Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Meeting Procedures topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Long Hill adopts new meeting procedures requiring LHTV access and remote participation rules
Summary
The Township Committee adopted Ordinance 582 to codify meeting procedures including in-person meetings with live broadcasts, explicit LHTV inclusion, three-minute public comment limits, and rules for remote participants; the amendment to add LHTV was approved unanimously (one member absent).
The Long Hill Township Committee voted Feb. 25 to adopt Ordinance 582, updating Chapter 2 of the township code to formalize meeting procedures for in-person and remote participation.
The ordinance, adopted after a brief public hearing, requires meetings to be conducted in person in the municipal courtroom and, when possible, broadcast live via YouTube and Zoom. An amendment to add the township’s LHTV broadcast to Section A was proposed during the hearing and approved unanimously (Committeeman Verlezza was recorded as absent). The change was moved by Committeeman Lavender and seconded by Deputy Mayor Dorsi.
Under the new rules, the mayor may decide to hold a meeting remotely if in-person quorum is not practicable. The ordinance sets public comment windows, requires speakers to state their names and addresses, limits comments to three minutes (enforced by the clerk), and specifies that remote participants will remain muted unless unmuted by the clerk. The clerk is authorized to mute remote speakers when their time expires.
Dennis Sandow urged the Committee during the public hearing to ensure LHTV was included in the ordinance text; the Committee incorporated that change on the floor. Mayor Piserchia and other committee members voted to adopt the ordinance following the amendment.
The adopted text also includes behavioral rules to remove individuals who disrupt meetings after a warning and an explicit statement that failures in live broadcast or technological problems will not invalidate official actions taken during a meeting.
The ordinance takes effect on final passage and publication in accordance with state law. The Committee’s action was recorded in the minutes and the revised ordinance language is available in the municipal clerk’s office.
