WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued Executive Order 20-01, Declaring a Peacetime Emergency and Coordinating Minnesota’s Strategy to Protect Minnesotans from COVID-19,” declaring a peacetime emergency under Minn. Stat. § 12.31, subd. 2.
WHEREAS, the Center for Disease Control has labeled COVID-19 as a pandemic illness.
WHEREAS, COVID-19 poses a risk to the health, welfare, and safety of the public.
WHEREAS, the Minnesota Department of Health has issued guidelines and recommendations to slow the spread of COVID-19 that include limiting social interaction.
WHEREAS, the Township provides important services related to public safety and protection of property.
WHEREAS, Minn. Stat. § 13D.021 permits open meetings to be conducted through teleconferencing if:
- the presiding officer for the governing body finds it not practical or prudent to meet in person because of a health pandemic or an emergency declared under Minn. Stat. Ch.12;
- all members of the body participating in the meeting, wherever their physical location, can hear one another and hear all testimony and discussion;
- members of the public presents at the regular meeting location can hear all discussion, testimony, and votes of the public body, unless attendance at the meeting is not feasible due to health pandemic or emergency declaration;
- at least one member of the body, chief legal counsel, or chief administrative officer is present at the regular meeting location, unless unfeasible due to health pandemic or emergency declaration; and
- all votes of the body are conducted by roll call so each member’s vote can be identified and recorded.
WHEREAS, the Township Chairperson finds it is not practical or prudent to hold Township Board meetings in person because of pandemic and public health emergency.
WHEREAS, the Township Board finds that public attendance at a meeting is not feasible due to health pandemic and public health emergency and the Township Board will not have any member, counsel, or administrator present at the regular meeting location.
WHEREAS, instructions to connect to the conference call is published on the Pequaywan Township website at pequaywantownship.org.
Now Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Town Board of Pequaywan Township, St. Louis County, Minnesota, will conduct meetings through teleconferencing so long as a health pandemic exists or an emergency is declared under Minn. Stat. Ch. 12.
Yes No Other
Supervisor Charles Kuettel, Chair Yes
Supervisor Donald Swanstrom Yes
Supervisor Douglas Dressen Yes
Adopted this 14th day of April, 2020.
Approved by Supervisor Charles Kuettel and attested by Clerk Lita Wallace.