Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Records topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident presses Beekmantown board for document access, cites persistent manure odor
Summary
At the July 20 meeting, Ms Murnane asked why residents cannot see documents the board reviews before votes and reported ongoing nighttime manure odors; town staff said many records contain sensitive personal information and the board discussed possible odor sources.
Ms Murnane opened the public-comment portion of the Town of Beekmantown's July 20 meeting by asking why residents cannot inspect all materials the board reviews prior to or during votes. "Why can't we see all the documents that you are looking at to vote on before or at our meetings?" she asked, and she told the board the manure smell near her neighborhood is still “very bad,” particularly at night, and that she had contacted DEC.
Sue Proctor responded that many documents include sensitive personal information and cannot be released in full. Board member Mr. Menard said he toured the plant with the fire department and did not detect odor at the facility, adding that "it must be just the barns" or possibly the lagoon, and that the plant is "very clean" and brand new. The board did not take formal action on records access or nuisance-odor controls at the meeting; members indicated follow-up may be needed but noted limits where records contain private data.
