The Energy Futures Task Force (EFTF), created ten months ago, has acted in a rogue manner, and the County Board is refusing to take measures to ensure better behavior in the future According to County Board minutes, the task force was instructed that “there will be meeting minutes and postings for meetings that will need to take place.”
The facts are compelling that the EFTF in its first several months of existence acted more like a party gathering than a governmental body. Its meetings and minutes were not posted. A complaint filed in March with the county Prosecutor stated eight categories of violations while referencing the Attorney General’s handbook on open meetings. These violations were not fully covered.
Unfortunately, the attorney for the Board of Commissioners (BOC) declared the EFTF was not a “public body,” a dangerous opinion. One of the biggest headlines in coverage was based on his misguided legal thesis, which would relieve other county commissions and committees from the responsibility of holding open meetings. The headline read, “Task force not ‘public body.’” However, the lawyer had no standing in the case and was acting as a de facto defense attorney.
