Township to consider new meeting rules

Washington Township considers new rules for conduct during Committee meetings after a particularly trying couple of months for the town government.

By: Lauren Burgoon
   WASHINGTON — Under new meeting conduct rules up for Township Committee consideration tonight (Thursday), public participation is reduced to one time each meeting and the mayor may order police to remove another committee member "in extreme cases."
   The revised, and in some cases new, conduct rules are up for approval in the form of a resolution tonight after a particularly trying couple of months for the town government. Disagreements between residents and committeemen have turned into yelling matches and insults have been hurled from both sides over a number of topics.
   Last month an argument between Mayor Doug Tindall and Committeeman Dave Fried reached a heated level after Mr. Fried refused to stop making a presentation and the mayor declared him out of order and tried to take down the presentation materials. It was after that night that the town attorneys began to compile the resolution under consideration.
   In regards to committee discussion, the resolution sets forth guidelines for debate and disciplinary procedures. The resolution says no committee member can speak for longer than 10 minutes on a topic without the approval of two-thirds of the committee and only if the debate was approved by a committee vote. It also allows every member to have one final comment on every debate topic after the entire committee has spoken once.
   If a committee member disobeys, the resolution includes three levels of disciplinary measures. The steps progress from a gavel rap for "only a slight breach of order" to the mayor calling the offender out of order for a more serious offense. In that case it would take a two-thirds vote to shut down the offending committee member and prevent him or her from speaking further on the subject.
   Refusal to follow those orders can lead to a two-thirds vote to remove the committee member. If he or she won’t leave, the mayor can appoint people to remove the person and finally call the police. The department is steps away from the municipal building and the police chief is a frequent attendee at meetings.
   "I can’t remember a time in history when we had to call the police but we certainly want to have that option if we need it," Committeeman Pete Chamberlin said Tuesday.
   The resolution offered no clear definition about what separates a slight breach of conduct from a more serious matter or an extreme case of decorum abuse.
   The resolution also changes the basic meeting agenda by eliminating one public participation session. Residents at past meetings have been able to offer their suggestions, voice concerns or ask questions about town business at the very beginning and very end of meetings, in addition to public hearings on specific ordinances. The proposed rule cuts the participation to one session at a meeting’s end, effectively eliminating any opportunity to publicly question a resolution up for adoption or ordinance up for introduction before the committee votes.
   The new regulations would allow residents to speak on any topic they wish, but must first fill out a sign-in sheet with their name, address and topics they plan to address. The speakers go in order of the sign-in sheet and must address their comments to the mayor, who decides if other committee members can respond. Each resident can speak for five minutes and cannot transfer that time to another speaker. Those measures are all new.
   The proposed rules come two weeks after Grapevine Court resident Geoff Lewen implored the committee to reconsider cutting a public participation session.
   "You may not like what I have to say but it’s your job to listen to it," he told the committee on Feb. 10. "You never know, I might say something to change your mind."
   Mr. Lewen and other residents won’t have a chance to comment on the proposed resolution because, as the agenda stood on Tuesday, the first public participation section is already excluded from the meeting, as it was at the Feb. 10 meeting. The committee has allowed two public participation opportunities for over a year.
   "Some of these meetings dragged out for so long when people spoke two times that it was hard to carry out the town’s business," Mr. Chamberlin said. He added that residents who want to comment on resolutions before the committee takes action could read up ahead of time and contact committeemen before the meeting.
   Both Mr. Tindall and Mr. Fried, whose verbal altercation largely prompted the resolution, were unavailable for comment Tuesday evening.