Open govt. advocates want city's closed-session minutes State group urges adoption of model ordinance BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer LONG BRANCH - In an effort to encourage transparency in local government, a Long Branch resident has asked the city's governing body to make the minutes of its closed-session meetings public. At the March 13 municipal meeting, Michelle Bobrow, Ocean Boulevard, asked the council to introduce a resolution that would require information discussed at closed executive sessions to be made more easily available to the public. At the meeting, Bobrow presented council with a model resolution to bring Long Branch into compliance with laws covering executive session minutes, she explained. "Both Roselle Park and Union Township passed this resolution," said Bobrow at the meeting. "It is time for Long Branch to consider this next step," she said. "I urge the mayor and council to introduce this ordinance." Bobrow's proposal came during "Sunshine Week", which is a national initiative that calls attention to the need for transparency in government access. "We have the right to know what our government is doing, and having access to public records and government meetings impact us all," Bobrow said. The resolution calls for the council to make the minutes of its executive session meetings, which are held prior to the council meetings, available to the public, according to Anne Barron, a member of the New Jersey Foundation For Open Government (NJFOG). It would also require the council to set time limits for the release of redacted items as required by law, Barron explained at the council meeting. "This resolution would significantly open up the Long Branch city government, where too often citizens are not made aware of in a timely manner, or even at all, the nature or scope of government decision-making during executive session meetings," Barron said. Barron did commend the city for keeping the minutes of the city council meetings up to date in a timely fashion on the city's Web site. But she added, "Add your executive closed session minutes and put that on your Web site." City Attorney James Aaron said the executive session minutes are available at the city clerk's office and can be obtained by filing an Open Public Records Act form. Aaron also explained that some of the matters discussed in private sessions are matters in litigation that have been ongoing for a decade and are not open to the public while in litigation. According to the sample resolution, if introduced and adopted in Long Branch, council would be required to make available public versions of the minutes of closed sessions after approval at the next regular council meeting. It additionally calls for the minutes involving ongoing and unresolved litigation to be made public once the issues are resolved, according to the resolution. Another benefit of adopting the resolution in Long Branch, Barron explained, is to allow council to look back at the types of discussions that are being held in private sessions. "You can make sure they are closed session matter," Barron said. Bobrow also called attention to a state Supreme Court decision this month that permits videotaping of public meetings, which she said, "reaffirms the public's right to be aware of government decision-making." "We have reason to distrust what goes on in those closed sessions," Bobrow said, adding that most of the closed session discussions are about redevelopment in the city, which includes a project to take her home through eminent domain. "Opening the closed sessions after a reasonable period of time will help allay the mistrust of governing bodies," she said.