Borough of Rocky Hill, NJ Meetings

The following guidelines for the videotaping of open public meetings by members of the public shall be established:

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.

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.