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Bronx Community Board 11 executive board presses staff to publish minutes and address missing district cabinet records
Summary
Executive-board members on Jan. 16 urged staff to publish full-board and district cabinet meeting minutes; staff discussed training, templates and draft watermarks, and a gallery speaker asked why some district cabinet minutes have not been posted for months or longer.
At its Jan. 16 meeting, the executive board of Bronx Community Board 11 discussed a backlog in posting meeting minutes and steps to ensure timely publication. The board said September, October and November draft full-board minutes were available but December’s draft was not yet posted; staff said they were still working on that month.
Why it matters: meeting minutes are the public record of board and district service cabinet discussions; board members and a gallery speaker argued the public needs access to district and committee minutes so residents know what agencies discussed with the community.
Board staff described technical and training issues that have delayed publication. One staff member said there was a shared network folder problem and that some staff members need training on inserting a draft watermark. “I'm gonna make sure it has the draft automatically in there,” Jeremy (staff member) said when describing a planned template change. Board members said Harriet and Chris need training to publish minutes from the shared folder and that the template change should reduce the bottleneck.
A gallery speaker identified as Roxanne Delgado urged the executive board to compel publication of district service cabinet minutes. “I'm asking, will you compel those to be done by the state charter? Yes or no?” Delgado asked. Board members said the issue would be brought to the bylaws committee and then to a full-board vote; one member said she would consult the borough president’s office about mandatory publication.
Members also discussed whether executive-board absences affect removal eligibility and whether the borough president’s office should be asked to compel records. One board member said the borough president’s office had reached out to the absent member and family as part of outreach efforts.
Ending: The executive board said the bylaws committee will address minute-publication requirements in February, staff will pursue template and training changes, and the chair will consult the borough president’s office about whether additional steps are legally required to compel publication.
