Guidance from NY Committee on Open Government, NYCOM, and pending state legislation. AI assistance from Claude.
VILLAGE OF RED HOOK RESOLUTION #___ – 2026 DATED: APRIL 27, 2026
RESOLUTION TO UPDATE VIDEOCONFERENCE ACCESS AND SECURITY FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS
WHEREAS, the Board adopted videoconferencing procedures on April 10, 2023 (Resolutions #7-2023 and #8-2023) requiring that the public be able to observe and participate in Board meetings by video; and
WHEREAS, a disruption at the March 2026 Board meeting overrode the security settings reported to be in place at the time, demonstrating that the Village’s Zoom account configuration requires control at the admin level; and
WHEREAS, the Village Clerk must have admin access to the videoconference account in order to verify and maintain those settings; and
WHEREAS, videoconference access is currently offered only at monthly Board meetings, excluding workshops and special meetings; and
WHEREAS, workshops and special meetings are where the Board conducts substantive deliberation and regularly takes binding votes; and
WHEREAS, Board members and residents may have caregiving responsibilities, work schedules, or disabilities that make attending evening meetings in person difficult, and the current Board — four of five of whom have minor children at home — can appreciate this need; and
WHEREAS, extending videoconference access to all public meetings advances the Village’s stated commitment to improving communications with the public; and
WHEREAS, the current practice of requiring the public to contact the Village Clerk in advance to obtain a meeting link might create a barrier to attendance;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Red Hook as follows:
1. Account access. The Village Clerk shall be the primary administrator of the Village’s Zoom account. The current account holder shall provide full admin credentials to the Clerk immediately following adoption of this Resolution. The Clerk shall verify and lock the security settings described in the attached Zoom Security Guide, and remain primary administrator going forward.
2. All public meetings. Every meeting of the Board of Trustees at which a quorum is present shall provide a virtual attendance option for the public. This includes regular meetings, special meetings, workshops, public hearings, and informational sessions. This amends the current practice of offering videoconference access only at monthly Board meetings.
3. Public link. The videoconference link shall be posted on the Village website and included in the meeting agenda. Any policy, practice, or posting requiring advance contact to obtain the link is hereby rescinded and shall be removed from all Village communications, agendas, and web pages prior to the next noticed public meeting.
4. New link per meeting. The Village Clerk shall generate a new meeting link for each meeting. Meeting links from prior meetings shall not be reused.
Page 1
5. Public comment. During public comment periods, members of the public attending by videoconference shall be afforded the same opportunity to speak as those attending in person. All persons wishing to speak shall make themselves known to the meeting host and state their name and, if a Village resident, their address.
6. Recording. All meetings conducted using videoconferencing shall be recorded and shall follow all stipulations of the Board’s videoconferencing procedures adopted April 10, 2023.
7. This Resolution governs public access to meetings and does not alter quorum requirements. The Board may revisit the procedures governing Trustee remote attendance separately, in light of pending state legislation and the expiration of POL §103-a on July 1, 2026.
8. Severability. If any provision of this Resolution is held invalid, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
9. This Resolution shall take effect immediately.
Motion by: ____________________ Seconded by: __________________
The foregoing resolution was duly put to a vote, which resulted as follows:
| Mayor Smythe | □Aye | □Nay | □Abstain | □Recuse | □Absent/Excused |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeputyMayor Kjarval | □Aye | □Nay | □Abstain | □Recuse | □Absent/Excused |
| Trustee Uku | □Aye | □Nay | □Abstain | □Recuse | □Absent/Excused |
| Trustee Allen | □Aye | □Nay | □Abstain | □Recuse | □Absent/Excused |
| Trustee Rothstein | □Aye | □Nay | □Abstain | □Recuse | □Absent/Excused |
| Vote Total | |||||
| Result | Motion: |
I hereby attest that the above Resolution was approved by the Board of Trustees at its April 27, 2026 meeting, and that I have been authorized to sign this Resolution by decision of the Board of Trustees.
Jennifer Cavanaugh, Clerk
Date
Page 2