[[1]HISTORY: Adopted by the North Hempstead Town Board 9-7-2023 by L.L. No. 17-2023. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Ch. 58, Town Dock Facilities, adopted 6-28-1949 and amended 4-5-1960, was amended and consolidated with former Ch. 56, Town Beaches, 7-9-1974 by L.L. No. 7, 1974, which was subsequently repealed 2-24-1981 by L.L. No. 2, 1981. For current provisions regarding town docks, see Ch. 39, Regulation of Town Parks, Town Gardens and Town Docks.
The Board finds that it is in the best interests of the Town
of North Hempstead to require the publication of certain documents
and/or information on the Town's website, in a manner that is
searchable, in order to increase governmental openness and transparency
by facilitating public access to Town records, documents and information
that is legally available, with a goal towards bringing about greater
awareness, input and public participation in the conduct of the affairs
of Town government.
A.
The Town shall place and maintain on its website, in a prominent
location on the homepage, a link entitled "North Hempstead Transparency
Portal." The Supervisor and department heads shall be responsible
for providing the Department of Information Technology with the information
listed in this chapter, as well as any updates or amendments thereto,
within 10 business days of obtaining or compiling such information.
The Department of Information Technology shall post and update the
information contained in this chapter on the North Hempstead Transparency
Portal within five business days of receipt by the Supervisor or department
head. The website must be electronically searchable by the public
and machine-readable.
B.
Subject to the provisions set forth in Subsection C herein, the Town shall publish the following documents and/or information on its website, under the categories listed:
(1)
General.
(a)
A section designated to notices of public meetings (date, time,
location), including public hearings and budget hearings, posted in
advance of the meetings.
(b)
Links enabling residents and businesses owners to sign up and
receive Town newsletters and Town Board member specific newsletters,
and Town Board and Board of Zoning and Appeals agendas, as well as
any other mass communication sent to Town residents.
(c)
A link enabling residents to submit their email address and
contact information to 311 and request that they be notified of a
tree to be removed in their zip code.
(d)
All roadway paving schedules for the current year by council
district.
(e)
A list of all boards and commissions, including the names and
terms of appointment for every board or commission member, and the
minutes from each board and commission meeting for the past year.
(f)
A list of approved newspapers for publication of notices.
(g)
A current list of completed environmental initiatives for the
Town, including a copy of the municipal climate action plan.
(2)
Financial.
(a)
All executed contracts that become effective following the implementation
of this chapter, to be categorized by the Town department administering
the agreement, subject to any legally required redactions.
(b)
Links to the following: the final financial and performance
audits of the departments, agencies and operations of the Town, as
conducted by the Town Comptroller, as well as the audited Annual Comprehensive
Financial Reports (ACFRs), for each of the past five years, all of
which shall be redacted, if necessary, to comply with applicable law.
(c)
Links to the following: the tentative budget, the preliminary
budget and the annual budget as finally adopted.
(d)
A link to the final adopted Capital Improvement Plan for the
current year and each of the ensuing five years.
(e)
Reports from any rating agency regarding the fiscal health of
the Town.
(f)
A list of approved bank depositories.
(3)
Employment.
(a)
All job specifications, as established by the Nasau County Civil
Service Commission, for each civil service job position and title
in the Town of North Hempstead.
(4)
Reports.
(a)
Statistics related to how many code enforcement and parking
enforcement tickets were issued, by subject, for the past year.
(6)
(7)
Permits and licenses.
(a)
All fee schedules, to be categorized by department, including
for use of Town parks or other facilities, for building permit applications
and Board of Zoning and Appeals variances.
(b)
A list of all persons, businesses or entities licensed by the Town, including but not limited to the following categories: secondhand dealers, landscapers as required under Chapter 38A, plumbers, electricians, tow truck operators, taxicabs, limousines and private livery vehicles, peddlers and solicitors, etc.
C.
Exceptions. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to obligate
or compel the publication of any information that constitutes an unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy or a violation of any laws governing
the release of personal information. This section shall further not
be construed to compel the publication of records or information that
the Town would not otherwise be required to disclose under Public
Officers Law Article 6 (the Freedom of Information Law). Any records
or information required to be published pursuant to this chapter shall
be reviewed and acted upon by the Town Attorney's office to ensure
proper compliance with such law and, if necessary, proper redaction
of protected information prior to publication.
The Supervisor of the Town shall act to ensure that each Town
elected official, department heads, and their designees shall receive
a copy of this chapter, except that failure to receive a copy shall
not absolve any person from his or her obligation to fully comply
with its provisions. The Supervisor of the Town shall additionally,
upon the effective date of this chapter, cause the contents thereof
to be published upon the Town website.
If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, or part of
this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstance
shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid
or unconstitutional, such order or judgment shall not affect, impair,
or invalidate the remainder thereof but shall be confined in its operation
to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, or part of this chapter
or in its application to the person or circumstance directly involved
in the controversy in which such judgment or order shall be rendered.
To afford sufficient time for compliance with the provisions
of this chapter, the provisions contained herein shall take effect
180 days after filing with the Secretary of State.
