Board to discuss Master Plan review
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – The Planning Board meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6 at the Ventnor Educational Community Complex, 400 N. Lafayette Ave., will be live-streamed on the city’s YouTube channel. However, anyone wishing to comment on the plan, a draft of which was published in advance on the city’s website, must do so in person.
The meeting can be viewed live at https://www.youtube.com/live/W5Rc50BtZKA
According to a post on the city’s Facebook page, the live-stream is being provided for the convenience of the public.
“The city is providing this livestream as a courtesy and not because it is legally required,” the post stated.
Mayor Tim Kriebel previously said the meeting site was chosen to accommodate the greatest number of attendees. Nevertheless, a local news source and former Mayor Tim Kreischer questioned the governing body’s “transparency” motives when the location of the meeting was moved to the school from Commission Chambers at City Hall, which has the ability to live-stream on the Zoom platform.
“The Open Public Meetings Act requires meetings to be open to the public, but it doesn’t require them to be held in a specific building or broadcast using a particular technology. Our responsibility is to provide public access, proper notice, and an accurate record of the proceedings,” Kriebel said.
Due to the controversy, the city arranged to have the meeting live-streamed to provide additional public access.
According NJ Municipal Land Use Law, municipalities must review and update their Master Plans every 10 years. The Master Plan serves as a guide for future growth, land use, environmental conservation and economic development. Once adopted, any zoning changes, redevelopment plans and land use ordinances must comply with the intent set out in the Master Plan.
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