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I am wondering if there is a specific law that states a person is not required to give their name and address to speak at a village meeting.
The mayor of my local village requires villagers who want to speak during the public comment portion to state their name and address for the record. While I am fine with stating my name, I do not agree with being required to disclose my address, as it makes my residence public for everyone to know.
There is no specific law that requires or prohibits stating your name or address when speaking at a village meeting.
The Open Meetings Law does not grant members of the public the right to speak at a village meeting. Public comments are allowed at the discretion of the village board. Under the Open Meetings Law, the village board can establish rules for public comment, including how to be recognized, time limits, and other procedures. As part of these rules, the village board may ask people to state their name and address.
The New York Committee on Open Government has issued opinions stating that members of the public can be asked, but not required, to state their name and address.
It is important to note that the Committee on Open Government is a state agency recognized for providing opinions on the Open Meetings Law, while our organization, the Coalition for Open Government, is separate and focuses on advocacy for government transparency. A relevant opinion from the Committee on this issue is linked below:
Committee Opinion on Address Disclosure
The Committee’s opinion is that a person’s name or address is not relevant to their right to speak. What matters is the substance of their comment. Additionally, there are legitimate safety and privacy concerns that might prevent someone from disclosing their name or address.
The challenge arises if the village board has established rules requiring this information. If those rules are not followed, the board may deny a person the opportunity to speak. A possible approach is to state your name but, if uncomfortable sharing your address, simply explain this. If you are a resident of the village, you could instead state that you are a village resident. Most boards are likely to accept this.
It is also possible that the village board may disagree with the Committee on Open Government’s opinion and enforce their rules differently.
Since there is no specific law addressing this issue, it remains a gray area.