EDITORIAL: Changes to Open Meetings Law enhance public access to government – The Daily Gazette - The Daily Gazette

Usually when the Legislature and the governor add something to the secretly negotiated state budget at the last minute, it means taxpayers will be forking over more of their hard-earned money.

But on very rare occasions, the process produces action that benefits residents without dipping into their wallets.

Such is the case with changes made to the state Open Meetings Law that give residents more access to government by enhancing the state’s efforts to expand videoconferencing of public meetings.

Videoconferencing — showing them on TV or the internet — gained prominence during the pandemic because citizens were prohibited from attending government meetings in person.

On the positive side, it gave more people the opportunity to observe their government in action in the convenience of their own homes and on their own schedules. On the negative side, videoconferencing limited access to officials and inhibited people’s ability to participate in meetings and ask questions.

The changes to the Open Meetings Law made as part of the state budget negotiations ensure the best of both worlds.

Under the legislation, according to Diane Kennedy of the New York News Publishers Association, videoconferencing will soon be a component of public meetings under strict controls.

For instance, a board may use videoconferencing only if a quorum is present at a public location. (Under recent executive orders, board members could call in from private remote locations, essentially preventing the public from attending in person.)

The board must vote on the process and provide details in a public document.

Under these changes, board members must be present unless they can’t attend due to “extraordinary circumstances” like illness. The board must pass a local law laying out the circumstances for absences.

The changes also require meeting notices to indicate that videoconferencing will be used, state where the public can view and participate in the meeting, and ensure that board members can be heard, seen and identified during the public portions of the meeting. Those watching the meeting remotely must be able to view the meeting in real time, according to the changes.

Boards must record videoconferenced meetings, post them on their website within five business days and retain the meeting recording for at least five years. Minutes and transcripts will have to be made available.

These changes address most of the concerns we and others in the media have had about the rapid shift toward more remote public meetings.

The public will still be able to attend in person where the majority of the board members are meeting, and those who want to will still be able to observe from home.

Give Gov. Kathy Hochul and her staff credit for seeking input from journalists and addressing our concerns, and give lawmakers credit for protecting the public’s access to government.

These changes are good for the public and a positive development for your right to know.

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Categories: Editorial, Opinion

source: https://dailygazette.com/2022/04/21/editorial-changes-to-open-meetings-law-enhance-public-access-to-government/

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