Last week, Auburn City Manager Pat Finnigan said that she and other city leaders have “talked about doing an overview about Freedom of Access rules for some time, but we’ve always had other, more pressing, items.”

What is more pressing than public access to its government? Of ensuring that the public is included in matters that really matter?

Nothing.

While Auburn officials may have been sluggish in getting around to a training overview, they did it Monday, and they deserve praise for making the effort. Other towns, including Otisfield, Poland and, soon, Rumford will do the same.

There is no question that all municipal officials could use regular training on Maine’s Freedom of Access Act, and city attorney Patrick Scully’s session with Auburn was greeted by councilors and other city officials with real attention.

They were told, much to their surprise, that they must hold individual executive sessions for unique topics. They cannot, as they have long done, move into executive session to discuss a laundry list of issues. It’ll be a change in procedure for Auburn to convene multiple executive sessions to deal with separate issues, but doing so earns the public’s trust.

Each councilor received a packet containing Maine’s so-called right-to-know law. They received a summary of what records they must retain and for how long. They talked about e-mail, why it is considered public record and how long electronic mail must be retained.

We have the sense that councilors are truly interested in maintaining public access, and we urge the council, no matter how many other “pressing” matters they have on the table, to make the workshop an annual event.