By the Board of Supervisors of the County of Northampton, Virginia:
(A) That it hereby confirms and ratifies the Declaration of Local Emergency made on March 19, 2020, by the Director of Emergency Management.
(B) That it understands and confirms that the Declaration of Local Emergency empowers the Director of Emergency Management with special authority and duties, said authority and duties being defined by the laws, rules, regulations and plans of the United States of America, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the County of Northampton.
(C) That it understands and confirms that when, in judgment of this Board of Supervisors, all needed emergency actions have been taken, appropriate action to end the declared local emergency will be taken.
(D) That the infectious nature of COVID-19 makes it unsafe to assemble a quorum of this Board in a single location, or to assemble members of the public in a single location, making it difficult or impossible for this Board and the county's boards and commissions to conduct meetings in accordance with normal practices and procedures. In accordance with VA Code § 15.2-1413, 1950, as amended, notwithstanding any contrary provision of law, general or special, the following emergency procedures are adopted to ensure continuity of government during the pendency of the emergency and disaster created by COVID-19:
(1) That any process, procedure, or matter which requires the physical presence of the public in a county building that the County Administrator has declared or in the future declares to be closed to the public is hereby suspended.
(2) Meetings of the Board of Supervisors and other county boards or commissions may be held through electronic communication means without a quorum of members physically present in a single location, provided that notice of such meetings is still given in accordance with applicable laws.
(3) All rules of procedure adopted by the Board of Supervisors are hereby suspended.
(4) All such county meetings may be held without permitting members of the public to be physically present in a central location or in the same physical location as any of the board or commission members, so long as alternative arrangements for public access to such meetings are made. Such alternative public access may be electronic, including but not limited to audio, telephonic, or video broadcast.
(5) For any matter requiring a public hearing by law, public comment will be solicited and received via written means prior to the vote on such matter. Public comments may also be solicited and, if so solicited, received, via electronic and/or telephonic means if possible and practical. All such comments will be provided to the members of the body and made a part of the record of such meeting.
(E) That the provisions in the aforesaid division (D) shall be in effect until repealed by this Board, for a period not exceeding six months from the declaration of a local emergency. Upon repeal or expiration of the aforesaid division (D), the matters referenced therein shall resume operation in accordance with normal practices and procedures.
(Ord. passed 3-24-2020)