(A) Pre-arrangements. Any member of the City Council desiring to attend a City Council meeting by means other than physical presence shall contact the City Clerk sufficiently in advance of the meeting to allow the Mayor (or other presiding officer) to know of the request and the cause for the request and to allow for set up and testing of needed electronic equipment.
(B) Authorized reasons. A member of the City Council may attend a City Council meeting by means other than physical presence only for causes authorized by the Open Meeting Act which currently include because of (1) personal illness or disability; (2) employment purposes or for business of the pubic body, or (3) family or other emergency.
(C) Meeting procedures.
(1) At the start of the meeting, a quorum of the City Council members must be physically present. Following the roll call, the City Clerk shall advise the City Council members physically present of the request of a member to attend by electronic means and the cause for the request. The City Council members physically present may approve the request only if they find:
(a) There is an authorized reason to allow the member to attend electronically; and
(b) The audio and/or video conference equipment is sufficiently effective to allow the member of the City Council not physically present to hear and effectively communicate with all other City Council Members, and others physically present at the meeting; and
(c) The contemplated business of the meeting can be effectively communicated by audio or video conference.
(2) The City Council may terminate the attendance of a member attending by electronic means in the event that the electronic equipment in use substantially fails or in the event that the business of the meeting cannot be effectively communicated by the electronic means in use.
(D) Minutes. The minutes shall reflect the findings of the City Council physically present that authorized a member to attend electronically. Any council member attending electronically shall be considered an off-site attendee and counted as present but with a notation made in the minutes that their attendance was by electronic means.
(Ord. 1653, passed 1-17-18)