Open Meetings Law

The New York State (NYS) Department of State (DOS) information on the Open Meetings Law can be found at dos.ny.gov/open-meeting-law.

Note that pages 16 and 17 of the document at dos.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/07/your-right-to-know-0522.pdf that can be accessed from that Open Meetings Law page says about Open Meetings:

What is covered by the law? The law applies to all public bodies. “Public body” is defined to cover entities consisting of two or more people that require a quorum to conduct public business and perform a governmental function for the state, for an agency of 16 the state, or for public corporations, including cities, counties, towns, villages and school districts. See POL § 102(2). In addition, committees and subcommittees consisting solely of members of a governing body are specifically included within the definition. Consequently, city councils, town boards, village boards of trustees, school boards, commissions, legislative bodies and committees and subcommittees of those groups all fall within the framework of the law. Citizens’ advisory bodies and similar advisory groups that are not created by law are not required to comply with the OML.

In Woodstock:

• Our Boards have independent decision-making authority.
• Our Commissions, Committees, and Task Forces:
  • All have an advisory role, not a policy making role.
  • Two of our active (as of 3/28/2026) Commissions were created by Town Law. All other Woodstock Commissions, Committees, and Task Forces were formed by Town Board resolution or Supervisor appointment, not by Town Law.