Regional Board OKs Donations to Tape Meetings

Anonymous of West Morris Regional Board of Education meetings will now be accepted by Business Administrator Doug Pechanec after the group approved the measure Tuesday night

The resolution now formally allows residents to send donations to Pechanec that will be put into a separate account for the sole purpose of taping the meetings.

If there is no money in the account, however, the meetings will not be taped and the board is not liable for paying for the service, the resolution states. When enough funds are in the account, Pechanec said, the next scheduled meeting will be taped and broadcast.

The board’s meetings have been taped since mid-December 2011 and aired on Mendham TV. The technician doing the recording is Doug Black, who has been contracted by private residents from the district’s municipalities.

The board wasn’t unanimous on the approval, however, as Chester representatives Marcia Asdal and James Johnston voted against it.

“I don’t like the board taking donations for something like this,” Asdal said. “This is either a budget item or it’s not.”

Johnston wasn't as concerned with the donations as he was with where they came from, saying he didn't feel accepting anonymous funds was proper.

Board president Cristen Forrester has said during previous meetings that the finance committee will consider adding the line item to the budget if it seems feasible.

Finance committee chairperson Jacke Schram, representing Mendham Borough, was not at the meeting.

Editor's note: Donations may be anonymous or named for the taping of meetings. Monetary donations from anyone in any form will be accepted.