According to statute, a borough’s municipal governing body consist of an elected mayor plus six elected council members, for a total of seven. N.J.S.A. 40A:60-2. A quorum consists either of four members of council or the mayor plus three members of council. N.J.S.A. 40A:60-3(d). I’m trying to understand exactly how many members of a borough […]
Posted inNJ Open Government Notes
The OPRA request form works both ways
I am getting a bit frustrated with records custodians who, on one hand, won’t honor records requests that are not on their “official” request forms, but then do not use the forms themselves to reply to a request. Here is my note today to Teaneck Township Clerk Lissette Aportela-Hernandez. Teaneck’s OPRA request form here. In […]
Posted inNJ Open Government Notes
Keyport OPMA/OPRA suit in today’s paper
The following article appeared in today’s Asbury Park Press. Judge Lawson’s opinion, along with the trial briefs, exhibits and other case documents are on-line here. (file is about 2.5 MB). ———————————– Judge rules in favor of citizen’s OPRA requestBy Jim McConville • KEYPORT BUREAU • January 17, 2009 KEYPORT — A state Superior Court judge […]
Posted inNJ Open Government Notes
Do Borough subcommittee meetings comply with the “Sunshine” Act?
I wrote today to High Bridge Borough (Hunterdon County) Mayor Mark Desire and the members of the Borough Council asking two questions about how meetings of the Council’s three-member committees (e.g. the Planning & Engineering Committee) are held in a manner consistent with the Open Public Meetings Act. My letter is on-line here. Originally distributed […]
Posted inNJ Open Government Notes
State v. Federal Court dockets and records
As I’ve stated in previous postings, I use OPRA to determine how much money is paid by government entities to settle civil suits filed against them. I have put the results of some of the settlements I have found here. I became aware of nearly all of these settlement agreements through using the PACER system […]