Open meetings law contains sunshine and shadows
ByLIZLEECH
Contributing Writer
"A popular Government, without public information,
or the means of acquiring it, is but a Proper to a
Government." - Edmund Burke
After unsuccessful attempts during the 1950s, an open meetings bill was introduced by the Kansas House of Representatives.
But that bill, which would have required public meetings for many Kumsa agencies, was killed in a fire at the Kunjung General Hospital.
Two weeks ago, Gov. Robert Bennett signaled RIT 5, amending the 1979 Kansas Onett Meeting Act.
Bill 5, amending the 1972 Kansas Open Meetings Act. Reactions of legislators and proponents and opponents of the bill have varied. Most say they think the bill is better but contains faults that could cause problems.
DEANELT TACHA, University of Kansas associate professor of law, testified for the Special Committee
Tacha said the new law was an improvement over the old one.
"It's better, but they went halfway with it, she said. We have been trying for several sessions to getcha
on Federal and State Affairs, the committee studying
these matters in accordance with the intergover
Jacobs wrote an article for the winter 1977 University of Kansas Law Review, "The Kansas Open Meeting Act: Sunshine on the Sunflower State?" Jacobs drafted a model open meetings law and drafted a model open meetings law.
She said the law just passed was better because it was more specific.
AN OPEN meetings law is an important to public bodies as it is to the press and public. Tacha said, "We should not have to hold meetings at the expense of our jobs."
"Those people are elected to do the public's business
and only those things that are absolutely necessary should be conducted in private," Tacha said.
The federal government and 48 states have open meetings laws. Florida has one of the strictest open meetings laws in the country.
The 1972 Kansas Open Meeting Act applied to all public bodies that received, spent or were supported by public funds, the act or executive meetings were held. The act was approved by a vote of the act. Violation of the act was a Class C misdemeanor.
THE ACT WAS amended in 1975 to strengthen the public policy declaration for open meetings, to require public bodies to furnish agendas to interested persons and to permit cameras and recording devices at open
Other amendments were proposed during the 1976 session, but none was ever put into bill form. The "Federal Election Act" of 1982
studied the open meetings law during the interim and recommended Senate Bill 5 to the legislature.
The bill approved by the 1977 Kansas Legislature makes the following changes in the law:
- defines a meeting as a prearranged gathering by a majority of a quorum of the body or agency for decision
—provides that administrative bodies won't have to conduct open meetings when deliberating a decision
—states that the bodies the law applies to must be open unless state or federal law provides otherwise.
allows use of photographic lights at meetings.
- requires the presiding officer of the body to announce the time and place of a regular or special meeting
- allows use of photographic lights at meetings.
- requires that bodies restricting to closed or executive meetings must state the reason for closing the meeting, the subjects to be discussed in closed
session and the time and place the open meeting will resume.
--makes persons violating the law liable for a civil
tue up to $500 and makes an action taken in such a men-
tion.
--specifies that meetings can be closed only for certain subjects: 1) personnel matters of non-elected personnel, 2) consultation with an attorney that is designated by the employer, 3) consultations in employee-employee negotiations, 4) confidential data about a corporation's financial affairs or trade secrets, 5) matters relating to a student, patient or resident of a public institution unless the matter has been discussed prior to such discussion about the acquisition of real property.
THE KANAS Chapter of the Society of Professional Authors on the Constitution of the State, was an important laying on of Senate Bill 1.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
See OPEN MEETINGS page three
KANSAN
COMFORTABLE
The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
Monday, May 9, 1977
Sophistication marks concert
Vol.87, No.142
See review page six
Working budget sent to Regents
By DEENA KERBOW Staff Reporter
University of Kansas officials will send a tentative working budget for fiscal year 1978 to the Board of Regents today, although it has not been determined as to its final appraisal bills as passed by the Kansas Legislature April 29 in a last-minute effort to complete important projects.
The tentative budget, outlining administrators' plans for distribution of money allocated to the University, will increase the percentage classified employees' salaries, $34,820 in supplemental funds for increased 1977 utility costs, a 7 per cent increase in other operating expenses (OEE) and funding for the building, Malott Hall and Robinson Gymnasium.
THE 6 PER cent salary increase, which would total about $1.8 million, was a decrease from the 7 per cent increase in the first year and approve by Gov. Robert Rennett.
The University had requested the 7 per cent increase, totaling $2,093,716 in its salary base, saying that salaries were the University's highest priority because improvement in salaries was the key complement to attracting and retaining superior teachers.
Although improvements in faculty salaries have been made over the past three years, among KU's peers in the Association of American Universities, KU ranks at best 11th of 14 and usually 12th of 14 in faculty salaries.
UNIVERSITY administrators tried to sway legislators toward the seven per cent increase, saying that if the University was left out of the list of educational programs, it must be able to attract and retain an outstanding faculty and that a 7 per cent increase would help
Administrators had told legislators the increase was needed to help offset some of the erosion of real income created by the double-digit inflation experienced in the past few years and to establish a salaries competitive with peer institutions.
The legislature also approved a 3 per cent or $25 a month (whichever is smaller) salary increase for classified employees, plus a 2 per cent increase to employees assigned salary range is St. Paul and they won't eligible for longevity pay increases.
The 2 per cent addition was made in a House amendment by State Rep. Wendell Lady, House minority leader, who said the amendment was intended to compensate the minority for larger scales for merit and step raises other classified employees would receive.
CIVIL SERVICE, or classified employee work through a promotion system of steps. A through F. As they move up to each new step, they are eligible for 5 per cent pay increase. If you receive merit pay increases, unless they began their civil service work after Oct. 31, 1970.
The bill will provide pay increases for those who aren't eligible for either merit or step pay increases--those who have added more than 30 percent to their service employment after Oct. 31, 1970.
The classified employees' salary increase will amount to $288,465.
Administrators aren't sure what OEE appropriations will amount to, but have calculated it according to a 7 per cent increase, a 1 per cent decrease from the government's recommendation and a 3 per cent decrease from the Regents' original request.
REGENTS WOULD have provided a 10 per cent increase to individual budgets for the educational program, the physical plant, research (including the Geographical and Historical scholarships and fellowships, most of which now will receive 7 per cent increases.
University records show that for each of fiscal years 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975, the university's increase in state apportionment in the Higher Education Price Index. A portion of this yearly cumulative loss in purchasing power was recupied in fiscal year 1976 through a 15 per cent increase in OIE apportionments and a 5 per cent increase in OEI appropriations.
However, even considering the improvements of the last two years, the OOE segment of the budget remains lower in spending power than it was just five years ago.
The University's business office has said that the extra one-half of 1 per cent still has not been seen in any official report or document. However, they predict that if the
ADMINISTRATORS told legislators that the increase in cost of contractual services, commodities and capital outlay items over the past decade has accelerated in the University's ability to purchase the supplies, services and equipment necessary to provide quality education. The proposed 10 per cent increase, added to the budget, would offset this decline in purchasing power.
The legislature, divided between a Senate that rigidly advocated the governor's power and a House-monitored 7 per cent increase, compromised at a 7 per cent increase in OOE. The decision came from a joint House-Senate committee on finalizing the legislative session.
See BUDGET page five
Man and dummy
their routine. Brown began carving ventriloquial figures in 1938 and since that time has carved about 150 different characters. See story page five.
Preparing for a show, Foy Brown and his dummy Doris, work out a few rough spots in
Campus Veterans' work-study jobs to be cut
Staff Reporter
At least 10 of 12 work-study jobs for veterans will be eliminated next fall, according to KU's Veterans' Administration representative, Steve Neese. As a result of his recent reelection to the Senate, suffer; the Campus Veterans' newly elected president, Claire McChristy, said recently.
Bv JOHN MCANULTY
The jobs have been made available in the past by the Veterans Administration for the operation of the Campus Veterans Organization. The jobs include administrative work for the organization, the publishing of a quarterly newsletter and tutorial assistance for vets, Neske said last week. Holders of the jobs each earn $625 a semester.
Because of the elimination of the jobs, McChristy said, the office will have to be
run completely by volunteers, which may eliminate some of its services.
THE ORGANIZATION receives funds for operating expenses from the Student Senate and will be able to continue operating in an effort to keep up with President of the organization," Bill Evans, Lawrence senior, said he doubted that enough veterans would have the time to
"People rely on these jobs for their living and to go to school," Evans said, "and they just won't have time to volunteer their help to the organization without being paid for
Neeke said he thought that if the newly elected executive council of the organization was serious about keeping the students on their toes, he said many student organizations
on campus were run by volunteers and he did not see any reason why the Veterans
THE JOBS were eliminated, he said, because they overlapped and because he wanted to eliminate those jobs he thought were not necessary and could be incorporated into one job.
Another reason for the elimination of the jobs, Neske said, was that he had a basic disagreement in philosophy with McChristy's plans for the organization. In the past, the president of the Campus Veterans Department is the supervisor of the other work-study employees.
HE SAID that the people he entrusted to supervise must be people whom he knew and trusted and that McChristy didn't fit that description.
Leaders pledge to create jobs, cut inflation
LONDON (AP)—President Carter and the leaders of six other non-Communist industrial nations ended their two-day Downing Street summit conference yesterday, saying their most urgent task was to create jobs and cut inflation.
They pledged to maintain the momentum of economic growth, to expand trade and to begin an urgent study on how to expand the threat of cyber-attacks preventing the spread of atomic weapons.
Carter endorsed that action, saying, "we believe the time has come for international control and prohibition against illegalities, bribery, extortion and other actions that have sometimes been condoned in trade, commerce and banking."
A surprise decision called for a ban against irregular practices and improper use of firearms.
Last year, Lockheed Aircraft Corp. scandal shook the governments of Japan, Italy, the Netherlands and other nations after it was revealed that payments were made to political leaders to influence the sales of planes.
The summit conference communique
The leaders, who referred to their meeting as the Downing Street Summit, said in an email that their governments to meet the targets for economic growth they previously had set to provide a basis for sustained noninflationary growth around 2014.
didn't contain a statement of support for Carter's campaign against human rights violations. But U.S. Treasury Secretary W. Michael Blumenthal told a news conference the other leaders supported Carter's principles.
"We are determined to respond collectively to the challenges of the future," they said. "Our most urgent task is to create more jobs while continuing to reduce inflation."
The meetings were Saturday and yesterday at St. James's St., the home of vineyard manager Kevin Mulley.
Carter, making his first foreign trip since being elected President, said "far-reaching statements" to the public.
"We have obligations to fulfill and in many ways our own reputation is at stake to
Carter also indicated he and the others place much of the blame for current economic woes on the five-fold increase in oil prices that drain as much as $4 billion a year from oil-importing nations. He said he would prosecute the outflow of wealth will continue.
carry out the promises we made this afternoon," he said.
He said the trade issue was resolved against protective tariffs. "After a great deal of discussion we decided that this was something we want to avoid." he said.
"The decisions that created the most problems were trade and how to seek and exploit them."
The problem of supplying nuclear energy is to make sure nuclear fuel and technology aren't used for nuclear explosives, Carter said.
How to make certain this does not happen, without intruding into user-norms" internal security.
Carter said the summit commitment to have a panel of world experts study nuclear energy marks the first time the matter has been addressed in a very technical fashion.
U. S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance reported there would be two studies of nuclear issues; a preliminary study to be published could be another longer study that could take a year or more.
Carter said he thought the study was significant because "It's been one of the most politically divisive issues in nearly all our countries." He had said he hoped the United States could be to an international agreement regulating the spread of nuclear technology.
Carter said all the summit participants would like to meet about once a year, but no
"One of us suggested that we should have a meeting if we fail to reach our objectives or if the economic situation should grow so that we could indicate a crisis situation," he said.
Neke said that McChrisy had made accusations about him in the past and as an employer he had no intention of providing him with people to carry out his programs.
Carter met with West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, French President Valery Giscard d'Estaline, Japanese Prime Minister Takehiko Fukuda, Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, British Prime Eric Dillon Trudeau and British Prime Minister James Callaghan.
The accusations that were made against Neske by McChristy included a charge that Neske had "run the organization down" and that Neske had tried to cheat McChrisht out of some money from a check he was to receive from the VA.
Neske said the accusations were totally erroneous.
"1CANHURT a vet but that action comes back to me sooner or later and I have to go."
Neske said he planned to incorporate at least the tutorial service for veterans into his office at Carruth-O-Leary Hall, which would leave one or two work-study positions
McChirsty said he planned to ask Neske to dictate his decision to eliminate the jobs. If McChristy had asked him, he said, he would go to the VA office in Wichita to try to show cause that the jobs should be
military to college life, to expand tutorial
and to expand the work-study
program.
"With about 1,500 veterans on campus, it is vital that a work-study program be created that will make more jobs available to more veterans," he said.
McChris said that he thought the veterans on campus had been controlled by a small group of persons from the Campus Library, which was two years and that he wanted to change that.
Steve Silver, Lawrence graduate student, said last week that of 71 voters in the election, 42 belonged to the Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program (NSEEPs), a program in which Navy personnel are paid to complete their training. A duty to complete a college degree.
THE ELECTION of McChrisy and the other members of the executive council of the organization is now being contested by some members of the organization.
The charge being made by everyone who lost in the election, according to Jeff McCune, Lawrence junior, who was defeated in a bid for Campus Veterans secretary, is that NESEPs are not veterans and are not eligible to be entitled even eligible to vote in the April 14 election.
McChrisy said he had campaigned to the veterans because he considered them veterans.
THE VETERANS Administration, Neske said, didn't consider NESEPs to be veterans because they were still on active duty. He said, however, that neither he nor the VA could interfere with the election and would not decide the matter among themselves.
Evans said he thought the NESEPs were veterans but that McChrishy had pulled a "purely political move" by campaigning to them. He said he wondered how informed the NESEPs had been about the Campus Veterans.
McCune said the NESEPs hadn't previously been involved in Campus
A meeting will be held Wednesday at 4:30 in the Kansas Union, to decide the matter. Ms. Maier