Public Meetings Notice
This website shall provide notice to both regular and special meetings of the PAQC Investigative Panel, Hearing Panel, and full Commission meetings. Check here in advance of any meeting, as some may be rescheduled based on a quorum of Commissioners’ availability, emergencies, or other factors. The notices will be posted as far as possible ahead of meetings, but in no case less than the statutorily required period for each type of meeting. Agendas will be posted here beforehand, and minutes afterward. As the majority of these meetings will be held by videoconference, members of the public have the ability to request an invitation to log in to watch and listen to the entire meeting, except for the executive sessions.
If you would like to attend the open portion of an Investigative Panel meeting, please contact Barbara Baucum at 912-784-1636 or via email: [email protected].
The PAQC Investigative Panel meets regularly to discuss administrative and all other public matters on the second Wednesday of every other month at 4 pm. This is to promote public confidence in the operation of the PAQC and to foster government transparency. There are matters which are confidential by law, and those matters will be discussed in executive session, not available for public viewing. Specific cases will not be discussed publicly.
Because complaints that have not been formally charged are confidential, specific cases may be discussed by the Investigative Panel in non-public meetings, or in executive sessions in public meetings. Neither of these are accessible to the public. In any non-public meeting held to discuss specific cases, only those specific cases will be discussed. No administrative or other business which is subject to open meetings law shall be discussed or voted upon.
Specific Disciplinary Matters:
O.C.G.A. § 15-18-32 (j) addresses three groups of information and their relation to open meetings /open records and confidentiality. The entire statute is available HERE.
First group- disciplinary matters before formal charging.
O.C.G.A. § 15-18-32 (j)(1) States unless or until the Investigative Panel has instructed the Director to file formal charges before the Hearing Panel, all information on any specific complaint, matter, or investigation is to be kept confidential by the investigative panel and commission staff.
Second group- disciplinary matters after formal charging.
O.C.G.A. § 15-18-32 (j)(2) draws the clear distinction that once formal charges are filed with the Hearing Panel all pleadings and information shall be subject to disclosure to the public, and all hearings and proceedings shall be open and available to the public, except to the extent that such pleadings and information or hearings and proceedings could be properly sealed or closed under Chapter 14 or Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50 or by a court as provided by law. In that the statute specifically references applicability and exceptions within Chapter 18 of Title 50 to post formal charging, they do not apply pre formal charging. “a specific statute will prevail over a general statute, absent any indication of a contrary legislative intent” Griffin v. State, 374 Ga. App. 138, 141(2024).
Third group- Everything else.
O.C.G.A. § 15-18-32 (j)(3) which states that generally, with respect to administrative and other matters, all records and information shall be subject to disclosure to the public, and all meetings, or portions thereof, shall be open and available to the public, then lists four specific exceptions. The first of these exceptions is if it would disclose disciplinary matters of a district attorney or solicitor-general protected in paragraph (1). Therefor if the Investigative Panel does discuss any pre-formal charge disciplinary matter during an open meeting as opposed to any other meeting, hearing, or conference, that discussion is still confidential and would be held in executive session.
