ITEM TITLE:
Approval of Recommendation to City Council to Amend Procedures Related to Virtual Attendance for Planning & Zoning Commission Meetings
SUBMITTED BY: Kate Huber, Planning Director
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: N/A
Unencumbered Balance: N/A
Funding Source: N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve recommendation to City Council to amend procedures related to virtual attendance for Planning & Zoning Commission meetings.
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
During the last Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on September 22, 2021, there was discussion related to commission procedures for virtual attendance. The options for virtual attendance are dictated by provisions within the City Council’s Policies and Procedures. The Planning & Zoning Commission procedures are then written to mirror the guidelines defined by Council.
Currently, the City Council procedures require the Planning & Zoning Commission to follow the same attendance rules as Council. This means that virtual attendance is not allowed unless reasons of health or human safety require it. Accommodations in this situation must come from the Mayor.
Other citizen boards and commissions allow for virtual attendance at any time, as long as quorum of members is physically present in chambers (or currently the Civic Center Conference Room.)
The local government disaster declaration that became effective on September 29, 2021, now allows P&Z and Council members to attend virtually, if a quorum of members is physically present at the meeting.
During the 09/22 meeting, Commissioner Reese with support from Commissioner Wade, requested that staff prepare this recommendation to Council to modify their procedures to allow the Planning & Zoning Commission to follow the same rules as the other commissions. This greater flexibility will give the option for 2-3 members to attend remotely, if four members are present physically, even after the current disaster declaration expires.
The proposed change is shown in red below. The complete City Council Procedures are attached for your reference. The proposed change is found on page 17.
City Council Policies and Procedures -Section XIII. Citizen Advisory Groups (E) Attendance
1. Any member(s) not able to attend a particular meeting must notify their Staff Liaison as far in advance as possible.
2. Attendance policies and procedures for the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive Association Board of Directors are outlined in the VMHA By-Laws and may differ slightly from this section.
3. A member may participate via telephone in a Board, Commission, Task Force, or Committee meeting, except members of the Planning and Zoning Commission, which are bound by the attendance requirements set forth in II (H).
4. No more than three members may participate via telephone at any one meeting. A quorum of members must be physically present.
5. The member shall notify the Staff Liaison, if reasonably practicable, at least twenty- four hours in advance of a meeting which the member proposes to attend by telephone and shall provide the physical address of the location, the telephone number, and any available facsimile, email, or other document transmission service.
6. At the meeting, the Staff Liaison shall establish the telephone connection when the call to order is imminent.
7. A member participating by telephone shall be counted as present for purposes of discussion, and voting.
8. The member participating by telephone shall make every effort to participate in the entire meeting. From time to time during the meeting the Chair shall confirm the connection.
9. The member participating by telephone may ask to be recognized by the Chair to the same extent as any other member.
10. To the extent reasonably practicable, the Staff Liaison shall provide backup materials to members participating by telephone.
11. If the telephone connection cannot be made or is made then lost, the meeting shall commence or continue as scheduled and the Administrator shall attempt to establish or restore the connection.
12. Meeting times shall be expressed in Alaska time regardless of the time at the location of any member participating by telephone.
13. Participation by telephone shall be allowed for regular, special, work sessions and sub-committee meetings of the Committee or Commission.
14. Remarks by members participating by telephone shall be transmitted so as to be audible by all members and the public in attendance at the meeting.
15. All votes shall be taken by audible roll call vote.
16. As used in these rules, "telephone" means any system for synchronous two-way voice communication. "Chairperson" includes the Acting Chair or any other member serving as chair of the meeting.
17. A quorum (majority of the members) must be present at all times during a meeting or work session of the commission or committee.