The public hearings will be held in the City Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall. The first hearing on the local law on authorizing the use of video conferencing for public meetings will be held at 4:45 p.m. The second hearing will take place at 5:00 p.m. on the local law reapportioning ward boundary lines.

The hearings are open to the public and will be livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

Jamestown City Council (December 19, 2022)

Jamestown City Council has approved two local laws regarding new ward boundary lines and allowing video conferencing for public meetings.

Council President Tony Dolce said the video conferencing law just codifies what the city has been doing for the last three years, “So our boards, commissions, council meetings, everything is livestreamed. Also, we now have the ability to, if we’re sick or out of town, we can zoom in on the meeting and participate in the meeting as well.”

New York State lifted restrictions on video conferencing of public meetings, but public bodies like city council, school boards, or county legislatures must adopt a local law to authorize it locally.

Under the local law, council must have the minimum number of members present to meet quorum requirements in the same physical location where the public can attend.

The livestream of the meeting must also be recorded and posted on a public website within five business days of the meeting, with the recordings remaining available for a minimum of five years.

Dolce said the local law that establishes new ward boundary lines has been approved as the part of the final steps of redistricting.

He said the city’s Reapportionment Commission took the path of “least resistance,” with few changes to existing wards, “I believe Ward 3 didn’t change at all. The other wards, I think the biggest change I think was between 5 and 6. There was a little bit of a change around Allen Park area. There was a little change between Ward 2 and Ward 1 that actually, where Brent (Sheldon) and I were kidding I’m giving back two streets that he gave to me last time ten years ago, so, to even it back out again.”

The redistricting process takes place every ten years following the Census.

Public hearings have been scheduled on both local laws for Wednesday, December 28. The hearing on the videoconferencing law will take place at 4:45 p.m. with the ward boundary law hearing taking place at 5:00 p.m. Mayor Eddie Sundquist will sign the laws following those hearings.