RENSSELAERVILLE — In a vote split down party lines, the town board adopted new rules last week for its meetings.
"While the town board welcomes public interest and participation in town meetings, a balance must be struck so that meetings do not become disruptive and the town board has the opportunity to conduct town business in an orderly, civil manner," the resolution says.

Meetings in the past two years had become so contentious that a State Trooper was called in at the end of 2006 at the behest of the supervisor.

The new rules come on the heels of a January meeting in which the town board and residents discussed, among many contentious topics, nepotism.
"A bunch of things wrong with this," said Supervisor Jost Nickelsberg. He and Republican Councilman J. Robert Lansing voted against the rules. The three Democrats — Gary Chase, Sherri Pine, and Marie Dermody — voted in favor of them.
The new meeting rules require audience members to speak only to the board "as a body" and "without engaging the public in debate." Each speaker will have three minutes to speak and may not yield any of his or her time to another speaker. Cursing is not allowed.
Outside the public-comment period, audience members may speak "upon the consent of a majority of the board."

Dermody, who won a seat on the town board last fall, timed speakers last year at a town board meeting.

Nickelsberg disagreed with the regulations because he thought that, under the new guidelines, an audience member with information that could be beneficial to the board’s business would not be able to speak. Dermody said residents may address the board if approved by a majority of the town board. The supervisor and newly-elected councilwoman have been at odds since Nickelsberg eliminated the stipend for the town’s board of assessment review, on which Dermody served. She spoke frequently about the cut at town board meetings last year.

The state’s Open Meetings Law requires meetings of elected municipal boards to be open to the public; the public must be allowed to observe the meetings, but the law does not require boards to allow public comment — such comment periods are at the discretion of the board.

Audience members have long been allowed to comment at Rensselaerville’s town board meetings. The amount of time allowed for each speaker — two minutes, three minutes, and five minutes — has changed many times throughout the last two years.

The new rules of order define a quorum — three members of the town board — and stipulate who shall serve as the presiding officer at the board’s meetings in the absence of the supervisor. Before its meeting on the second Thursday of each month, the town board will discuss the meeting agenda at a work meeting the Tuesday before.
Anyone who wants to be on the agenda must contact the town clerk that day by 1 p.m. and state "the specific reason for their request." At its regular meetings, town board members may request an item be added to the agenda, which must be approved by a majority of the board.

Other business

In other business, the town board:

— Further discussed a law on nepotism. The board has considered a law on nepotism and conflicts of interest since last year, when the Republicans held a majority on the town board. The bill, drafted last year by the town’s former attorney, was tabled.

Since, resident Erika Wernhammer and Dermody have gathered information from surrounding communities for a Rensselaerville law.

Last week, the town board directed its lawyer, Joseph Catalano, to obtain an opinion from either the Attorney General’s Office or State Comptroller’s Office about the town board creating the post of clerk to the highway superintendent, the appointment of Joyce Chase to the position, and setting her salary. Joyce Chase is the mother of Democratic Councilman Gary Chase and the wife of the highway superintendent.

Nickelsberg said the Attorney General’s Office should be the office to handle the opinion.

— Discussed e-mail accounts for town council members;

— Appointed Rebecca Platel as the town’s planning and zoning board secretary;

— Heard from Superintendent of Highways G. Jon Chase that the town could save $8,000 to $10,000 if it buys $70,000 of stone before April 1.

Last month, Nickelsberg said, it was $10,000 to $12,000.
"I cut back," Chase replied.

Nickelsberg asked when the town would use the stone.

Chase said, July, and August, at the latest.

— Voted to draft a procurement policy that follows state guidelines.

The town currently has a more restrictive procurement policy than the state’s in place, whereby officials must seek three bids for purchases of over $200 and the purchase must be approved by the supervisor. The policy was adopted by the town board last year, when Republicans held a majority on the board. Democrats Chase and Pine had voted against the policy.

A new law is subject to a public hearing.

Dermody said she had collected policies used by surrounding towns, and seven of the 11 she had obtained follow state guidelines.
"Give me a reason why we should emulate anyone in this state," said Nickelsberg.
Dermody said Nickelsberg, in past meetings, was "very quick" to compare Rensselaerville to the nearby town of Berne;

— Discussed the town’s waste-oil furnace. Last month, Mark Overbaugh, the town’s building inspector, said the town needs to repair its chimney before using the furnace.

G. Jon Chase said last week that the chimney was kinked and that a new one needs to be installed.

Stephen Wood and Bob Bolte, Conservatives who are frequent critics of the highway department, have said barrels of waste-oil are sitting behind the town building.