Zoned In
Zoned In
Local Government Representatives – Now Playing On a Screen Near You
- Category: Open Meetings Law
- October 24, 2011
My wife and I welcomed our first child, a lovely baby girl, into this world almost six months ago. We are head over heels in love with her. The problem is, so are her grandparents. Why is this a problem? Both sets of grandparents live quite a distance away, making it difficult for them to visit her as often as they would like. The solution – video chat.
The day I told my parents about Skype (software that allows for video chat over the Internet, often for free), they rushed to their local electronics store and purchased a shiny new web camera. Later that night, as the grandparents gathered around their laptop in New Hampshire and Mom, Dad and baby gathered around their laptop in Rochester, New York, we were all able to visit – without the seven hour drive. Baby flashed her precious little smile and showed off her new trick – sitting up with a little bit of assistance - while her grandparents, overjoyed, beamed back their own smiles. Later in the month, my wife, baby and I would "FaceTime" (video chat over the iPhone) with baby's other grandparents in the Southern Tier.
How does this relate to local government? It may be surprising for some to learn that New York Open Meetings Law specifically authorizes local municipalities to conduct public business via "videoconferencing" (See NY Public Officers Law Section 102(1)). For example, should a board member be out of town on the evening of a town public meeting, the board member may remotely attend the meeting (and count towards establishment of a quorum) via two-way videoconference. As long as the videoconference allows for the public to see and hear the board member, and as long the board member can see and hear the public, that remote town board member is well within the law to listen, discuss and vote on public business.