Putnam County Legislature adopts live-streaming rules for sessions; some members raise decorum concerns

The Putnam County Legislature voted Tuesday to amend its legislative manual to permit live streaming of legislative sessions and public hearings.

Legislator Birmingham, chair of the Rules, Enactments, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, moved the amendment after the committee discussed several resolved clauses on live streaming. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with multiple legislators recorded as voting yes.

During floor discussion Legislator Allen said he supports live streaming but raised a concern about members using cellphones during sessions and the potential for off-dais communication to be visible during broadcasts. Another legislator noted that other counties, such as Westchester, use side screens to interact with the public and display live comments.

A member of the public later thanked the legislature during the public-comment period for codifying live streaming and urged leaders to expand similar public-access features for comment.

What was decided

- The legislature amended the legislative manual to permit live streaming of legislative sessions and public hearings; the policy had been discussed in committee and passed by roll-call vote at the full session.

Implementation and next steps

The rules committee and staff will implement…