By: Vic Monaco
HIGHTSTOWN Much needs to be done across the state to ensure adherence to the Open Public Meetings Act but there’s plenty of sunshine in this borough.
That’s the message from "Partly Cloudy: A Report on the New Jersey Sunshine Law."
The Rutgers University report, released last week, said many changes are needed to adapt the 1975 law to current information technology to promote "uniform application" and "eliminate gray areas and ambiguities."
But it praises one town Hightstown for embracing the spirit of the law, despite limited resources.
Specifically, it applauds the borough for its "inclusive" Web site, which includes information on upcoming public meetings and minutes from previous meetings, along with its newsletter the "Hightstown Crier." It also commends the borough for giving the public two opportunities at each meeting to give its input.
"Hightstown has instituted a working model for open meeting practices," the report states.
Borough Administrator/Clerk Candace Gallagher indicates in the report that that is no accident.
"It has been my experience that, in any government project, the more open the process, the smoother things go," she is quoted as saying. "The public does not like to be excluded, and to do suggest that bad things are happening behind closed doors, even if they are not."
Among the changes needed statewide, according to the report:
complete and accurate meeting minutes;
explicit time limits to establish when minutes need to be released after a public meeting is held;
assurance that closed sessions not be used for routine matters;
affirmation of video and audio recording of all public meetings as a right of the public;
the addressing of "electronic meetings" to keep the law up to date with current technology;
training for all members of public bodies on the key components of the law; and
a plain-language guide on the law.
The report was prepared for the New Jersey Foundation of Open Government by Suzanne Piotrowski, assistant professor for Rutgers’ School of Public Affairs and Administration, and Erin Borry, master in public administration student.

