LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY
OFFICE OF FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS
200 W. Washington St., Suite 301
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 233-0696
iga.in.gov
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
LS 6243 NOTE PREPARED: Apr 1, 2021
BILL NUMBER: SB 68 BILL AMENDED: Jan 28, 2021
SUBJECT: Conservancy District Board Meetings.
FIRST AUTHOR: Sen. Donato BILL STATUS: Enrolled
FIRST SPONSOR: Rep. Jordan
FUNDS AFFECTED: GENERAL IMPACT: Local
DEDICATED
FEDERAL
Summary of Legislation: The bill amends the Open Door Law to allow members of a conservancy district
board of directors to attend meetings electronically.
Effective Date: July 1, 2021.
Explanation of State Expenditures:
Explanation of State Revenues:
Explanation of Local Expenditures: The bill will have an indeterminate, but likely minimal, impact on
the workload and expenditures of conservancy district boards that choose to allow electronic participation
in board meetings. They may incur minimal one-time costs to adopt a policy to govern electronic
participation (and post to their website) and could experience additional expenditures if electronic meetings
require additional electronic equipment. The bill could potentially reduce travel and meeting expenses for
conservancy districts by allowing board members to attend meetings electronically.
Members attending electronically are considered present for the purpose of establishing a quorum. Meetings
with electronic participation must have at least two members physically present or 1/3 of the members
(whichever is greater), must have all votes taken by roll call vote, and must still allow for public attendance.
Each member of the board is required to physically attend at least one board meeting annually.
Additional Information: This section of the Open Door Law allows for a provision to be included in a policy
(for governing electronic participation) that stipulates that a member who attends a meeting electronically
SB 68 1
may not cast the deciding vote (voting with the majority, where an action is decided upon by one vote). For
conservancy districts with few board members (many have only 3 to 5 members), they may choose not to
include this provision in their policy. However, a board may adopt this provision in their policy to encourage
in-person attendance.
Explanation of Local Revenues:
State Agencies Affected:
Local Agencies Affected: Conservancy districts.
Information Sources: https://www.in.gov/dnr/water/files/con_dist_dir.pdf
Fiscal Analyst: Heather Puletz, 317-234-9484.
SB 68 2


Statutes affected:
2. Senate Bill (S): 5-14-1.5-3.5, 5-14-1.5-3.6
3. Senate Bill (H): 5-14-1.5-3.5, 5-14-1.5-3.6
4. Enrolled Senate Bill (S): 5-14-1.5-3.5, 5-14-1.5-3.6