Byrne with Legislator Laura Russo signs mandate of livestreaming video of legislative meetings and County Executive Public Hearings.
Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne, joined by Legislator Laura Russo, pictured above, signed the Taxpayer Transparency Act into law, marking the culmination of a years-long effort to expand public access to county government and ensure residents can more easily see and understand the work being conducted on their behalf.
Under the law, all meetings of the Putnam County Legislature and its subcommittees must be made available for public viewing by live video stream whenever practicable. Links to those streams must be conspicuously posted on the Legislature’s website at least eight hours before a meeting.
The law also requires the Legislature to ensure that, except during executive sessions permitted under state law, members can be heard, seen and identified while conducting official business, including discussion or votes on motions, proposals and resolutions.
For the executive branch, the law requires the County Executive to make public hearings available for public viewing by live stream.
“This has been years in the making, and I’m proud that we have finally gotten the Taxpayer Transparency Act across the finish line,” said Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne. “Taxpayers deserve easy access to their government and the decisions being made on their behalf. Laura Russo and I have worked toward this for years because transparency shouldn’t depend on who is in office — it should be built into the way county government operates.”
The Taxpayer Transparency Act goes beyond live access. Meetings and hearings that are live-streamed must also be recorded and, to the extent practicable, posted or linked online within five business days. Those recordings must remain available for at least five years.
“Residents shouldn’t have to rearrange their lives or travel to Carmel just to see their county government at work,” said Legislator Laura Russo. “This legislation gives taxpayers greater access to the legislative process and creates a lasting standard for transparency in Putnam County. I’m proud to have worked alongside County Executive Byrne over the years to bring this effort across the finish line.”
The legislation was passed by a vote of seven in favor, with two absent.
“Transparency shouldn’t simply be a policy or a promise that can change from one administration to the next,” Byrne added. “By putting these requirements into County law, we’re creating a lasting expectation that Putnam County government will remain accessible and accountable to the taxpayers we serve.”