These ‘public’ meetings aren’t secret, but they’re the next best thing

“We’ve been working on this for over three years,” lamented Dave McLarin, a member of the Riverhead agricultural advisory committee, during a second round of outcry by civic groups and residents about the farm stand law crafted by the committee.

“We’ve been discussing this at open meetings,” McLarin said. “Anyone can come and comment.”

“No one knows anything about them,” a member of the audience shouted out.

“They’re open to the public,” McLarin responded.

Yes, they are.

As McLarin pointed out, being open to the public is “mandated,” to use his word.

The N.Y. State Open Meetings Law requires it. It requires all “public bodies,” including committees and subcommittees, to conduct their business in publicly convened meetings that are open to the public.

But the law doesn’t require that the body publish an agenda for its meeting. And there’s the rub.

The town publishes the meeting notices on a calendar on the home page of its website. But that’s about it.

With the exception of the town board, planning board and zoning board of appeals, none of the town’s boards and committees share their agendas or minutes with the public on the town website.

And good luck if you call town hall to ask for an agenda of a particular meeting. They’re not filed with the town clerk, the town board or the town supervisor’s office.

Do citizens have so much time on their hands that they can attend meetings without knowing what’s going to be discussed? Um, no.

Some of these committees have roles that go beyond advisory. An example is the farmland preservation committee, which has the authority to give final approval to many types of “agricultural” site plans for preserved farmland — without so much as a notation on a published agenda, notification to adjoining property owners or any public hearing.

I know this all too well because I happen to live next door to a 17 acres of preserved farmland, where the farmland preservation committee approved, as an agricultural use, a site plan for a 36,000-square-foot structure (an indoor riding arena and two 20-stall horse barns) and a half-acre racehorse training track. My neighbors and I knew nothing about it until the actual construction got under way. The only notice I received, as an adjoining property owner, was a letter informing me of the farm owner’s application to the ZBA for a variance needed to legalize a too-large sign erected without a permit.

While these meetings are not technically “secret” they’re surely the next best thing. And that’s wrong.

In this information age, there’s no excuse for that.

The town board should adopt by resolution a policy requiring all town committees, boards and bodies whose meetings are by law open to the public to publish their agendas on the town’s website at least 48 hours in advance. That will give the public — some of which may be directly affected by the actions of these bodies — an opportunity to find out what they’re doing.

Then we won’t have committee members like McLarin — volunteers all — toiling at something for years just to have the public blast them when their proposal finally sees the light of day.

Denise Civiletti is an owner of East End Local Media Corp., publishers of RiverheadLOCAL. and SoutholdLOCAL. An award-winning reporter, including a “Writer of the Year” award from the N.Y. Press Association, she is an attorney and former Riverhead Town councilwoman (1988-1991). She lives in Riverhead with her husband and business partner, Peter Blasl. The views expressed in her column are hers alone.
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