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Aldermen quarrel over missing meeting minutes
By Jamie Larson
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
HUDSON — While catching up on the past two years of city Common Council meeting minutes, unopposed First Ward candidate Alderman Sarah Sterling made what she called a troubling discovery last week.
She found there are no minutes on record for the city’s Finance or Legal committees for the entire year of 2009, and only two or three monthly minute entries are on public record for both the Youth and Aging and the Arts, Entertainment and Tourism committees.
The chairs of the committees are responsible for keeping notes on their meetings, creating minutes and giving them to City Clerk Tracy Delaney. Current Council President John Cody chairs the Finance and Legal committees, Second Ward Alderman Wanda Pertilla chairs the Youth and Aging Committee, and First Ward Alderman Carrie Haddad chairs the Arts, Entertainment and Tourism Committee.
Sterling was particularly concerned with the lack of minutes from Legal and Finance as she considers them the two most important committees. All three officials were present at the Finance meeting Wednesday night at City Hall when Sterling brought her concern to their attention.
“I take responsibility for Legal and Finance,” Cody said. “Tracy’s been bugging me to get them in for a while.”
Sterling then said to Pertilla that her lack of minute keeping is “a disservice to the youth department.” Pertilla responded that she didn’t feel that minutes for her committee were that important because the youth department has a Web site where information on what they are doing is available. Sterling said that official government minutes and information on a Web site are two very different things.
Pertilla conceded, saying that Sterling’s point was well taken.
From the audience Third Ward Alderman Ellen Thurston pointed out that minutes used to be read before the next meeting but they stopped the practice because it took too much time, but that shouldn’t have caused minutes to stop being taken.
Sterling asked if all the back minutes could be completed and logged with the clerk by the next informal meeting of the Common Council on Nov. 9.
Cody said, “We’ll see.”
To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269 or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com. To comment directly on this story, go to www.registerstar.com.
She found there are no minutes on record for the city’s Finance or Legal committees for the entire year of 2009, and only two or three monthly minute entries are on public record for both the Youth and Aging and the Arts, Entertainment and Tourism committees.
The chairs of the committees are responsible for keeping notes on their meetings, creating minutes and giving them to City Clerk Tracy Delaney. Current Council President John Cody chairs the Finance and Legal committees, Second Ward Alderman Wanda Pertilla chairs the Youth and Aging Committee, and First Ward Alderman Carrie Haddad chairs the Arts, Entertainment and Tourism Committee.
Sterling was particularly concerned with the lack of minutes from Legal and Finance as she considers them the two most important committees. All three officials were present at the Finance meeting Wednesday night at City Hall when Sterling brought her concern to their attention.
“I take responsibility for Legal and Finance,” Cody said. “Tracy’s been bugging me to get them in for a while.”
Sterling then said to Pertilla that her lack of minute keeping is “a disservice to the youth department.” Pertilla responded that she didn’t feel that minutes for her committee were that important because the youth department has a Web site where information on what they are doing is available. Sterling said that official government minutes and information on a Web site are two very different things.
Pertilla conceded, saying that Sterling’s point was well taken.
From the audience Third Ward Alderman Ellen Thurston pointed out that minutes used to be read before the next meeting but they stopped the practice because it took too much time, but that shouldn’t have caused minutes to stop being taken.
Sterling asked if all the back minutes could be completed and logged with the clerk by the next informal meeting of the Common Council on Nov. 9.
Cody said, “We’ll see.”
To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269 or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com. To comment directly on this story, go to www.registerstar.com.
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Zoril46 wrote on Nov 1, 2009 10:58 PM: