Civics 101: Getting to the "Meet" of the matter

Every so often I’ll be asked to attend a public meeting: something of interest to me is about to be decided, but there is confusion about the process and often frustration about the timing.  Since this happened recently with a borough council meeting, I followed up with the Borough Clerk and what I discovered may help you navigate council meetings when there is an issue of importance to you.

To start, the Borough Council meets on Tuesdays, twice a month (a once-a-month summer schedule is in place in June, July and August).  A yearly schedule of the exact dates is posted on the borough’s website, www.hpboro.com, under Public Meetings and all meetings are open to the public.

The council meetings actually has three separate parts: an agenda meeting, the "regular" meeting, and a conference meeting. Each of these has its own purpose.  The agenda meeting begins at 6:30 PM, with readings of formal agendas for that night's regular and conference meetings.  An item of business may be removed at this point, at council's discretion -- which is why you can show up for the "regular Council meeting" at 7 PM only to find out that your topic has been tabled. The agenda also is printed out and posted on the clerk's office by 3 PM Monday, the day before the meeting.  This information does not appear in the newspaper; you have to call the Borough Clerk or visit Borough Hall if you want to read the agenda ahead of the meeting. 
The "regular meeting," at 7 PM, is what most people think of as a council meeting. Official business is raised and the council members take their formal votes at this meeting. There are two opportunities for public comment, which involves speaking into a microphone, stating your name and address for the record, and addressing the Council with your comments or concerns.  This can be intimidating, but it's the only way to ensure your comment makes it into the public record.  
It is important to know that an issue doesn’t have to be on the agenda to talk about it: anyone can talk about any topic at any time. Even more important is to understand that most of the discussion about any issue on the agenda has already occurred. At this point, it would take something significant to stop a vote or an action from moving forward.
The best way to get in on the decision process earlier is to attend conference meetings. Most of the discussion about an issue occurs at these meetings -- and they also include time for public comment. To know when your topic is being discussed, it is essential to check the conference agenda regularly. An issue may be on the conference agenda several times before it's taken up at the "regular" Council meeting.
Rather than a set starting time, each night's conference meeting begins when the regular meeting has been adjourned. Practically speaking, you have to attend the regular meeting in order to catch the conference meeting. And you have to be willing to stay until your issue comes up.
The process described above was put in place, in part, to ensure that meetings are open and accessible to the public. However, it does not ensure that the process is “user friendly.”  Following an issue by requesting agendas, tracking their changes, and attending multiple meetings can be burdensome and time-consuming.

The borough’s website plans include posting more meeting information to make participation easier. To fully achieve this goal, the website should include a calendar for all regularly scheduled public meetings, notices of cancellations and postponements, agendas, and timely minutes. Notification of any special meetings (which are called only as needed, not on an annual schedule) would also be helpful. 
The process also allows for public input, which ensures residents can bring their concerns to the council and weigh in on issues.  However, the conversation can be rather one-sided, especially with regard to communication that occurs outside the forum of a public meeting.  A simple acknowledgement that an email or letter has been received and read by a councilmember would be a good start.  A more substantive response by the committee chair or committee members would be better.  A response would generate confidence that council members have read and given thought to the concerns presented.
Joy Gianolio is a Highland Park resident.