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Commissioners debate teleconferencing after Segal joins from home following childbirth
Summary
Commissioner Strowbridge and others raised objections to counting remote participation as being "present" after Commissioner Katherine Segal joined by phone following the birth of her daughter; Corporate Counsel said the Open Meetings Act permits voting by telecommunications if the public can hear the vote and offered to issue a formal opinion.
Commissioners pressed for clarity on whether participation by telephone counts as being present after Commissioner Katherine Segal joined the Jan. 5 meeting by phone shortly after giving birth.
Commissioner Strowbridge said allowing any board member to conduct county business remotely "sets a bad precedent" and questioned whether the board should require physical presence. Commissioner Moore echoed the concern and asked Corporate Counsel for a formal legal opinion on what constitutes being present. Commissioner Solis defended Segal’s participation given her recent childbirth; Segal said she had been discharged from the hospital two hours earlier and thanked colleagues for allowing her to represent her constituents by phone.
Interim Corporate Counsel Nancy Mullett said the opinion allowing teleconferenced voting is based on the Open Meetings Act, which permits voting by telecommunications provided the vote can be heard by the public. She noted the board’s rules do not prohibit such participation and offered to prepare a formal opinion for incorporation into the board rules.
Why it matters: The board is asking staff to define whether ‘‘present’’ means physical presence or includes remote participation. That decision affects how commissioners can participate in votes and may require changes to board rules to reflect legal and operational expectations.
Next steps: Corporate Counsel will prepare a formal opinion for the board and consider amendments to the Board Rules to define presence more precisely.
