[Adopted as Ch. 54 of the 1979 Code]
The following rules and regulations are hereby
adopted with respect to public access to public records of the Town
of Southampton:
A. Each agency and department of the Town shall follow
the procedures and guidelines set forth in the rules and regulations
of the Committee on Open Government and Article 6 of the Public Officers
Law of the State of New York.
[Amended 2-8-1983; 7-10-1990 by L.L. No. 19-1990]
B. The head of each agency and department of the Town
shall designate one or more persons as records access officers. In
the absence of any such designation, the Town Clerk, Town Hall, Hampton
Road, Southampton, New York, is hereby designated as the records access
officer.
C. The Town Supervisor, Town Hall, Hampton Road, Southampton,
New York, is hereby designated as the fiscal officer.
D. Public records of the Town shall be available for
public inspection and copying at the Town Hall, Hampton Road, Southampton,
New York, or at the location where they are kept.
E. Each agency and department of the Town shall accept
requests for public access to records and produce public records during
all hours regularly open for business, which hours are ordinarily
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. In the case of an agency
or department which does not have regular business hours, such agency
or department shall establish a written procedure by which a person
may arrange an appointment to inspect and copy public records.
F. A request for access to public records may be oral
or in writing, as specified by the records access officer. However,
written requests shall not be required for records that have been
customarily available without request. The records access officer
shall have five business days to respond to requests for records.
[Amended 7-10-1990 by L.L. No. 19-1990]
G. The head of each agency and department of the Town
shall designate himself or another person to hear appeals from denial
of access to records. In the absence of any such designation, the
Town Supervisor, Town Hall, Hampton Road, Southampton, New York, is
hereby designated as the person to hear such appeals.
H. Denial of access by a records access officer shall
be in writing, stating the reasons therefor and advising the requester
of his right to appeal to the designated person. The designated person
to hear appeals shall inform the requester of his decision, in writing,
within 10 business days of receipt of the written appeal.
[Amended 7-10-1990 by L.L. No. 19-1990]
I. The fees for copies of records shall be as prescribed in §
87, Subdivision 1(b)iii, of the Public Officers Law of the State of New York, unless a different fee is prescribed by statute.
[Amended 2-8-1983]
J. In making records available to the public, access
may be denied to and identifying details may be deleted from records
and information which, if disclosed, would constitute an unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy.
K. Each agency and department of the Town may adopt additional
and more detailed rules and regulations relating to public access
to records, provided that they are in conformity with the rules and
regulations of the Committee on Open Government.
[Amended 7-10-1990 by L.L. No. 19-1990]
L. Each agency and department of the Town shall maintain
and make available to the public a subject matter list of records
in conformity with the rules and regulations of the Committee on Open
Government.
[Amended 7-10-1990 by L.L. No. 19-1990]
M. Notice. Each agency and department of the Town shall
post in a conspicuous location where its records are kept a notice
containing at least the following information:
(1) The location where public records shall be made available
for inspection and copying.
(2) The name, title, business address and business telephone
number of the designated records access officer and fiscal officer.
(3) The right to appeal by any requester denied access
and the name and business address of the person to whom an appeal
is to be directed.
The Town Board and the members thereof shall
continue to conduct its meetings pursuant to the provisions of the
Open Meetings Law as it existed prior to May 31, 1985, the effective date
of Chapter 136 of the Laws of 1985.
[Added 5-24-2022 by L.L. No. 14-2022]
A. Pursuant
to Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2022, the Town Board of the Town of Southampton
hereby authorizes members of the Town’s public bodies to participate
in meetings using videoconferencing technology in a manner consistent
with Public Officers Law § 103-a, as well as the Town’s
videoconferencing procedures, as adopted by the Town Board.
B. Said videoconferencing
procedures may be amended, and changed as needed, by Town Board resolution.
[Added 3-10-2009 by L.L. No. 6-2009;
amended 7-26-2022 by L.L. No. 18-2022]
A. Upon request by any Town Board member, an interview
shall be conducted in executive session for the filling of available
positions on the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and
the Conservation Board.
B. Notwithstanding the above, letters of interest and/or
a candidate’s resume shall be circulated to all members of the
Town Board prior to the introduction of any resolution authorizing
an appointment.