Meetings & Hearings

Structure of Meetings

Meetings of the Hempstead Town Board are divided into three sections: the Public Hearing calendar, the Decision calendar, and the Administrative calendar.

Public Hearing Calendar

The Public Hearing Calendar is a list of cases that under the applicable law must be advertised in advance as to the date, time, place and subject matter before being heard by the town board. Public hearings are held on issues ranging from traffic regulations, proposed local laws, amendments to the town code, special exception petitions, and rezoning applications.

Decision Calendar

All matters heard at a public hearing are resolved by a publicly announced decision. Very often the Hempstead Town Board does not render its decision on the day of a public hearing. This continuation allows the board to take a case under advisement and provides time for discussion and deliberation by the town board members or for the submission of additional material by interested parties. Once a decision has been reached, the application or petition is placed on the decision calendar for formal voting and public announcement. This procedure establishes the exact date of town board action and is used for calculating certain legal deadlines.

Administrative Calendar

The Administrative Calendar is a list of resolutions voted upon by the town board. Administrative resolutions are more routine matters voted on by the board such as accepting a bid for a town purchase, authorizing services of a private firm at a town facility, authorizing the issuance of a note or bond for the financing of the purchase, or calling for a public hearing on a particular matter.

Citizen Participation

Residents of the Town of Hempstead and all citizens may participate in the process of forming government policy and law in the Town of Hempstead.

A citizen seeking to participate during the town board meeting may submit a request form to the Public Safety officers located in the pavilion. This process is in place to allow speakers the opportunity to offer comments at the appropriate time during the meeting. It also allows citizens to offer official comments to the board without requiring them to step forward in a public forum.

At the conclusion of each meeting, the Hempstead Town Board remains seated to hear comments from individual citizens who would like to address the board on any issue of concern.

Residents unable to attend meetings of the Hempstead Town Board are welcome to express their views in writing to the supervisor or any council member. Each maintains an office in Hempstead Town Hall, located at One Washington Street, Hempstead, New York 11550.