(1) Meetings of the board must be held at a physical location, but board members may participate remotely by phone or other electronic system, subject to any limitations established in rules adopted by the board to govern such participation.

(2) City staff must manage the electronic connection information for any meeting of the board. Staff must send by e-mail to every member of the board, at least 24 hours before each meeting, the time and location of the meeting and electronic link, or phone number and any access code, to participate remotely in the meeting.

(3) Arrival Announcements. Members who participate in the meeting remotely must announce themselves at the first opportunity after joining the meeting, but may not interrupt a speaker to do so.

(4) Departure Announcements. Members who leave the telephone conference call or the meeting room before adjournment must announce their departure, but may not interrupt a speaker to do so.

(5) Quorum. The presence of a quorum must be established by roll call at the beginning of the meeting and on the demand of any member. Such a demand may be made following the departure of any member or following the taking of any vote for which the announced totals add to less than a quorum.

(6) Obtaining the Floor. To seek recognition by the chair, a member must address the chair and state his or her own name. If the remote meeting platform permits, a member should utilize any feature of the platform that allows for a person to seek to be recognized (e.g., the hand raise function).

(7) Voting Methods. All votes must be taken by roll call. Unless the board orders a fully recorded roll-call vote, only the number of votes on each side and the number of members present but not voting (including members participating by phone) need be entered in the minutes. Business may also be conducted by unanimous consent.

(8) Loss of Meeting Room Connection. Any business transacted while the meeting-room speakerphone is disconnected from the telephone conference call is void, except that the members present in the meeting room at such a time may take those actions that are in order in the absence of a quorum.

(9) Other Technical Malfunctions and Requirements. Each member is responsible for his or her connection to the telephone conference call; no action may be invalidated on the grounds that the loss of, or poor quality of, a member’s individual connection prevented participation in the meeting.

(10) Forced Disconnections. The chair may order a disconnect or mute of a member’s connection if it is causing undue interference with the meeting. The chair’s decision to do so, which is subject to an undebatable appeal that can be made by any member, must be announced during the meeting and recorded in any minutes. (Ord. 1513 § 1 (Exh. A), 2023).