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Salem votes to amend handling of minutes

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BY JILL TATGE-ROZELL

jrozell@kenoshanews.com

SALEM — Changes in the way meeting minutes and letters from the board are written were made Monday by the Salem Town Board.

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Town Chairman Linda Valentine proposed changing the amount and type of information included in the official minutes of board meetings. She suggested using key words from the discussion to better capture the context of what is said at meetings.

Board members voiced concern about minutes becoming lengthy, verbatim reports on the meetings when all that is officially required is a list of the items discussed and actions taken.

“There is too much minutiae being asked of the clerk,” Supervisor Patrick O’Connell said. “We do have (the meetings) on tape. It’s getting way beyond not only what the statutes require but also what we should expect of the clerk.”

Valentine suggested the minutes serve as “a table of contents” for the audio version of the meetings and that the key words will help the reader determine if that item is of interest to them.

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“I want you to realize I don’t want the minutes to be verbatim,” Valentine said, adding the minutes should be “a synopsis of essential elements.”

A motion was made to have the clerk continue to record minutes as she has in the past, but add the names of who makes motions and seconds, as well as include key words used during the discussion.

The motion was amended to require the town keep the audio tapes of meetings for 10 years. The tapes are kept for 90 days. The amended motion was approved by the board.

In other action, the board voted to 3-2 to have the town administrator rather than the town chairman write letters on behalf of the Town Board when correspondence is required.

Several board members believe Valentine misrepresented the board consensus in a letter she recently wrote to local state officials. Valentine said she believes she correctly conveyed board sentiment on issues.

Supervisors initially requested they be allowed to see the letters written by the chairman before they are sent out. However, given time constraints often associated with issues that require correspondence, O’Connell made the motion to have the town administrator write the letters.

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