Oceanport mayor fails in bid to add meetings Council views on proposal fall along party lines BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer OCEANPORT - Borough Mayor Lucille Chaump's suggestion to increase the number of public council meetings held each month failed to gain the approval of the Borough Council last week. At the July 19 meeting, Democratic Councilman Gerald Briscione made a motion to adopt a resolution to change the municipal meeting schedule from one to two public meetings a month, starting in September. But the motion failed to be seconded by Republican council members Ellynn Kahle, William Johnson and Richard Gallo. Councilmen Hugh Sharkey, a Republican, and Ted Ibex, a Democrat, were absent from the meeting. "I guess no one wants to be an efficient and responsive council," said Chaump, a Democrat, after the measure was rejected. Chaump told council at the July 16 workshop meeting that she wanted to change the meeting schedule from two workshops and one public meeting a month to two workshops and two public meetings. Rather than meet three times a month, the council would host a workshop and public meeting on the same night twice a month, Chaump explained. But the action cannot be initiated by the mayor without council approval, Chaump said. "I checked with surrounding towns and that is what everyone does," Chaump said about hosting two public meetings where the council can take action. "We would be a more efficient government." The borough changed its meeting schedule in 2005 and eliminated the second public council meeting each month, Chaump explained. But since January, she said, the council has had to schedule approximately nine special public meetings in order to carry out borough business. "We cannot take action at workshop," Chaump said. "So we had to schedule and advertise for nine special meetings. "I felt it wasn't working," Chaump continued. "The public wasn't being informed on when we were conducting business. "We changed in 2005 and we tried it, but after researching other towns and seeing how many special meetings we had this year, I don't understand why we don't get in line with what other towns are doing rather than having to call special meetings." Currently the borough hosts a workshop meeting on the first Thursday of the month and a public meeting on the third Thursday. A second workshop meeting is held on the Monday prior to that council meeting. Chaump's proposal included hosting a workshop at 7 p.m. and a public council meeting at 8 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of the month. But after some concerns were raised by council members, the drafted resolution called for a public meeting at 7 p.m. and workshop at 8 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month and a workshop at 7 p.m. with the public council meeting following at 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month. If additional business needed to be discussed from workshop on the third Thursday, the council members would reconvene into workshop after the public meeting, Chaump explained. "There were some concerns from council members that sometimes we are still in workshop at 8:30 p.m. from a 7 p.m. meeting," Chaump said. "So the resolution was revised to swap the meeting times." But some of the council members who did not second the motion to adopt the resolution said they had other concerns. "I just felt we went from meeting on three evenings to just two," Gallo said in an interview after the meeting. "Having that extra Monday for the workshop gives us the extra time to discuss our committees. "The mayor just popped this on us," Gallo said, adding, "And there wasn't much of a discussion on it." Gallo added that he might look at the meeting schedule next year, but said he wants to keep it the way it presently is for the rest of the year. Kahle agreed with Gallo, saying that she also felt there was not enough discussion on the topic. "At the workshop meeting, the mayor brought it up and said she was changing the meetings," Kahle said. "We haven't discussed it." Kahle said she also had other concerns, including that many of the workshop meetings run for more than an hour and that the council would have to stop in the middle of conducting business to open the public meeting. "I also have a concern that you would be voting on something without enough discussion," Kahle said. "I think the council needs to discuss it more." Chaump said she plans to list the change in meeting schedule on the borough's Aug. 13 workshop agenda for more discussion. "The public would be more informed with the change," Chaump said. "If you look at this year, I think it needed to be revisited. "And now, if there needs to be a special meeting, I will schedule a special meeting if we can't conduct borough business in one meeting," she said.