Title
Replacing RES 21-547 reaffirming the City Council's regular meeting schedule during the Covid-19 pandemic emergency and setting a date to return to in-person meetings.
Body
WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued Executive Order 20-01, “Declaring a Peacetime Emergency and Coordinating Minnesota’s Strategy to Protect Minnesotans from COVID-19,” declaring a peacetime emergency under Minn. Stat. § 12.31, subd. 2, that emergency has been renewed and remains in place; and
WHEREAS, on March 15, 2020, Mayor Melvin Carter issued an emergency declaration, directing City departments to review operations and legal proceedings to determine whether any such operations or proceedings need adjusted or suspended, among other directions; and
WHEREAS, on March 17, 2020, the Saint Paul City Council extended the emergency declaration for ninety (90) days until June 15, 2020, that emergency has been renewed and remains in place; and
WHEREAS, the City Council provides critical services to the City, including passing emergency ordinances, and authorizing emergency contracts; and
WHEREAS, presently, and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City Council conducted regular meetings in-person, pursuant to a regular meeting schedule on file at the Council’s primary office; and
WHEREAS, Minn. Stat. § 13D.021 permits open meetings to be conducted through telephone or other electronic means if (1) the presiding officer for the governing body finds it not practical or prudent to meet in person or hold a meeting conducted under section 13D.02 because of a health pandemic or an emergency declared under Minn. Stat. Ch. 12; (2) all members of the body participating in the meeting, wherever their physical location, can hear one another and hear all testimony and discussion; (3) members of the public present at the regular meeting location can hear all discussion, testimony, and votes of the public body, unless attendance at the meeting is not feasible due to health pandemic or emergency declaration; and (4) all votes of the body are conducted by roll call so each member’s vote can be identified and recorded; and
WHEREAS, Council President Brendmoen finds it not practical or prudent to hold the Council’s meetings in-person because of the pandemic and public health emergency; and
WHEREAS, Council President Brendmoen and the City Council find that public attendance at the regularly scheduled meeting location is not feasible due to the health pandemic and the Council will not have any member, counsel, or administrator present at the regular meeting location; and
WHEREAS, the Council finds it necessary to set a new regular meeting schedule to reflect that all meetings during the local emergency will be held by telephone or other electronic means; ad
WHEREAS, various items considered by the Council require advance notice of Council hearings; and
WHEREAS, the Council seeks to transition back to in-person meetings at a time certain in order to ensure predictability for such hearings; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that until August 31, 2021:
1. Regular meetings of the Council will be held via telephone or other electronic means on Wednesdays as provided by the City Charter at 3:30 p.m.
2. The public may comment on public hearing items in writing or via voicemail. Any comments and materials submitted by 12:00 pm of the day before the meeting will be attached to the public record and available for review by the City Council. Comments may be submitted as follows:
Written public comment on public hearing items can be submitted to Contact-Council@ci.stpaul.mn.us or by voicemail at 651-266-6805.
3. That the new regular meeting schedule shall be in effect until September 1, 2021.
4. That upon adoption of this resolution, the regular meeting schedule will be kept on file at the City Council’s primary office.
And be it further
RESOLVED, that beginning September 1, 2021:
1. Regular meetings of the Council will take place in City Council Chambers at 15 W. Kellogg Boulevard, 300 City Hall at 3:30 pm. on Wednesdays as provided in the City Charter; with public hearings to be held every Wednesday at 3:30 PM unless otherwise noticed.
2. That the regular meeting schedule will be kept on file at the City Council’s primary office.