Rules for Thee, But Not for Me: Board Breaks the Transparency Rules They Just Passed on May 5

On May 5, 2026, the Wappingers Falls Village Board passed new rules and procedures for meeting agendas. Under this new “consent agenda” system, the village explicitly committed to posting agendas, full resolutions, and supporting documentation by Monday at noon or close of business.

According to the official meeting transcript, the stated purpose of this rule was to ensure that “everyone will see the resolution… can read the resolutions ahead of time… [and] see the documentation ahead of time” so residents are fully aware of what is being voted on.

What makes this even worse is that taxpayers just footed the bill for the Village Attorney to research and draft these brand-new procedures. We paid for legal counsel to design a system specifically meant to ensure compliance with Open Meetings Law—yet only two months later, the board is already completely disregarding the very rules we paid to establish.

Today is Tuesday, and tomorrow is the meeting. While there are 5 resolutions listed on the agenda, there are ZERO actual resolutions or supporting documents posted for the public to review.

This isn’t a minor oversight; it is an apparent violation of the rules this board set for itself. Once again, they are leaving the public completely in the dark on critical items scheduled for a vote tomorrow, including:

• Changes to the Village Code that will eliminate citizen oversight of water and sewer revenue.

• A resolution to amend the 2026–2027 budget.

To make matters worse, the board is pushing forward with the water board change despite a massive turnout at the public hearing, where 100 percent of the residents who spoke stood in strict opposition.

Instead of listening to the community, under these new rules, both of these items are placed on the agenda as “consent” items.

What does that mean? It means the board has already predetermined that these items have zero dispute among themselves. There will be no individual reading, no real discussion, and no individual roll call votes on these items. It is being treated as a done deal.

Without posting the required resolutions or supporting documentation, the Board intends to quietly dissolve citizen oversight of the water board—completely ignoring the unanimous public outcry—and amend our budget behind closed doors.

How can residents meaningfully participate or provide public comment when the details of major policy and structural changes are hidden until the last minute? If the board expects citizens to follow the rules, they need to follow their own—especially the ones they just spent public funds to create. Transparency requires access, and right now, the village is completely failing to provide it.