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Council committee to consider amending Chapter 28 to accept government email as notice for special meetings
Summary
The Government Operations committee opened review of Chapter 28 to explicitly allow email notice for special meetings, discussed using official city email versus broader 'electronic' delivery, and called for a public hearing.
The Government Operations Committee on Jan. 6 opened a review of Chapter 28 of the Schenectady City Code to clarify how the city notifies members of special meetings and to update dated language in the chapter.
President Porterfield and staff said the change would explicitly accept notice delivered by email; Corporation Counsel O'Brien advised that adopting clear language in the code would prevent future disputes about whether email constituted personal delivery. O'Brien also noted that under New York’s second‑class city law the required notice period can be as little as 24 hours, prompting discussion about whether to change the code’s three‑day notice requirement.
Several council members urged caution about using a broad term like “electronic” for delivery because it could include personal text messages or other channels and raise verification concerns. Mayor (name not specified) asked, “I would question that. It's how do you verify people are getting the proper notification?” President Moonbeam and others recommended limiting the change to the official city email account to avoid uncertainty and intrusion into members’ personal phone records.
Members also suggested modernizing gendered pronouns in the chapter and making other small language updates. The committee voted to call a public hearing on amendments to Chapter 28 and requested that members submit suggested edits to staff for incorporation ahead of the public hearing and subsequent committee review.
