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Tompkins County Legislature waives notice requirement and moves into executive session on emergency housing
Summary
At a March 9 special meeting focused on emergency housing, the Tompkins County Legislature voted to waive the 48-hour notice rule and then approved entering executive session to discuss matters said to imperil public safety; guests were excused before the closed session.
Legislator Mike Sigler moved the Tompkins County Legislature on March 9 to "set aside the rules of Tompkins County Legislature and waive rule one section three" to bypass the usual 48-hour notice requirement for a special meeting, citing that the clerk had provided 24 hours' notice and contacted legislators by phone. The motion was seconded by Legislator Irus Pacman and passed by roll call.
The vote on the waiver recorded 15 "Yes" votes; Legislator Adam Vincent was noted as present but not eligible to vote. Staff member Maury told the body that a two-thirds majority was required for the waiver to succeed.
Shortly after the waiver passed, Legislator Travis Brooks moved, and Legislator Dan Wagemann seconded, a motion to go into executive session "for matters which will imperil the public safety if disclosed." The motion passed by roll call; the Legislature then excused guests who would not remain for the closed session and moved off-camera for executive session. The public portion of the transcript contains no substantive presentation or deliberation on emergency housing prior to the executive session.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a roll call of members. The chair noted that the special meeting would focus on emergency housing; however, no public presentation on that topic appears in the provided transcript before the body entered executive session.
The Legislature referenced the New York State Open Meetings Law during the waiver motion and stated that the clerk provided 24 hours' notice and had phoned legislators; the transcript does not record further details of those notices or any public briefing on emergency housing. The executive session was described only by its stated justification—risk to public safety if disclosed—and no votes or public actions on emergency housing were recorded in the public portion of the meeting.
The Legislature took no additional public actions on emergency housing in the recorded portion of the special meeting. The record shows that members approved the procedural steps needed to discuss emergency-housing-related matters in private and that the public portion concluded with guests excused and the body going into executive session.
