115.03 PUBLIC MEETINGS.
(a) All meetings of public bodies shall be open to the public except for executive sessions from which the public is excluded. Nothing herein contained shall mandate that any public body permit public participation in its meetings.
(b) Subject to rules established as permitted in this Section, meetings and hearings of any public body may be held, and members may attend meetings and may conduct and attend hearings of any public body, in-person, and/or by means of teleconference, video conference, or any other similar electronic technology, or any combination of in-person and electronic technology. Council, or a public body in the absence of a Council rule, may establish rules of conduct for the meetings and hearings of such public body, as long as such rules are in compliance with this Chapter and Chapter 113.
(c) Public access must be provided to all meetings and hearings of any public body. For a meeting held only in-person, the City is not required to provide a virtual or electronic option for attendance. If no in-person access to the public for a particular meeting or hearing is feasible due to health or safety concerns, or if any member of a public body is permitted to attend, participate and vote at a meeting or hearing by electronic technology, then public access shall be provided to the public by electronic technology during such meeting or hearing.
(d) The City may determine the method of attendance and participation, if permitted, by the public through electronic technology, and such method need not be the same as the method of electronic technology used by a member of the public body to attend, participate and vote at such meeting. The methods of electronic technology allowing attendance and/or participation by the public may include, but are not limited to, live-streaming by means of the internet, local radio, television, cable, or public access channels, call in information for a teleconference, or by means of any other similar electronic technology. When the public is allowed to attend and/or participate electronically, the public body shall ensure that the public can observe and/or hear the discussions and deliberations of all the members of the public body, whether the member is participating in-person or electronically.
(e) Virtual Meetings.
(1) Any resolution, ordinance, rule, decision or other formal action of any kind made or taken during any meeting or hearing conducted entirely or in-part with members attending, participating, and voting by electronic technology, shall have the same effect as if it had occurred during an in-person meeting or hearing of the public body.
(2) Unless otherwise determined by a rule of Council, members of a public body who attend meetings or hearings by means of teleconference, video conference, or any other similar electronic technology, shall be considered present as if in-person at the meeting or hearing, shall be permitted to vote, and shall be counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present at the meeting or hearing.
(Ord. 22-28. Enacted 3-22-22.)