The Peru Gazette

The Peru Town Board approved a public hearing procedure policy at its January 25th meeting.

Town of Peru Public Hearing Procedures 

The Town of Peru is committed to making its public meetings open to the public and structured to accept public comment in an orderly and efficient manner so that the Town may consider the comments in its deliberations.

From time-to-time, the Town conducts official public hearings on pending applications.  The public hearings are held expressly for the purpose of accepting comment from the public on specific pending projects.  The public hearings are not intended to engage either the Town members or staff in exchanges or commentary.  Likewise, public hearings are not intended to engage project applicants in debate or confrontation.

Therefore, the Town has adopted the following guidelines for public comments at meetings and official public hearings:

1.              The Town will accept written comment at all public hearings;

2.              The Town will accept verbal comment at all public hearings as follows:

a)     Comments are limited to five (5) minutes per speaker;

b)    Speakers must sign in on a sign-in sheet and identify themselves by name and address;

c)     Speakers will be called upon to speak in the order of their sign-in;

d)    Speakers will be required to comport themselves in a civil manner at all times;

e)     Speakers will not address questions to the members of the Agency or the Project Applicant, but limit input to their comments on the pending applications;

f)     After all of the speakers on the sign-in sheet have been heard, the presiding officer of the public hearing will ask if there are additional persons, not already heard, who would like to provide comment;

g)    When all speakers have been heard, the public hearing will be closed;

h)    If a group of five (5) or more attendees has formally designated a speaker for the group, and are actually present at the public hearing, the designated speaker may speak for a period not to exceed twenty (20) minutes, as long as the designated speaker introduces and identifies all of the group members present by name and address at the public hearing for which he or she is the designated speaker.

3.              The Town will legally advertise its public meetings and public hearings as prescribed by New York State law; and

4.              The Town may electronically or video-graphically record the public hearing proceedings and employ a court reporter and use the services of a timekeeper, at its discretion.