Talbot County responds to Open Meetings allegations

Talbot County strongly denies that they violated Maryland’s Open Meetings Act during their discussions on whether to remove the controversial Talbot Count Confederate Boys Statue.

Earlier this week, the Talbot County Branch of the NAACP and the ACLU filed complaints with the Open Meetings Compliance Board alleging the county council violated terms of the Open Meetings Act by not providing minutes of closed discussions about the statue.

Talbot County contends that they were not required to provide minutes because the decision to keep the statue was an executive decision.

County attorney Michael Pullen says there is no requirement for public debate, voting, or open meetings by mayors or county executives when they decide how to manage or control public property.

Pullen said that those types of decisions are part of local government’s executive function and are exempt from the requirements of the Open Meetings Act.