Municipalities & Virtual Meetings
During the COVID-19 crisis, municipalities are finding creative ways to continue to operate in compliance with the law. For example, one township we represent is using Zoom to hold meetings online. Depending on the plan purchased, 100 or more people are able to participate in the meeting.
Any municipality choosing to use Zoom or some other web-based video conferencing platform should consider obtaining a paid version in the name of someone who will be authorized to set up or “host” the meeting. In such a case, the access code needed to join the meeting should be conspicuously posted on the municipality’s website, allowing any member of the public who wishes to do so to join the meeting. The municipality may also want to consider notifying the local newspaper of the virtual meeting and include the access code in that notice.
More details as to the conduct of online meetings is on our website in an article titled THE SUSHINE ACT MEETS COVID-19. That article discusses our efforts to have HB 1564 move through the Senate and to the Governor’s desk.
This article is not legal advice and is provided for informational purposes only. Actual legal advice can only be provided after consultation by an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.
