City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: March 23, 2020
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK JINKS, CITY MANAGER
JOANNA ANDERSON, CITY ATTORNEY
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Introduction, First and Second Reading, Public Hearing and Final Passage of an emergency ordinance implementing emergency procedures to ensure continuity of city government and, in particular, to modify public meeting procedures and other public practices and procedures to address continuity of operations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic disaster.[ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of an emergency ordinance to implement procedures and processes for public meetings and other public procedures during the COVID 19 pandemic disaster.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council introduce the ordinance, pass the ordinance on first reading, hold a public hearing on the ordinance and adopt the ordinance on March 24, 2020.
DISCUSSION: The continuity of government emergency ordinance provides an additional mechanism for the City Council and other public bodies to meet electronically without a quorum in the room given that the circumstances of COVID 19 pandemic may make it unsafe to meet in person. As always, public bodies must adhere to the requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA) and allow public access to meetings to the greatest extent possible. Therefore, the dockets for the electronic meetings without a quorum in the room will be limited to just those items necessary to be discussed and decided immediately and all other matters should be deferred until after the emergency is over and normal meeting procedures can resume. Additionally, for those meetings that are necessary, the public needs to be provided with access to the meeting to the greatest extent possible by electronic means and notice for the meeting must continue to meet requirements in VFOIA...
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