Shreveport City Attorney Marcus Edwards read the following statement at the beginning of the Shreveport City Council meeting yesterday:
“As I recommended on Friday, after reviewing Louisiana law, including chiefly La. R.S. 42:14, commonly known as the Open Meetings Law, which requires all votes of public bodies be taken viva voce and recorded in the minutes, as well as longstanding guidance in Louisiana Attorney General Opinion No. 80-2, and at least 45 years of statewide municipal practice I do not recommend any changes to our voting procedures. Our electronic roll call system publicly displays each member’s vote, attributes it to the individual member, and records it in the official minutes. This approach fully satisfies both the letter and spirit of the Open Meetings Law, the City Charter and the Council Rules of Procedure, ensuring transparency, accountability, and accessibility to the public. Until a court rules otherwise, our current system remains legally sound and consistent with longstanding practice.”