(a) All meetings of public bodies shall be open to the public except for executive sessions from which the public is excluded. Nothing herein contained shall mandate that any public body permit public participation in its meetings.
(b) The term "place" as used in this Chapter with regard to any public meeting or hearing shall include an in-person location or a meeting or hearing held entirely or in-part electronically, as long as such meeting or hearing is held in compliance with this section.
(c) Meetings and hearings of any public body may be held, and members may attend meetings and may conduct and attend hearings of any public body, in-person, and/or by means of teleconference, video conference, or any other similar electronic technology, or any combination of in-person and electronic technology. Each public body may establish rules of conduct for the meetings and hearings of such public body, as long as such rules are in compliance with this Chapter.
(d) Any resolution, ordinance, rule, decision or other formal action of any kind made or taken during any meeting or hearing conducted entirely or in-part with members attending, participating, and voting by electronic technology, shall have the same effect as if it had occurred during an in-person meeting or hearing of the public body.
(e) Members of a public body who attend meetings or hearings by means of teleconference, video conference, or any other similar electronic technology, shall be considered present as if in-person at the meeting or hearing, shall be permitted to vote, and shall be counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present at the meeting or hearing.
(g) Public access must be provided to any public meeting or hearing as required by Section 103.03(a) of this Chapter. If no in-person access to the public for a particular public meeting is feasible due to health or safety concerns, or if any member of a public body is permitted to attend, participate and vote at a public meeting or hearing by electronic technology, then public access shall be provided to the public by electronic technology during such meeting or hearing.
(h) The Village may determine the method of attendance and participation, if permitted, by the public through electronic technology, and such method need not be the same as the method of electronic technology used by a member of the public body to attend, participate and vote at such meeting. The methods of electronic technology allowing attendance and/or participation by the public may include, but are not limited to, live-streaming by means of the internet, local radio, television, cable, or public access channels, call in information for a teleconference, or by means of any other similar electronic technology. When the public is allowed to attend and/or participate electronically, the public body shall ensure that the public can observe and hear the discussions and deliberations of all the members of the public body, whether the member is participating in person or electronically.
(i) This section does not require that members of the public wishing to attend an entirely in-person meeting or hearing must be given access by electronic technology, even if in-person access by the public is limited by health or safety concerns, or any law or regulation.
(j) The authority granted in this section applies notwithstanding any conflicting provision of the Codified Ordinances. Nothing in this section shall be construed to negate any other provision of this Chapter that is not in conflict with this section.
(k) All public meetings (excluding caucus meetings and quasi-judicial deliberative sessions) of the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, City Council and its related committees, boards, commissions, and/or task forces shall be recorded in their entirety via audio or other electronic means. Said recordings shall be kept on file for a period of not less than two years by that public office which is responsible for the records of said public body. Any meeting that is unable to be recorded due to mechanical or equipment malfunctions or operator error will not be deemed as a violation of this provision. Regardless of the existence of recordings, the written, approved and adopted minutes of any such meeting shall be the official record of that particular meeting. (Ord. 2021-31. Passed 7-14-21.)