Cortland mayor says minutes will be corrected after amendment fails for lack of quorum

The Cortland City Council on Feb. 18 considered amending its Sept. 3, 2025 meeting minutes to reassign comments that were recorded as coming from Councilman Bradley to resident Jerry Bayes. The motion to amend the minutes failed after three members abstained, leaving a 3–0 tally that the mayor said did not meet the required quorum to change past minutes.

Council sought to correct an apparent misattribution in the written minutes. The mayor explained that because only three members present at this meeting also served at the Sept. 2025 meeting, customary practice would be for members who were not present at the original meeting to abstain on corrections. When three members abstained and the three remaining members voted yes, the mayor said the result was insufficient to formally amend the minutes.

The mayor told the council he would make a statement on the record at this meeting to document the correction and said he would follow up with counsel and the appropriate staff (including Patrick) to ensure the official record reflected the video evidence. The council did not take further formal action to adopt the amended text during the meeting.

The exchange is on the public record because the video of the Sept. 3 meeting contradicts the written minutes, according to council remarks. The council did not specify revised language for the minutes in the failed motion; the mayor said his on-the-record statement at this Feb. 18 session would serve to correct the record.