Committee advances draft remote‑attendance policy amid debate over remote chairing and Sunshine Act rules

The Administrative Communication and Technology committee reviewed a draft remote‑attendance policy intended to formalize rules for council members joining meetings remotely.

Chair (speaker 1) walked members through the draft, noting that a remote member must be announced at the start of the meeting and that remote members could make motions and vote but would not chair meetings under the current draft. Council member (speaker 5) argued that state statutes and local precedent prohibit remote chairing, and urged clearer wording on quorum and technology standards, including a requirement that no votes occur if communications fail. The chair and others responded that the borough operates under a home rule charter, which affects applicability of borough code, and that the committee can set its own policy within that charter.

Members discussed minimal technology standards required by the Sunshine Act — that remote members must be able to hear and be heard — while resisting mandatory camera use to accommodate bandwidth and privacy for sick members. Speaker 5 recommended adding ADA accommodations and clarifying whether a majority of members must be physically present to establish a quorum. The committee agreed to carry the suggested edits to the full council/work session for additional consideration; the committee recorded a referral for further review rather than adoption that night.

No formal adoption occurred; committee members asked staff to prepare clarifying language on quorum, technology failure and ADA accommodations for the next review.