Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parker council debates allowing remote participation in executive sessions; staff to survey peer practices
Summary
Council discussed whether to change practice to allow council members to attend executive sessions remotely; town attorney said state law does not prohibit remote attendance but the practice raises confidentiality, supervision and record-keeping concerns; staff will poll other clerks for policies and examples.
Council considered a council-member request to allow remote attendance for closed (executive) sessions in certain circumstances. Ry asked for clarification after previously attending one executive session by Zoom; the town attorney said state law does not prohibit remote attendance but noted practical and confidentiality constraints: executive-session materials and notes are kept with the clerk, and remote attendees shift responsibility for securing materials and ensuring no unauthorized persons are present.
Council members voiced competing views: some favored allowing occasional remote participation for health or travel reasons, with limits such as a maximum number of remote executive sessions per term; others said sensitive topics require in-person presence and that remote access risks open-meeting-law violations if a remote attendee has unauthorized listeners. The council asked the clerk (Amy) to survey other municipal clerks for policies and examples of successes and failures and to return recommended policy language.
Next steps: staff will gather sample policies and examples from peer jurisdictions and return a drafted policy or options for council consideration.
