RESOLUTION
BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT COLLINS-BELLAMY, MAJORITY LEADER RUBBO, MAJORITY WHIP NORMAN, MINORITY LEADER BREEN, COUNCILMEMBERS PINEDA-ISAAC, DIAZ, AND HODGES:
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A RESOLUTION REQUESTING NEW YORK STATE AMEND THE NEW YORK PUBLIC OFFICERS LAW AND OPEN MEETINGS LAW TO PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
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WHEREAS, under current New York State law, publicly posted municipal agendas, websites, and other public notices are required to include the name and property address of applicants for Planning Board and Zoning Board variances; and
WHEREAS, while such transparency promotes public participation and accountability in municipal government, the posting of personal identifying information online has led to incidents of phishing, invoice scams, and harassment targeting applicants; and
WHEREAS, the City of Yonkers Department of Planning & Development, as well as planning departments across the State, have received reports of scammers contacting such applicants and pretending to be City officials requesting payment via wire transfers or other fraudulent methods; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Planning & Development already maintains that all payments to the City must be made only through official City channels, either via the City website or in person, and will never request payment via wire transfer; and
WHEREAS, it is essential to balance public transparency with the protection of residents' personal information so that citizens can participate in municipal proceedings without risking identity theft, fraud, or harassment; and
WHEREAS, amending the New York Public Officers Law (POL ?87(2)(b)) and the Open Meetings Law (OML) to allow municipalities to redact unnecessary personal information from public postings, limiting disclosure to what is necessary for public participation such as property address, type of request, or initials instead of full names would reduce the ability of scammers to take advantage of City residents and busin...
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