How do closed sessions in government meetings work?

Reading Time: 3 minutes “I was wondering if, in a future edition, you might offer some insight into some of the process behind some of these city and town board meetings. For example, I have always wondered why boards are allowed to meet in a closed session.” — reader Sophie B. Great suggestion, Sophie. You’re not the first person to wonder about closed sessions. Generally speaking, most boards follow the rules we’ll dive into below. However, some don’t, and it’s important to know the rules so that if something seems fishy, you can report it. What is closed session? Closed session is when a board meets without members of the general public present. When can a board go into closed session? Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Law is pretty clear on reasons why a board can go into closed session and on how to notify the public about closed session. First things first: Every governmental body “shall give at least 24 hours” notice that a meeting of any kind will take plac