New Law Will Force Village to be More Transparent

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a new bill into law that will force the Village government to post meeting agendas online at least 24 hours before a meeting. The new law also mandates that meeting minutes are published online within 2 weeks after the meeting.

The law, sponsored by Senator Steven Saland, will also require that records, resolutions, laws, and all matters to be discussed at an open meeting by the Village Board are to be made available for review by the public. Because the Village maintains a web presence the documents should, according to the law, be posted Online prior to the meeting. If the records are not made available for review prior to the meeting, the law gives citizens the right to sue the Village.

The law should put an end to proceedings at Village Board Meetings where citizens are not fully aware of the matter that is being discussed. Citizens attending meetings have rarely been provided with copies of the documents being discussed. At best documents were provided at the meeting, giving citizens little time to review them and listen to the discussions in a meaningful way. The new law seeks to correct this problem and enhance the right of citizens right to observe the Village Boards decision making process.

“Public discussion is an essential part of ensuring transparency in government decision-making processes,” stated Senator Saland. “This legislation will greatly expand transparency by providing easy access to information regarding open meetings on issues of interest to the public, thereby encouraging more public participation. Most importantly, New Yorkers will be better able to comment on important issues addressed by public officials while decisions are being made, rather than after the fact.”

The law becomes effective on February 2012.

Posted by The Village Voice on January 5, 2012. Filed under Government. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry