Recently Asked Questions (RAQs)

Our public library Board of Trustees is wondering if the meetings of their committees (Personnel Committee, Finance Committee, Policy Review Committee, etc) need to adhere to the requirements of the NYS Open Meetings Law like we do with the full Board Meetings. Because ED § 260-a mentions cities with a population of over one million (we do not reach this threshold), some say that the committee meetings do not need to adhere to the requirements of the Open Meetings Law, but others argue that this part of Education Law doesn't seem to delineate between Full Board meetings and Committee meetings, so if we follow the OML requirements for one, we should follow them for all. However, this would represent a huge shift in how our Board gets its work done, as they do not currently advertise the committee meetings or post minutes, and they frequently conduct these meetings via Zoom.

We have a major building project coming up for our library. We are wondering if a committee of the board can be given the authority to make official decisions, which are then ratified by the full board at the following monthly board meeting. We expect the Building & Grounds Committee will begin to meet regularly with a newly appointed project manager to get updates and to approve decisions that can’t wait until a full meeting of the board. It would seem like there must be a means for expediting important business without trying to get a quorum of the board together to approve them every single time. 

A member library has the following questions concerning libraries that are subject to Open Meetings Law (OML) and have adopted Robert’s Rules of Order for their meetings:
1. Are consent agendas allowed for agencies subject to OML?
2. Should public or association libraries refrain from having their Boards of Trustees accept the financials (motion, second, vote) presented by the library’s treasurer so as not to give the appearance of agreement and assurance that they are accurate and without error?
3. If there is a board committee that, per the bylaws, is not given the power to act independently o[f] the board, is it permissible for a member of such a committee to make a motion to be followed by discussion and vote without a second?
4. From the perspective of OML or others that you know are relevant for the library is it legally acceptable for a board chair to make a motion?

Often times, our meeting agenda changes so we would like to add a disclosure at the bottom that reads “Agenda is subject to change.”

Is this something that is allowed, and would it need to be included in our bylaws?

I am the Board Secretary.

Is an electronic signature (a real scanned one) OK for approved board meeting minutes that will go up for the public on the web site?

In our case, a paper copy of the minutes that is signed for real will also go into the archives of the library...which leads to the broader question of when such scanned electronic signatures can be used or not?

Many thanks!