[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Borough
Council of the Borough of Rocky Hill as indicated in article histories.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 6-18-2007 by Ord. No. 4-07]
The following guidelines for the videotaping
of open public meetings by members of the public shall be established:
A. Purpose. Members of the public have the right to videotape
portions or all of an open public meeting of the governing body, excluding
closed or executive session discussions. These guidelines are intended
to ensure that the right of the public to videotape public meetings
of the governing body does not interfere with the business of the
governing body or other citizens' right of access to the proceedings.
B. Guidelines. To minimize the possibility of disrupting
the public meeting of the governing body, any member of the public
("citizen") who wishes to videotape portions or all of the public
meeting must do so in accordance with the following guidelines:
(1) The citizen must provide the Borough Clerk no less
than 30 minutes verbal notice prior to the public meeting of his intention
to videotape the governing body meeting. Written notice may also be
provided 24 hours prior to the meeting via electronic mail to the
Clerk at: clerk@rockyhill-nj.gov.
(2) The citizen must have completed setup of his videotape
recorder and any related equipment by no less than 15 minutes prior
to the advertised start time of the public meeting.
(3) The video recorder and any associated equipment utilized
by the citizen must be compact, quiet, and unobtrusive. No more than
one videotape recorder, and no added lighting, may be used by any
citizen. Any stationary videotape recorder and/or equipment may only
be set up by the citizen in the southeast corner of the Borough Council
Chamber diagonal from the Mayor's seat, not to exceed an area of four
feet by three feet, and not to intrude upon existing exit door, such
area to be specifically identified to the citizen by the Clerk. No
citizen is permitted to use any videotape recorder or associated equipment
that makes any beeping sounds or other noises. Should beeping sounds
or any other noise emanate from the videotape recorder or associated
equipment at any time during the public meeting, the citizen shall
be required to cease videotaping immediately.
(4) The citizen may not disrupt the public meeting with
his recording equipment. The citizen may not set up or use the videotape
recorder or equipment in such a way as to block or obstruct the view
of other members of the public of the governing body proceedings.
The videotaping by the citizen must be orderly and unobtrusive. The
citizen may not continually exit and reenter the meeting room, or
continuously move around within the meeting room, during the public
meeting. The citizen must remain with the videotape recorder and equipment
at all times, except for any period of time during which the citizen
is making a comment in his turn during any public comment portion
of the public meeting. The citizen may not narrate the proceeding
or speak into any videotape recorder or microphone. The citizen may
not engage in any verbal conversation, discourse or comment whatsoever
unless the citizen is making a formal comment in his turn during any
public comment portion of the public meeting.
(5) If the citizen chooses to cease videotaping at any
time during the public meeting, he may do so, provided that the citizen
may not commence removal, except for a hand-held videotape recorder,
or begin to disassemble any videotape recorder or associated equipment
until there is a break of at least five minutes of the public meeting
or until the public meeting has concluded.