Guidance from NY Committee on Open Government, NYCOM, and pending state legislation. AI assistance from Claude.
Videoconference Access for Village Meetings
Current Law, Proposed Legislation, and What This Resolution Does
Prepared by Trustee Uku · April 27, 2026
Two Separate Issues
There are two distinct questions that are often conflated:
|Public Access Can the publicwatch and participatein Board meetings remotely?|Trustee Attendance Can a Trusteeattend and voteremotely, count ing toward quorum?| |---|---| |Governed by the Open Meetings Law (POL §103) and the Board’s own policies.|Governed by POL §103a, which has specifc requirements for “extraordinary circumstances,” quorum, and notice.| |This resolution addresses public access.|This resolution does not change Trustee **attendance rules.**The Board will address that separately.|
Current Law: POL §103-a
Status: POL §103a was originally enacted as Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2022 and has been extended twice. The current extension, under Chapter 58 of the Laws of 2024, runs through July 1, 2026 — less than 10 weeks from today.
Key provisions of §103a as currently in effect:
-
Trustees must be physically present at meetings unless unable to attend due to “extraordinary circumstances” — defined as disability, illness, caregiving responsibilities, or other significant/unexpected factors.
-
A quorum must be physically present at a public location. Remote Trustees can participate and vote but do not count toward quorum.
-
The Board must adopt written procedures and hold a public hearing before authorizing remote attendance
- (done: Resolutions #72023 and #82023).
-
Meetings where a Trustee attends remotely must be recorded, posted within 5 business days, and retained for 5 years.
The Village’s current practice restricts videoconference access to monthly Board meetings only. Workshops — where the Board conducts substantive deliberation on the budget, sewer finances, and land use — are not offered with a virtual option. The current agenda footnote requires the public to contact the Clerk by 4 PM on the day of the meeting to receive the Zoom link.
Proposed Legislation: Making Hybrid Meetings Permanent
Two bills introduced in January 2025 would update the framework:
| Bill | Summary |
|---|---|
| Senate | |
| S1027 | Would make videoconferencing provisionspermanent(removing the July 2026 sunset), |
| require hybrid meetings for public bodies, and establish requirements for closed captioning | |
| and interpretation. | |
| Assembly | |
| A3615 | Companion bill. Amends §103a to require hybrid meetings, update quorum requirements, |
| and create a competitive grant program for municipalities to fund hybrid meeting infra | |
| structure. |
Status: Neither bill has been signed into law as of April 2026. If §103a expires on July 1, 2026 without extension or replacement, the statutory framework for Trustee remote attendance would lapse entirely. The Board should prepare for this possibility.
What This Resolution Does
This resolution addresses public access only. It:
-
Requires the Clerk to have admin access to the Zoom account so security settings can be verified and maintained.
-
Extends videoconference access to all public meetings — not just monthly Board meetings.
-
Removes the requirement that the public contact the Clerk in advance to receive the meeting link.
-
Requires a new meeting link per meeting, recording of all meetings, and a backup host for security.
It does not change Trustee remote attendance rules or quorum requirements. The Board will address those separately, informed by whether §103a is extended, replaced, or allowed to expire.
Sources: POL §103a; Chapter 58 of the Laws of 2024; Committee on Open Government Guidance (June 2024); NY Senate Bill S1027; NY Assembly Bill A3615.