OAR 459-001-0015: Conduct of Meetings of the Board

(1) Meetings of the Board shall be conducted by and shall be under the control of the Chair of the Board. In the Chair's absence, the Vice Chair shall preside. In the absence of both the Chair and the Vice Chair, the Board shall designate, by a majority vote, one of its members to preside. (2) At the commencement of the Board meeting, any member of the public wishing to be heard on an item on the agenda shall advise the Chair of that person's name, address, and affiliation. Such person(s) may be heard at the discretion of the Chair. (3) The Chair may set reasonable time limits for oral presentation by members of the public, and may exclude or limit cumulative, repetitious, or immaterial matter. (4) The Chair, or any member of the Board, shall have the right to question or examine any member of the public making a presentation at the board meeting. The Chair may permit others to examine such persons. (5) No rebuttal or additional statements by any member of the public shall be permitted by the Chair, unless allowed by the Chair. (6) If the number of persons wishing to be heard on a scheduled agenda item exceeds the number the Chair believes can be reasonably accommodated during the time available to the Board for the meeting, the Chair may require persons wishing to be heard to submit their views by written statements rather than orally. With the approval of the majority of the Board, the Chair may also schedule a special hearing on the subject at a future time and date before a Hearings Officer designated by the Chair. If such special hearing is scheduled by the Chair, the designated Hearings Officer shall reduce witness statements to a condensed written report and provide it to members of the Board on or before a date set by the Chair. (7) The Chair may, where practicable, receive all physical and documentary evidence presented by members of the public permitted to be heard at a Board meeting. Exhibits shall be marked and shall identify the person offering the exhibit. Exhibits shall be preserved by the System for one year, or at the discretion of the Chair, returned to the person offering the exhibit. (8) A verbatim oral, written, or mechanical record shall be made of all meetings of the Board, or, in the alternative, a record in the form of minutes of the Board. (9) Members of the public wishing to be heard by the Board on subjects not scheduled on the agenda may be heard at the discretion of the Chair. (10) The Board may exclude members of the public from an executive session of a meeting of the Board to the extent permitted by ORS 192.660. (11) No final action may be taken by the Board in an executive session. When an executive session is held in conjunction with a public session, the Board shall return to public session before taking a final action. (12) A notice of an executive session that is not held in conjunction with a public session shall inform the public and interested persons of time and place at which a public session will be held to make a final or formal decision. (13) Representatives of the news media shall be allowed to attend an executive session of a Board meeting other than those held under ORS 192.660(1)(d). The Board requires that all discussion and information provided in an executive session be undisclosed unless disclosure is specifically authorized by the Board. (14) No person shall smoke any cigar, cigarette, or tobacco in any form in any meeting of the Board.