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Resident questions use of building-permit listings in road decision, cites privacy concern
Summary
A resident raised concerns that building-permit listings appended to a board packet—some appearing to identify homeowners and HVAC work—were used to justify road-paving decisions and should have been redacted or explained; the supervisor said the records are public and were used in his reasoning.
During public comment, one resident challenged the board’s use of permit information in explaining why certain dirt roads were considered for chip sealing. The resident said permit entries made her HVAC work “now permanent part of the town board record on the website for perpetuity” and asked the supervisor to clarify why those records were included and whether names and addresses could have been redacted.
The chair responded that “These are all in the public record, all in the public domain I used” and said he had consulted the building inspector and used the records as part of his reasoning for supporting paving decisions. Several board members and commenters urged clearer communication about what was posted in the meeting packet and asked the clerk to investigate posting practices for planning- and zoning-related permit records. The exchange did not result in automatic redaction or a change in policy; the board suggested a separate follow-up to clarify where and how permits are posted.
