Continuation of virtual public meetings
Summary
The county can keep holding public meetings with remote participation through July 15, 2028, under a new local law. The Clerk and County Attorney are researching whether virtual meetings can be made permanent.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 5
- Last 30 days
- 1
Last discussed Jul 21, 2026.
Impact analysis
No direct cost noted; it preserves access options for residents who can't attend in person.
Anyone who can't easily get to Legislature Chambers in person — remote workers, caregivers, people with disabilities.
Remote participants — including legislators with absences and disabled or distant residents — lose voting and participation rights after July 1.
Mentions & discussions (5)
Highlights of the Oct. 6 Tompkins County Legislature meeting
Highlights of the Oct. 6 Tompkins County Legislature meeting Tompkins Weekly
Tompkins County Legislature - Regular Meeting — July 21, 2026
The county can keep holding virtual public meetings through July 2028, keeping elected officials able to participate remotely when life happens.
Government Operations Committee - Regular Meeting — July 14, 2026
The county can keep holding public meetings with remote participation through July 15, 2028, under a new local law. The Clerk and County Attorney are researching whether virtual meetings can be made permanent.
Tompkins County Legislature - Regular Meeting — June 16, 2026
The county will hold a July 21 hearing on a law letting legislators keep attending meetings remotely through mid-2028, though there's a gap between June 30 and July 21 when remote attendance lapses.
Government Operations Committee - Regular Meeting — May 12, 2026
Legislators' ability to attend and vote in meetings remotely expires July 1 unless the state acts, because the Open Meetings Law's remote-meeting authorization is tied up with the state budget. The county had to pull its local law extending virtual meetings until 2028.
We'll email you when it's on an upcoming agenda and when it's voted on, at most once a day.
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