Quorum Requirements

1. The primary public location for the Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York (TRS) Board meetings is 55 Water Street, New York, New York. The Board may notice additional public locations for meetings as needed.
2. Any Board member who participates at a physical location that is open to in-person attendance by the public from a location has been included in the meeting notice shall count toward a quorum.
3. Any Board member who is participating from a remote location that is not open to in person physical attendance by the public will not count toward a quorum.
4. In order to determine whether a quorum will be met, members of the Board must notify the Executive Director 48 hours, or as soon as practical, in advance of a Board meeting if they will not be present at a noticed location. If a member of the Board is requesting a public location other than 55 Water Street, they must include this in their notification to the Executive Director.

Remote Participation of Board Members from a Location Not Accessible to the Public

1. A member of the Board not needed for a quorum may attend a meeting from a remote location that is not open to in-person physical attendance by the public via videoconferencing if there are “extraordinary circumstances,” or “any other significant or unexpected factor or event which precludes the member’s physical attendance.”
   1. The definition of Extraordinary Circumstances includes, but is not limited to, disability, illness, caregiving responsibilities, or other significant or unexpected factor(s) or event(s), including unexpected matters that require a Board vote and for which a trustee did not have reasonable notice of the need to attend a meeting at one of the remote locations.
   2. Board members may participate and vote from a remote location, that is not open to in-person physical attendance by the public, if there is a quorum of members at a physical location open to the public.
   3. Any Board member participating from a remote location, that is not open to the public shall state, on the record, that they are attending from a remote location, that is not open to the public, and shall state, in such detail as may be possible without infringing on their personal privacy one of the following reasons for such remote attendance:
      1. A significant or unexpected factor(s) or event(s)
      2. Disability
      3. Illness
      4. Caregiving responsibilities

State of Emergency

1. Where a State of Disaster Emergency is declared by the Governor, or the City, impairing the ability to hold in-person meetings, members of the Board may participate in a Public Meeting via videoconferencing regardless of the reason or location if the Board determines that the circumstances necessitating the emergency declaration would affect or impair the ability of the Board to hold an in person meeting.

Members of the Public

1. Public sessions of Board meetings will be webcast for public viewing.
2. If the meeting is one in which the public can participate via videoconferencing, members of the public shall be permitted to participate to the same extent as members of the public who attend in person at the location or locations where the meeting is held.
3. If the meeting is one in which the public can participate, the videoconferencing must make sure that the public can be heard, seen and identified while the public part of the meeting is occurring.

Committee and Sub-Committee Meetings

1. Committees and subcommittees that require a quorum shall be subject to the same procedures.

Minutes

1. Minutes of meetings, shall include which, if any, Board members participated via videoconferencing at a location not accessible to members of the public.

Recordings of TRS public meetings

1. Videoconferencing must include audio and visual components that ensure that the Board is heard, seen and identified during the meeting.
2. Every meeting that utilizes videoconferencing due to “extraordinary circumstances” must be recorded and posted on TRS’ website within five (5) business days of the meeting and remain available for at least five (5) years.

Notice

1. If videoconferencing is utilized, notice of a Public Meeting must, in addition to stating the physical location(s) where the meeting may be held and where in-person attendance is possible, state:
   1. That the meeting will include a videoconferencing component, and
   2. Indicate where members of the public may view and, if applicable, participate in the meeting.

Additional Procedures

1. A copy of these procedures must be posted on TRS’ website.