The emergency authorization allowing government meetings to be held partially or completely using teleconferencing technology, such as Zoom, is coming to an end at the end of June.
Local laws required to continue virtual meetings after June
Any government body that wants to keep on using teleconferencing for meetings must pass a law allowing it before the end of June. Yates County Administrator Nonie Flynn says Zoom meetings are more convenient for some people, so the county has set June 13 for a public hearing on the law.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, then-Governor Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order 202.1, suspending part of the state’s open meeting law to allow government bodies to hold virtual meetings. The State Office of Technology Services issued guidelines for those conducting virtual meetings.
The town of Geneva has also scheduled a public hearing on a law to continue teleconferencing. Town Supervisor Mark Venuti says under the town’s proposed law, town board members would still be required to attend meetings in person unless they have a legitimate reason to join remotely.
Listen to my full Inside the FLX conversation with Yates County Administrator Nonie Flynn below.
