Executive Director Emeritus.

Commissioners spend many hours reading and reviewing reports, directing and advising staff, meeting and consulting with local officials from their Counties, and attending Commission, Commission Advisory Committee and other Commission-related meetings including public meetings and hearings. Their only compensation is $50 per Commission meeting, which many decline.