Local Law #3—2022—Video Conferencing Discussed at Town Council Meeting

By Stephen E. Lipken

Pelham Town Council Supervisor Daniel McLaughlin opened the Monday, October 3rd meeting, immediately proceeding to a Public Hearing regarding Local Law Number 3 of the Year 2022, “Creating Chapter 102, Authorizing the Town Council and its Local Public Bodies to Participate in Meetings by Video Conference Subject to State and Local Law Requirements.” 

McLaughlin began, “In connection with the Proposed Local Law, authorizing the remote participation in meetings by members of the public body, please note the following: The actions of the participants are only available where a quorum of members is present in the physical location of the meeting unless a member is unable to be physically present due to disability; illness; quarantine order; death of an immediate family member.

“Anyone wishing to participate in the videoconference must provide advance notice and justification for their absence. If videoconferencing is being used to conduct a meeting, the notice must inform and advise the public where they can view and/or participate in the meeting.”

The Measure passed. 

Councilwoman Rae Szymanski pointed to a Town meeting of an Ambulance Community Work Group on Wednesday, September 21st involving every Department in each Village, including Administrators, Police, Fire and Community EMS Advocates. 

“We got an extremely comprehensive draft from the VOP Fire Department, Administrator; input from Pelham Manor Fire Chief Michael Greco and Municipal Certificate of Need that we become our own Ambulance District, recommended by our Community Consultants,” Szymanski stated. “We still might end up with Empress Ambulance; we just want to make an effort to see what else is out there,” McLaughlin commented.

McLaughlin rendered the 2022 Base Proportions from 2021 Assessment; Homestead: 81.197685; Non-Homestead 18.802315.

Finally, Boy Scout Logan Constant, 15, Pelham Manor Troop One, appeared at the meeting, endeavoring to earn his Citizenship Merit Badge.