The meeting’s most critical discussion revolved around the appointment of conflict professionals, namely engineers and attorneys, to handle situations where the board’s regular appointees have conflicts of interest. It was suggested that the board should consider having a pool of potential conflict professionals to draw from, rather than being restricted to a single individual. Paul Dietrich was recommended for the role of conflict engineer due to his position as the city engineer, which would not present any conflicts. Additionally, the necessity of having a flexible approach to appointing conflict attorneys was emphasized. One member expressed concerns about appointing a conflict attorney who might not always be available for meetings or specific applications. The board acknowledged past experiences where having a designated conflict attorney posed challenges, particularly when high-profile cases required specialized legal representation. There was a consensus that maintaining flexibility in appointing conflict attorneys is essential, allowing the board to select different professionals based on the circumstances of particular applications.

Another prominent agenda item was the proposal to adopt Robert’s Rules of Order for board meetings. This topic sparked a discussion among the members, with opinions divided on its necessity. The board had not previously utilized these formal rules, leading some to question their relevance. One member expressed skepticism about the urgency of adopting such rules, querying, “What’s bringing this to light right now?” The need for formal rules was also questioned, with one member suggesting that a tailored set of bylaws might be more appropriate for the board’s operations. The discussion revealed that the board currently operates under informal guidelines, primarily dictated by ordinance and the discretion of the chair. Concerns were raised about transparency and accountability due to the lack of written documentation of these rules. As a result, the board agreed to review bylaws from other towns to assess their relevance, while acknowledging the potential for deciding that formalization of rules might ultimately be unnecessary.

In addition to these discussions, the board addressed the designation of the official newspaper for its communications. The Star Wave, Herald, and Press of Atlantic City were considered, with a consensus reached to designate the Herald as the primary newspaper. The legal implications of this designation were thoroughly discussed, emphasizing the need for clear and effective communication with the public. A member stressed the importance of clarity, stating, “If a newspaper is publishing… that the community has the right to look in that paper and know what’s going on.” The board’s attorney underscored the necessity of having a clear, primary source for publications to prevent information from being scattered across different outlets due to missed deadlines.

The meeting also included the election of board officials, with Bill Bezaire elected as chairperson and Michael Jones as vice chair. Oaths of office were administered to several members, and a motion was made to appoint Karen Keenan as the board secretary. The agenda also covered the establishment of meeting dates and times, which were unanimously approved.

Following these organizational matters, the board discussed the resolutions concerning the board attorney and engineer. There was a mention of a previously adopted conflict engineer resolution, and a collective motion was made to adopt resolutions for the attorney and the newspaper designation, which passed with all in favor. The meeting concluded with routine matters, including the review and approval of minutes from the previous meeting and the payment of bills.