Updated - Videoconference Meeting Requirements

Remote meetings Extended - Posted September 1, 2021

In-Person Meeting Attendance Requirements 

Open meetings law's in-person attendance requirement was suspended in March of 2020, and that order expired in July of 2021. Given the increase in COVID-19 numbers, tomorrow’s proposal will extend remote meetings through January 15, 2022.

Posted August 25, 2021
The requirements for in-person presence in municipal meetings only apply to the public body members (e.g., Planning Board members, Village Board members, etc.).

Thus, the respective boards may choose to allow participation by residents, professionals, and others via Zoom or similar formats without meeting any additional requirements.  We recommend including in the meeting notice the availability/use of videoconferencing programs for the meeting - even if it is a hybrid meeting (virtual and in-person combined). 

We also note that under the NYS Public Officers Law,  members of a board may also appear via videoconference and vote/count toward the quorum.  However, if a board member is going to appear via videoconference, the law requires that any person wishing to attend the meeting at the same location from where the board member is participating by videoconference must be permitted to do so.  So we have always recommended posting the address where the board member will be located if participating via videoconference to comply with the Public Officers Law. There is legislation pending to change this provision to make it more reasonable (i.e., not requiring a board member to allow someone into their home when a public meeting location is also available).  

Meeting Requirements are courtesy of the Village Attorney.