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North Haledon council adopts emergency remote meeting protocols
Summary
On Jan. 4, 2021 the Borough of North Haledon adopted a resolution formalizing emergency remote meeting procedures under N.J.A.C. 5:39-1, setting notice, public-comment and testimony standards for meetings held remotely or with limited in-person capacity.
Mayor Randy George opened the Borough of North Haledon’s Jan. 4 reorganization meeting by reading the required Open Public Meetings Act notice and announcing that, “Due to the current State of Emergency this meeting will be conducted electronically via a Zoom webinar.”
The council then considered and adopted Resolution #1-2021, which implements the state’s emergency remote meeting protocols (N.J.A.C. 5:39-1 et seq.). The resolution, passed by a unanimous roll-call vote after a motion by Council Member Donna Puglisi and a second by Council Member George Pomianek, establishes minimum notice and accessibility standards and rules for public participation at remote or limited-capacity meetings.
Under the new local protocol, adequate notice must include clear instructions for accessing the remote meeting and a copy of the agenda posted on the Borough website and at the municipal building by 4:30 p.m. on the meeting date. The resolution requires remote platforms to permit at least 50 public participants (excluding officials and staff) and to provide both audio and a telephonic dial-in option. The council may mute attendees and the chair must announce muting and decorum procedures at the start of every remote meeting.
The document also sets procedures for public comment: residents may request to speak using the platform’s “raise hand” function, chat (when enabled) or an oral request, must wait to be recognized by the chair, and will remain muted until called on. The chat feature is explicitly not part of the official record except as a means of signaling a desire to speak, although the chair may permit use of the chat in limited circumstances. Written public comments may be emailed to re@northhaledon.com or mailed to the clerk and must be received by 4:30 p.m. on the meeting date to be read aloud; such written comments are not treated as sworn testimony.
The resolution requires individuals giving sworn testimony to appear by video and requires any materials that would be shown at an in-person meeting to be posted online or made visible during the video broadcast. It also directs the chair or designee to enter an adequate-notice statement into the minutes at the start of remote meetings.
Adoption of the resolution brings the Borough’s rules into alignment with state emergency requirements intended to preserve open meetings while protecting public health. The council’s vote was recorded as unanimous.
