When asked to audio-record their nonpublic (executive or closed) meetings, most governing bodies will dismiss the suggestion without even weighing its pros and cons. The fact that one public body–the High Bridge Borough Council (Hunterdon County)–resolved earlier this year to audio-record its executive sessions, might help readers get their town councils and school boards to […]
Public speaker’s First Amendment suit rebuffed
In an unpublished decision released today, the Appellate Division affirmed a trial court’s dismissal of Doris Lin’s First Amendment case against the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders. The decision is on-line here. Lin filed suit after the Freeholders ordered her to stop speaking during the public comment portion of their August 25, 2005 meeting. […]
Oxford school board to shrink size of committees
In a March 2, 2009 letter to the Oxford Township (Warren County) Board of Education, Walter Luers challenged the Board’s procedure of staffing Board committees with three Board members. Luers asked that the Board either open its committee meetings to the public or reduce the number of Board members on a committee. In its March […]
Board of Ed committees to take meeting minutes
In a March 25, 2009 letter, the High Bridge (Hunterdon County) Board of Education agreed that its committees (e.g. Policy Committee, Personnel Committee, etc.) will now take minutes of their meetings. This change was made in response to a March 6, 2009 request from the New Jersey Libertarian Party‘s Open Government Advocacy Project. The request […]
Neptune Township agrees to specific start time for “regular portion” of its meetings.
Neptune Township (Monmouth County) holds two successive meetings on the same night (a “workshop” meeting followed by a “regular” meeting). They advertise a) that the “workshop” meeting will begin at 6 p.m., and b) that the “regular” meeting will commence “immediately after” the “workshop” meeting. In a February 3, 2009 letter to the Mayor and […]