Sec. 173.106.  BOARD MEETINGS BY TELEPHONE OR VIDEOCONFERENCE.  (a)  Chapter 551, Government Code, does not prohibit the board from holding an open or closed meeting by telephone conference call or videoconference.
(b)  A meeting held by telephone conference call or videoconference need not have a quorum present at any one location.
(c)  A telephone conference call or videoconference meeting is subject to the notice requirements applicable to other meetings.
(d)  The notice of a telephone conference call or videoconference meeting must specify each location of the meeting where a director will participate and the physical location where the presiding officer of the board will preside.  Each of those locations must be open to the public during the open portion of the meeting.
(e)  Each part of a telephone conference call meeting that is required to be open to the public must be audible to the public at each meeting location specified in the notice of the meeting and shall be tape recorded.  The district shall make the tape recording available to the public.
(f)  Each part of a videoconference meeting that is required to be open to the public must:
(1)  be visible and audible to the public at each meeting location specified in the notice of the meeting; and
(2)  have two-way audio and video communications with each participant in the meeting during the entire meeting.
(g)  Without regard to whether a director is participating in a meeting from a remote location by videoconference call, the board may allow a member of the public to testify at a meeting from a remote location by videoconference call.  The board shall designate the location for public participation in the notice of the meeting.
Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 85 (S.B. 1540), Sec. 2.04, eff. April 1, 2011.