Brooklyn borough board votes to publish monthly attendance, agrees to form bylaws review committee amid hybrid-meeting debate

The Brooklyn borough board voted to publish a monthly attendance record on the borough president's website and authorized a committee to review the board bylaws after more than an hour of discussion about absenteeism, hybrid meetings and accessibility.

The board put transparency at the top of its agenda after members asked for a public record of who attends monthly meetings. Chairperson Baptiste moved the attendance-publishing motion; members completed a roll-call vote that the chair announced as "21 yes votes, 0 nays, and 5 abstentions. The vote passes." The board later approved forming a bylaws review committee; the chair called for volunteers and a subcommittee to draft recommended changes.

Board members said the measure was meant to encourage representation from both community boards and elected officials. Chairperson Baptiste argued monthly publication helps the public see who is taking civic responsibilities seriously. Several community board chairs said chronic absences from council members and some community boards have impaired quorum and decision-making. "When I come here month after month, and certain boards are never here, certain council members never here, it's very unnerving to me," Chairperson Scavill said.

The meeting also included an extended discussion about hybrid meeting rules and access for members with disabilities. Members noted the state Open Meetings Law allows virtual participation under specified circumstances but does not define "extraordinary circumstances" for every board; community boards can define that standard in their own resolutions. Several speakers urged the borough board to revisit a hybrid-meeting resolution and to seek funding to support reliable hybrid technology. "There needs to be money put into this because I understand that I know my board has issues with that as well as other boards," Chairperson Baptiste said.

Officials from Borough Hall outlined operational limits and procedures. The chief of staff, Laura Periali, said the borough president's office issues condolence letters and can be notified when a member dies; she asked chairs and district managers to share details so the office can respond. The office also said it had not yet received a required protocol from the mayor's office of disabilities for virtual access planning that some boards were told to expect.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to publish monthly attendance record on the borough president's website — announced result: 21 yes, 0 no, 5 abstentions; chair declared the motion passed. (Motion placed by Chairperson Baptiste; second not specified.) - Motion to establish a committee to review the borough board bylaws and develop recommendations for revision — chair called the motion; second by Chairperson Camacho; roll-call result announced during the meeting as 16 yes, 17 no, 3 abstentions and the chair stated the motion passed (see audit for inconsistent tallying in the meeting record).

What the motions do and do not do The published attendance record will list representation lines (for example, "Council District 33" or "Community Board 1") with presence/absence for each monthly meeting; it will not remove members or change membership status. Multiple presenters clarified the borough board and community board bylaws do not provide a mechanism for removal based solely on absences; the City Charter and local practice determine appointments and vacancies. Several chairs said their boards have local procedures (for example: chair notification, letters to the appointing official) to request action on chronic nonattendance.

Next steps The board asked for volunteers to serve on the bylaws review committee; a follow-up email will be sent for sign-ups and the subcommittee meetings (which may be held hybrid) will be scheduled. The borough president's office staff said they will work to post past recordings and agendas to correlate the attendance publication with meeting records, and they will follow up about the disability-access protocol.

Ending Members closed the item with a reminder to use microphones at meetings so recorded minutes capture all remarks for the public record. Chairperson Baptiste adjourned the meeting after the bylaws motion and asked for volunteers to help draft recommendations.