This isn't a new topic. This evening, I wrote the Wellsville Mayor and asked him to please consider making the meeting agenda's available (to the media) and online prior to meetings (and not 45 minutes prior). Allegany County does. The Wellsville school district does. The Alfred Village Board does. Cattaraugus and Steuben county legislatures do. Nearly every school district in the area does. Why not the largest village in Allegany County? Yes, in some cases, agenda's are fluid...in draft mode until the meeting...but somebody, somewhere...has a hint of what actions are to be taken. At the very least, call it (as many do) a draft agenda (subject to revision). If you want public involved...and actually want it, then you need to tell the public what you plan to discuss. Once an elected body votes on a matter, it's essentially done-public input carries no weight. If Wellsville elected officials really want to hear from taxpayers...I mean really...share with them what you plan to discuss at a meeting. It's nice that a newspaper reports what happened. Wouldn't it be nice to know what will happen...so you can speak? Maybe I'm wrong. If not, you can reach the village board HERE and Mayor here. What does an email take to write and send....60 seconds? If Wellsville wants to work for you, it needs to share with you.
PS: Wellsville and others are NOT being deceitful. They aren't 'hiding' anything...they've just never been bumped. I'm here to bump. If you don't care, skip this. If you do, then say something to them or me.
A reader sent this in...
New Law in New York State Requiring Publishing of Meeting Agendas and Meeting Minutes
New York State recently passed legislation that requires most government meetings to post agendas online in advance of those meetings and meeting minutes after the meeting . This affects all public town meetings. The idea behind this new law is that the public become more involved in public meetings.
In the past, the public has expressed discomfort at attending town meetings and being unable to get a sense of what is going on, due to the lack of a published agenda. The new law changes all of that. Agendas must be published online 24 hours in advance of a meeting and the meeting minutes must also be available within two weeks of the meeting. Documents relating to the meeting must be published alongside the minutes and agenda. Only in cases where documentation would be too expensive or time consuming to post, is an exception granted to this ruling. This new legislation also impacts board of education meetings, zoning board meetings and others. It affects any record, resolution, law or other matter to be discussed at an open meeting.
The consequences of not complying with this new law can be serious for government agencies. The public now has the right to sue bodies that do not meet these requirements. With already tight budgets, no government agency can afford to not take the required steps. This means that all town authorities need to be aware of how to create a town meeting agenda and how to make town meeting minutes.
The law provides greater transparency and accountability of public bodies. That everyone can read the town meeting agenda before the meeting also gives the public a greater chance to prepare relevant input for that meeting, driving a greater level of involvement in the local community in town meetings. It is hoped that the new regulations will deliver a change in behavior in local government, where in the past the assumption has sometimes been that the public do not have that much interest in what is going on in town meetings. This new law cuts down on barriers to attendance for the public.
