By Guy Page
A new Burlington City Hall Code of Conduct and Trespass Policy limits stays in many public areas to 10 minutes, unless present for explicitly-approved business.
The policy appears aimed at providing regulatry cover for reducing access to videocamera-toting citizen-journalists, who have recently been trespassed from City Hall.
The policy, posted July 21 by the City Clerk’s office, classifies prohibited behavior offenses into four levels (Class A to D), ranging from serious harm or drug possession (180-day trespass) to minor violations like unauthorized soliciting (24-hour trespass).
Notable among these prohibited behaviors is a ‘Class C offense’ that involves remaining in public areas for more than 10 minutes without explicit business, provided there is an intent to disrupt or impede City employees. This policy appears to be aimed at journalists like Todd DeLuca of the Beautiful Scenic Burlington YouTube video page, who has already been trespassed for waiting in hallways to speak with the mayor or other city officials – a practice common among journalists covering city, town, or state government.
In a recent YouTube post, DeLuca – seeking information about the policy – was asked to leave after being notified of the 10-minute policy.
Included in the categories of “Interfering with the free passage of City Hall staff or visitors to City Hall” are:
• Video recording into non-public or restricted areas (i.e. workspaces or other non-public areas) without explicit permission, and
• Remaining in a public area of City Hall without explicit business for a period of longer than 10 minutes, with the intent to cause annoyance, disruption, or the obstruction or impeding of City employees from carrying out City business.
A violation carries the penalty of a 30-day trespass from City Hall – thus impeding the press’s ability to cover city government.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office declined to comment this morning.
DeLucca will be a guest on WVMT AM 620, FM 101.3, and wvmtradio.com’s Chronicle Conversations at noon today.