City council to meet electronically Tuesday, consider new meeting policies

Published 12:00 am Sunday, April 5, 2020

By Liz Moomey

liz.moomey@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Tuesday’s 6 p.m. Salisbury City Council meeting will be held electronically to limit physical interactions and the potential spread of COVID-19.

The council will consider adopting an ordinance to allow for remote participation in council meetings and a policy and procedure for electronic meetings.

In the city ordinance for remote participation, the council will consider deleting “although a member who attends a meeting electronically pursuant to such a policy may take part in debate, the member may neither be counted toward a quorum nor vote on any matter before the council.”

The council members also will discuss a policy and procedure for electronic meetings. The policy will only apply to city council meetings and not for board and commission meetings. The conditions necessary for an electronic meeting are they can only be held when a governmental official or body has declared that a state of emergency, under which Salisbury is currently operating, or other disaster exists within the City of Salisbury. The state of emergency declaration or disaster declaration must be related to an event that directly affects the city of Salisbury and the ability of the City Council to meet.

Members present for the electronic meeting will still be able to vote, except for quasi-judicial matters,

The meeting will be streamed live at salisburync.gov/webcast and on the city’s Twitter account: @CitySalisburyNC. To speak at public comment citizens must sign up by 5 p.m. on Tuesday by contacting Kelly Baker at kbake@salisburync.gov or 704-638-5233.

In the consent agenda, the council will also consider a budget ordinance for $10,000 to appropriate funds received for the camera project at Brenner Crossing Apartments.