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Supervisor calls for formal land-use committee after state advisory; colleagues disagree
Summary
At a Greenburgh town board work session, the supervisor cited an advisory from the New York State Committee on Open Government saying individual board members may not conduct public business without a quorum and asked to join or formalize Friday land-use meetings; other board members and the town attorney said those staff-liaison meetings are necessary and not a committee, and the board agreed to invite a state representative to clarify the law.
The Town Supervisor urged the board to either add him to or formally create a land-use committee after he said the New York State Committee on Open Government advised that individual members of a public body may not conduct public business unless a quorum convenes.
The supervisor read language he said was sent by the committee and cited Town Law Section 63, arguing that the recurring Friday meetings—where two board liaisons meet with department heads—appear to function as a committee that should comply with open meetings rules, including agendas and minutes. He asked the board either to let him participate or to formally constitute and govern the meetings as a committee so "the public would be able to attend," he said.
Other board members pushed back, saying the meetings are staff-liaison sessions intended for technical coordination, not decision-making, and that the town attorney had advised the board the town is in compliance with the Open Meetings Law because no official action is taken at those gatherings. One long-serving member said informal discussions among liaisons and staff were necessary to get work done and that departmental collaboration had improved since meetings became more substantive.
The supervisor proposed inviting a representative from the Committee on Open Government to the work session so the board could hear both sides and get a direct interpretation. The town attorney reiterated that, in his view, no directives had been issued at the liaison meetings and that formal actions still require resolutions and public processes.
Board members agreed on a middle step: the supervisor may create a formal committee under Town Law if he chooses, and several members said they would support that. The work session ended with a motion to enter executive session on personnel and legal matters (see separate item).
Why it matters: Land-use discussions touch planning, permitting and capital projects that affect neighborhoods and private property; whether those recurring gatherings are treated as committees affects public access, transparency and how decisions are documented.
Next steps: The supervisor asked that a Committee on Open Government representative be invited to the board's work session to clarify the committee's written opinion and how it applies to the town's liaison meetings.
