To keep public meetings as public as possible during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, many governing boards are planning to use teleconferencing.
On Monday, the Seymour Redevelopment Commission, Seymour City Council and Schneck Medical Center board of trustees will test the waters by conducting their regularly scheduled meetings virtually.
The change is in an effort to comply with Gov. Eric Holcomb’s executive order earlier this week to limit the number of people gathering in one place in order to stop the spread of the virus.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Anyone wanting to watch or listen to the redevelopment commission meeting at 4 p.m. or the city council meeting at 7 p.m. must call Mayor Matt Nicholson’s office at 812-522-4020 on Monday to get an access code in order to log on.
“This will allow us to keep record of those in attendance,” Nicholson said.
The city meetings are being hosted through the online gotomeeting teleconferencing app, which can be downloaded on a personal computer, tablet or smartphone.
Since the process is new, there likely will be some kinks to work out, said Jane Hays, Nicholson’s administrative assistant.
“Nothing like trial by fire,” she said. “Please be patient, as this is a new experience for everyone.”
Matters that are not time sensitive have been removed from the boards’ agendas in order to keep the meetings brief, Nicholson said.
The only matter the redevelopment commission will vote on is to pay monthly claims, which is a necessary function that requires board approval.
The city council is scheduled to hear a statement of benefits report on property improvements from TDAK Development Inc., have final reading of an amendment to the salary ordinance to add a second employee in the clerk-treasurer’s office for sewer bill collections and first reading of an ordinance to rezone property at 312 Buckeye St. from R-1 singe-family zoning to R-3 multi-family residential for construction of a duplex.
“I hope this is short-lived and we can get back to normal meetings as quickly as possible,” Nicholson said.
Warren Forgey, president and chief executive officer of Schneck Medical Center, said the Seymour hospital wants to be transparent and open with its meetings while still protecting board members, hospital employees and the public from the virus.
Its monthly meeting will be at noon Monday via teleconference. The agenda will be limited to essential board business only, including financial and physician credential reports.
To remain compliant with Indiana’s Open Door Law, anyone wanting to listen can dial in using any of the following teleconference lines: 1-253-215-8782, 1-301-715-8592 or 1-346-248-7799. They will be required to enter a meeting ID number, which is 8125220169.
Public callers will not be able to speak during the meeting, as they will be muted for better flow of business, said Robin Clark, Forgey’s administrative assistant.