The Farmingdale Village Board of Trustees holds public meetings on a regular basis, usually once a month, on a Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m., in the Village Hall. When necessary special meetings of the board are also convened. These meetings are not only open to the public, but the trustees and I encourage attendance by as many residents as possible. During each of these meetings the attendees can participate during the public participation portion of the meeting. All that is required is for the individual to give their name and address. It is at these public meetings of the board, and only at these public meetings, that the board votes and takes actions involving the village. Only matters of a confidential nature, such as labor negotiations, employee discipline and pending litigation matters are discussed by the board in executive session.

In an effort to afford the board more time and opportunity to discuss matters affecting the village in an open forum, we have initiated village board work sessions. Our intent was to create a vehicle for board members to meet, in public, before upcoming trustees' meetings to review important issues, topics and concerns that will be on the agenda. These meetings, like the trustees' meetings, are open to the public. The only difference is that at the work sessions absolutely no voting takes place. To date, these work sessions have been held in the afternoon, with the main criterion for scheduling being the availability of as many trustees as possible, so that maximum input can be received and discussed. We have found that the importance of these additional meetings is invaluable to us as a board and to the village as a whole. The sessions offer village residents the opportunity to provide us with information and opinions on agenda items in advance of a meeting, so we may reflect on the issue, and make informed decisions. They also afford us the opportunity to bring each other up to speed on our village activities and discuss agenda items. By doing so, our trustees' meetings can proceed more effectively and efficiently, and we can govern with the input of the residents in an open forum, rather than by surprise decisions made behind closed doors.

The next scheduled work session is on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 12:30 p.m. at Village Hall. Our next trustees' meeting is on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall. We encourage you to attend the work sessions and/or the trustees' meeting, and look forward to seeing you there.