F25-07
Posted on Jun 30, 2025 in Formal OpinionsOpinion Ltr. 25-07
June 30, 2025
Sufficiency of Minutes
A member of the public asked whether the Maui County Planning Commission’s (Commission) written summary accompanying its recorded minutes violated the Sunshine Law by failing to record all votes made by the Commission at a meeting. OIP found that the summary failed to document all motions and votes by individual members, and included incorrect timestamps, hindering public access to key decision points in the meeting recording. OIP concluded that the Commission did violate the Sunshine Law’s minutes requirements in section 92-9, HRS. Although these violations cannot be fully remedied, the Commission took corrective action by posting detailed written minutes akin to a transcript, which mitigated public harm.