Open Meeting Laws and Notices

Meeting Notice Templates & Posting Requirements

Per Open Meeting Law, meeting notices of local public bodies must be received and posted by the City Clerk no later than 48 hours before the meeting, not including Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.

Public meeting notices should be submitted to the City Clerk's Office no later than one half hour before close of business to allow time for processing. Please keep in mind the City Clerk’s office hours of operation, and make necessary arrangements to be sure your posting is submitted in a timely manner.

Meeting notices MUST be submitted via email and may also be submitted in-person or by mail. If submitting by email, make sure to send your meeting notice to BOTH cityclerk@haverhillma.gov AND meetings@haverhillma.gov to ensure someone from the office has received it.

Postings will be published on the City Calendar online, available for viewing in the City Clerk's Office, and posted on the bulletin board at City Hall, outside of room 118. If a meeting is canceled, please notify the Clerk's Office so the calendar can be updated. Any revisions should also be submitted to the Clerk's Office. It is the responsibility of boards and committees to check the calendar to ensure their meeting notices have been posted. You will receive an email confirmation once your agenda has been posted, if you do not receive confirmation, do not assume your meeting notice has been posted.

Meeting Notice Requirements

1. The notice contains the date, time, and location of the meeting. G.L. c. 30A, § 20(b). 
   If the meeting is a joint meeting of several public bodies, the names of all bodies meeting are listed at the top of the notice.
2. The notice contains all of the topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting. The topics are sufficiently specific to reasonably advise the public of the issues to be discussed at the meeting, including executive session topics. G.L. c. 30A § 20(b); 940 CMR 29.03(1)(b).
3. The notice is printed in a legible, easily understandable format. G.L. c. 30A, § 20(b).
4. The date and time that the notice is posted is conspicuously recorded on or with the notice. 940 CMR 29.03(1)(d). If the notice is amended within 48 hours of a meeting, not including Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, then the date and time that the meeting notice is amended must also be conspicuously recorded on or with the notice. 940 CMR 29.03(1)(d).

Helpful Links

• Haverhill City Clerk’s Office Quick Guide to Posting Meeting Notices & Agendas
• Open Meeting Law Info