COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Coldwater City Council passed a resolution Monday night which would allow the city to keep holding virtual and electronic meetings through the end of August.
But Council members agreed to review the situation every meeting to see if they could resume face-to-face meetings which have not taken place in over a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An amendment to the Open Meetings Act which permits “no-reason” remote or virtual meetings held by electronic and / or telephonic means ends in Michigan on March 30.
City Attorney Megan Angell presented the resolution Monday night as she pointed out that although legislation has been introduced in the State Legislature to extend that March 30 deadline, the bills are inconsistent with each other and neither of them has progressed out of committee.
The discussion included this exchange between Council Members Emily Rissman and Randall Hazelbaker.
Angell pointed out the resolution mirrors what other Michigan municipalities have either already done or are contemplating doing in light of the uncertainty that the legislature will act by the end of this month.
Meanwhile, the Quincy Village Council plans to meet in person on Tuesday night for the first time since last November. Both the Quincy Village Council and the Bronson City Council held outdoor meetings during 2020 until the weather got to cold.
The Branch I.S.D. Board of Education also plans to hold an in person meeting on Wednesday afternoon at the Waldron Center.
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