NATCHEZ — Members of the Adams County Board of Supervisors admitted to what they characterized as an accidental violation of the state’s open meetings laws last week.

Four board members — Calvin Butler, David Carter, Angela Hutchins and Mike Lazarus — all attended the quarterly safety luncheon organized by industries in the Natchez-Adams County Port.

Under state law, with four supervisors in attendance, the boat had a quorum and luncheon became an involuntary and previously unadvertised to the public meeting of the board.

The state’s public meetings law requires the location and purpose of all non-emergency meetings be advertised at least five days in advance.

The luncheon is a voluntary association by the port industries to keep each other up-to-date on what is happening and to facilitate coordination as projects develop.

Lazarus said he and Carter have been attending the luncheons since they started last year in order to keep up with what is going on at the port. Butler said he and Hutchins had wanted to get into the rotation to attend the meetings for the same reason.

Lazarus said the board members usually try to coordinate with each other to avoid achieving an accidental quorum, but when at least three members show up in the same place, they try to make the best of the situation.

“When I got there, I was like, ‘Oh man, we shouldn’t all be here,’” he said. “We were there for information purposes only, but being the senior supervisor there I told everybody to split up, sit at a different table and not to talk to each other.”

Butler said the lack of coordination happened because he and Hutchins were invited to the meeting by one means — a reminder from a secretary — while Lazarus and Carter were invited by an email.

“We didn’t talk any kind of business,” he said. “(Lazarus and Carter) have been going to those meetings, and I wanted to have the updated information and find out what they have going on down there as well.”

Lazarus said he wasn’t sure the other supervisors even commented to each other about the luncheon when it was over.

“There was no action taken, no vote and we didn’t call a meeting,” he said. “We were there to find out what we could about the port.”

Butler said everyone will work together to ensure they don’t achieve an accidental quorum again.