Funny, then, that their plan to huddle in small groups some mornings conjured comparisons to the "black hole" of the Legislature - where some deals are done under the figurative darkness of closed caucuses.
The County Council didn't go that far Tuesday - planned weekly work sessions will be open to the public and press - but still voted unanimously to change its meeting methods.
Now, the nine-member council will divide into threes each Tuesday to flesh out subjects before they land on the full council's lap later that day.
Councilwoman Jenny Wilson, who helped hatch the plan, argues the morning meetings will provide specialized focus and a proactive review of issues. Plus, it will better engage the administrative assistants serving each council member.
But some worry it sends the wrong message to the public and flirts with violating the spirit if not the letter of Utah's open meetings law.
"I've been an advocate for openness for five years," Councilman David Wilde said. If the practice becomes entrenched, he added, "future councils can close the [subcommittee] meetings to the press and public. I worry we will become government by committee."
Deputy District Attorney Gavin Anderson warned the body about the move.
"You're on the knife's edge as to whether the [open meetings] statute applies," he said.
That would require minutes of each session be recorded by a county clerk.
To alleviate concerns, the council agreed to publish the work-group agendas 24 hours in advance and refrain from making recommendations, only reports.
"We're delegating home- work," Councilman Mark Crockett explained. "We're not delegating decisions."
Cassie Dippo, a spokeswoman for Common Cause of Utah, says as long as the public is invited to see "where the thinking is going," the format seems OK.
"That's a better situation than, 'Let's meet at the coffee shop,' " Dippo said. "They're not doing the public's business behind closed doors."
But debate over hot-button issues could get watered down.
Under the change, spirited exchanges of the past over issues such as fleet reform, lobbyist contracts, tuition scandals and domestic-partner benefits likely will end. And, unless the public crashes the morning sessions, some members suggested policy changes on, say, leash laws in Mill Creek Canyon or creation of a Unified Police District, may mostly be made before the full council votes.
Councilman Michael Jensen said vesting too much authority in the work groups could be problematic.
"I don't want it to become like a rules committee at the Legislature," he said.
Wilde agreed, noting deals there often die before they are debated publicly.
In fact, one of the reasons Salt Lake County switched to a mayor-council government was to end the practice of two of the three then-ruling commissioners forming a quorum and reaching decisions outside of public meetings. The arrangement posed a problem even if two commissioners met in an elevator.
Even so, one of those former commissioners, Councilman Randy Horiuchi, said the new format makes sense for budget hearings, but suggested these standing committees will be less effective.
Wilson was undeterred and persuaded the group to endorse the move, insisting the atmosphere will remain informal.
"It's really not a slippery-slope issue," she said. "The more formal the system, the more we end up looking like the Legislature. That's what this tension is really about."
djensen@sltrib.com
