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PV Town Board Strives to Make Meetings Shorter and Friendlier
by Edward Paul Greiff
At a special Putnam Valley Town Board meeting and work session held Wednesday, May 9, 2007 a public hearing was held, and a subsequent local law adopted that provides for the appointment of one or more "Alternate members of the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board."
Chapter 3 of the Code of the Town of Putnam Valley was repealed in its entirety and Chapter 8 of the Code was amended by adding Article VII which provides for the one year appointment of alternate members of the respective boards and for the chairperson of the respective board to designate the alternative member to serve in place of a regular member of each board.
Supervisor Sam Davis said he spoke to the head of the Hudson River Valley Greenways Community and asked if they could get a grant similar to the one the Town received last year and they said yes. Davis introduced, and the Town Board passed, a Resolution requesting a Greenways Grant of $10,000 to offset the cost of changing the zoning laws to make them consistent under the Comprehensive Master Plan. This money will be used to offset budgeted money allocated for Chazen and development of the Comprehensive Master Plan.
Town Attorney David Gordon explained that Greenway was established to help offset costs in preserving the Hudson River Valley environment and "the fact that they gave us a grant last year means they probably feel confident that we are doing the right thing with our Comprehensive Master Plan."
A Putnam Valley family's house burnt down and now they are rebuilding it, but to do so they are running an electric generator all day long. As a consequence the neighbors are being impacted by the noise and have asked the Town to do something about the problem. The Town Board has resurrected the need for a "Noise Resolution." Once again, as in any law, the precise wording gets tricky and attorney David Gordon asks "is it the decibels, the time of day, or the length of time that noise is allowed? In this individual's particular situation the Board is going to look into why NYSEG can't provide temporary electric until a permanent solution can be established."
Councilwoman Priscilla Keresey raised the question of the exceptionally lengthy Town Board meetings. She said that when the meetings exceed three hours it becomes hard to stay focused and perhaps there is a way of shortening the meetings. Several suggestions were made and one the Board would like to try is to have all of the committee, board, and department reports taped before the Town Board meeting begins. They would be aired on Channel 20 prior to the airing of the Town Board meeting. This is estimated to reduce the meeting time by 45 to 60 minutes. In addition all speakers would have a time limit of 3 to 5 minutes imposed upon them. Another suggestion is to have all comments held until the public comment portion of the meeting, which is at the end. This would eliminate discussion during the Boards' presentation of an agenda item.
Town Attorney David Gordon introduced the concept of a "Hot Bench" which is used by judges when they have a case where many lawyers are voicing their opinion. Basically you hear all the comments prior to the public session, do your homework, come into the public session well prepared, present a succinct version of the issue, and allow limited comment.
Councilman Dan Ricci commented that he, "does not want to trifle with democracy. Open meetings and public participation are important, but when people get out of hand you need to rein them in and remind them this is not the time, or the place for in-fighting and that we are here to do the business of the town."
The Fire Department, Ambulance Corps, Library, PVER, and so on, are all part of the Town and should be part of the monthly Town Board meetings, not as a separate session before or after the Board meeting said several department heads and committee members when questioned later on.
All agreed the meetings are too long and need better organization and control.
Another hot issue introduced for discussion was a proposed "Decorum Resolution" that would curtail verbal outbursts and disrespectful behavior at Town Board meetings. Unfortunately people do become emotionally charged, and perhaps the people of Putnam Valley do so more than others, but it is the nature of the job of a political servant says Councilman Dan Ricci. The skill comes in knowing how to diffuse that anger while still maintaining control, not an easy job.
Councilman Bob Tendy remarked about personal attacks being made against him while he is sitting on the Board and as soon as he responds in a like manner he is criticized for a lack of decorum "where do you draw the line?" he asked.
The Town Board decided that it is not in everyone's best interest to pass a Decorum Resolution. The Town Board will next meet on Wednesday, May 16 at 6:30pm to conduct a Public Hearing on their proposed noise ordinance. Following that, the Board will hold their regular monthly meeting.
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