COLDWATER, MI. – (WTVB) – The Coldwater City Council will hold a special electronic meeting on Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m. to take action on a letter from City Attorney Megan Angell regarding the establishment of rules for remote attendance by council members and others due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an Executive Order on March 18th which makes a temporarily change to the Open Meetings Act. Executive Order 2020-15 allows public bodies to conduct their meetings electronically, while also facilitating public participation until April 15th.
Under the Executive Order, public bodies that are subject to the Open Meetings Act, including boards, commissions, committees, subcommittees, authorities, councils, and nonprofit boards, can use telephone- or video- conferencing methods to continue meeting and conducting business during the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health crisis, so long as they follow certain procedures to ensure meaningful access and participation by members of the public body and the general public.
The Branch County Board of Commissioners, the Quincy Village Council, the Branch Intermediate School District Board of Education and the Community Health Agency Board of Health have all held electronic meetings over the last week.
The City Council’s regular meeting last Monday was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
