The Woodstock Town Board has proposed a local law that would allow public boards, commissions and committees to continue to participate in meetings via videoconference.
“The state is going to be ending videoconferencing unless the local municipality passes a law to allow it to continue,” Supervisor Bill McKenna said. A public hearing will be held on the proposed law June 7 at 7 p.m.
“As long as there is a quorum at a public location like we have tonight, the balance of the members could participate via Zoom,” McKenna said at the May 24 Town Board meeting.
The law will cover all public bodies that are required to abide by the Open Meetings Law.
“There are task force groups that if they don’t have a quorum and they don’t have the power to make decisions, they don’t have to meet in public,” McKenna said.
Those would be bodies that play an advisory role and make recommendations to the Town Board.
“However, as we’ve always done, they will be encouraged to meet by Zoom, where the public can participate, but they’re not to meet in a public space.”
The town used federal American Rescue Plan funds to purchase equipment that allows for “hybrid” meetings to be in-person and to allow officials and the public to participate via Zoom videoconferencing and for the in-person board to communicate with people remotely.
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