NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING
Pursuant to Section 54956 of the Government Code of the State of California, a Special Meeting of the Tracy City Council is hereby called for:
Date/Time: Tuesday, August 2, 2022, 4:00 p.m.
(or as soon thereafter as possible)
Location: Tracy City Hall
333 Civic Center Plaza, Tracy, CA.
Government Code Section 54954.3 states that every public meeting shall provide an opportunity for the public to address the Tracy City Council on any item, before or during consideration of the item, however no action shall be taken on any item not on the agenda.
This meeting will be open to the public for in-person and remote participation pursuant to Government Code Section 54953(e)
The City of Tracy remains under a local emergency for COVID-19 and is now conducting teleconference meetings pursuant to State Law. Teleconferenced locations may include various locations including Tracy City Hall. In accordance with the California Department of Public Health Guidelines, universal masking is recommended for all persons regardless of vaccination status and social distancing protocols will be in place for Tracy City Hall.
Members of the public may participate remotely in the meeting via the following method.
For Remote Public Comment:
During the Items from the Audience, public comment will be accepted via the options listed below. If you would like to comment remotely, please follow the protocols below:
• Comments via:
o Online by visiting https://cityoftracyevents.webex.com and using the following Event Number: 2556 826 5213 and Event Password: TracyCC o If you would like to participate in the public comment anonymously, you may submit your comment via phone or in WebEx by typing “Anonymous” when prompted to provide a First and Last Name and inserting [email protected] when prompted to provide an email address. o Join by phone by dialing +1-408-418-9388, enter 25568265213#8722922# Press *3 to raise the hand icon to speak on an item
• Protocols for commenting via WebEx:
o If you wish to comment under “Items from the Audience/Public Comment” portion of the agenda:
▪ Listen for the Mayor to open “Items from the Audience/Public Comment”, then raise your hand to speak by clicking on the Hand icon on the Participants panel to the right of your screen.
▪ If you no longer wish to comment, you may lower your hand by clicking on the Hand icon again.
o Comments for the “Items from the Audience/Public Comment” will be accepted until the public comment period is closed.
• The total allotted time for public comment under “Items from the Audience/Public Comment” will be 15 minutes.
August 2, 2022 Special Meeting
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Items from the audience - In accordance with Council Meeting Protocols and Rules of Procedure, adopted by Resolution 2019-240, a five-minute maximum time limit per speaker will apply to all individuals speaking during “Items from the Audience/Public Comment”. For non-agendized items, Council Members may briefly respond to statements made or questions posed by individuals during public comment; ask questions for clarification; direct the individual to the appropriate staff member; or request that the matter be placed on a future agenda or that staff provide additional information to Council.
4. CONSENT ITEMS
4.A ADOPT A RESOLUTION MAKING FINDINGS AND RE-AUTHORIZING
REMOTE TELECONFERENCE MEETINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND ALL
LEGISLATIVE BODIES OF THE CITY OF TRACY FOR THE PERIOD FROM AUGUST 3, 2022 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 PURSUANT TO THE
BROWN ACT
5. Council Items and Comments
6. Adjournment
Mayor
Posting Date: July 28, 2022
The City of Tracy is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and will make all reasonable accommodations for the disabled to participate in employment, programs and facilities. Persons requiring assistance or auxiliary aids in order to participate, should contact the City Manager’s Office at (209) 831-6000 at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.
August 2, 2022
AG
ENDA ITEM 4.A
REQUEST
ADOPT A RESOLUTION MAKING FINDINGS AND RE-AUTHORIZING REMOTE
TELECONFERENCE MEETINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND ALL LEGISLATIVE BODIES OF THE CITY OF TRACY FOR THE PERIOD FROM AUGUST 3, 2022 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 PURSUANT TO THE BROWN ACT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
AB 3
61 allows legislative bodies to use abbreviated teleconferencing procedures during a declared state of emergency upon the making of required findings. These abbreviated procedures allow a body to conduct remote teleconference meetings without compliance with paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of section 54953 of the Ralph M. Brown Act (Cal. Gov.
Code section 54950 – 54963).
On March 17, 2020, the City Council of the City of Tracy ratified the declaration of an emergency by the City Manager due to COVID-19 in accordance with Chapter 3.26 of the Tracy Municipal Code. The City Council subsequently adopted resolutions with requisite findings authorizing remote teleconference meetings of the City Council and all legislative bodies of the City of Tracy, including Boards and Commissions, pursuant to AB 361.
While the City has allowed in-person attendance at City Council meetings, the City is experiencing an increase in rates of COVID-19 cases within the County of San Joaquin and amongst the City staff pool. Due to this increase, the City reinstated social distancing protocols at in-person attendance at City Hall and encouraged the use of teleconferencing for City Council meetings.
On July 5, 2022, City Council adopted Resolution 2022-091, which made findings and authorized remote teleconference meetings of the City Council and all legislative bodies of the City of Tracy, including Boards and Commissions, for the period of June 21, 2022 through July 22, 2022. In order to maintain compliance with Section 54953(e) of the Ralph M. Brown Act (Gov. Code section 54950 – 54963) which allows the continued use of teleconferencing, Council must make the required findings and re-authorize remote teleconferencing meetings of the legislative bodies for the City of Tracy.
This item requests that the City Council approve this proposed action for continued compliance with the Brown Act.
DISCUSSION
O
n June 11, 2021, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-08-21, which among other things rescinded his prior Executive Order N-29-20 and set a date of October 1, 2021, for public agencies to transition back to public meetings held in full compliance with the Brown Act.
Agenda Item 4.A
August 2, 2022
As the Delta variant has surged in California, the Legislature took action to extend the COVID-19 exceptions to the Brown Act’s teleconference requirements, subject to some additional safeguards. On September 16, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 361, to allow a local agency to use teleconferencing if certain circumstances exist without complying with the Brown Act’s traditional agenda posting, physical access, and quorum requirements for teleconferencing provisions (Attachment A).
The goal
of AB 361 is “to improve and enhance public access to local agency meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic and future applicable emergencies, by allowing broader access through teleconferencing options” consistent with Executive Order N-29-20. The bill contains an urgency clause, which made the bill effective upon signing with a sunset date of January 1, 2024.
The new
Section 54953(e)(1) of the Brown Act, as amended by AB 361, allows legislative bodies to continue to meet via teleconference without complying with the Brown Act’s teleconferencing requirements, but only during a state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor, in which, 1) state or local health officials have imposed or recommended measures to promote social distancing, or 2) the legislative body has determined by majority vote that meeting in person would present an imminent risk to the health or safety of the attendees.
A
local agency that holds a meeting under these circumstances would be required by AB 361 to follow the steps listed below, in addition to giving notice of the meeting and posting agendas as required under the Brown Act. These additional requirements are intended to protect the public’s right to participate in the meetings of local agency legislative bodies.
P
ursuant to AB 361 local agencies are required to do all of the following in addition to meeting notice requirements under the Brown Act:
• A
llow the public to access the meeting and require that the agenda provide an oppor
tunity for the public to directly address the legislative body pursuant to the Brown Act’s other teleconferencing provisions.
• In each instance when the local agency provides notice of the teleconferenced m
eeting or posts its agenda, give notice for how the public can access the meeting and provide public comment.
• Identify and include in the agenda an opportunity for all persons to attend via a c
all-in or an internet-based service option; the legislative body needs not provide a physical location for the public to attend or provide comments. • Conduct teleconference meetings in a manner that protects the statutory and c
onstitutional rights of the public.
• Stop the meeting until public access is restored in the event of a service disruption that either prevents the local agency from broadcasting the meeting t
o the public using the call-in or internet-based service option or is within the l
ocal agency’s control and prevents the public from submitting public comments (any actions taken during such a service disruption can be challenged under Agenda Item 4.A
August 2, 2022
the Brown Act’s existing challenge provisions).
• Not require comments be submitted in advance (though the legislative body may provide that as an option) and provide the opportunity to comment in real- time.
• Provide adequate time for public comment, either by establishing a timed public comment period or by allowing a reasonable amount of time to comment.
• If the legislative body uses a third-party website or platform to host the teleconference, and the third-party service requires users to register to participate, the legislative body must provide adequate time during the comment period for users to register and may not close the registration comment period until the comment period has elapsed.
While the City has allowed in-person attendance at City Council meetings, the City is experiencing an increase in rates of COVID-19 cases within the County of San Joaquin and amongst the City staff pool. The San Joaquin County Public Health Services provided an update to the City Council of this situation at the June 7, 2022 meeting. In addition, the Human Resources Department of the City of Tracy has documented an increase in COVID-19 positive test rates amongst City staff in recent weeks. To minimize the exposure to COVID-19 from this recent surge, the City is reinstating social distancing protocols at in-person attendance at City Hall and encouraging the use of teleconferencing for City Council meetings.
Given these changed circumstances created by the increasing rates of COVID-19, the recommendation is that City Council make the following finds by majority vote every 30 days to continue using the bill’s exemption to the Brown Act teleconferencing rules.
If Council approves the proposed resolution, staff will present a staff report to Council every thirty days to verify that the circumstances continue to exist.
STRATEGIC PLAN
This agenda item relates to the City Council’s Strategic Priorities in the area of Public Safety (Goal #1 Support COVID-19 Public Health Recovery).
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact related to this agenda item.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council adopt a resolution making findings and re-authorizing remote teleconference meetings of all legislative bodies of the City of Tracy for the period of August 3, 2022, to September 1, 2022, pursuant to the Brown Act.
Agenda Item 4.A
August 2, 2022
Prepared by: Bijal Patel, City Attorney
Reviewed by: Adrianne Richardson, City Clerk
Midori Lichtwardt, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Michael Rogers, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
A – Assembly Bill 361
ATTACHMENT A
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
T
RACY CITY COUNCIL
R
ESOLUTION NO. _______________
MAKING FINDINGS AND RE -AUTHORIZING REMOTE TELECONFERENCE
MEETINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND ALL LEGISLATIVE BODIES OF THE CITY OF TRACY FOR THE PERIOD OF AUGUST 3, 2022, TO SEPTEMBER 1, 2022, PURSUANT TO THE BROWN ACT
W
HEREAS, The City of Tracy is committed to preserving and nurturing public access and participation in meetings of the City Council; and
WHEREAS, All meetings of the City of Tracy’s legislative bodies are open and public, as required by the Ralph M. Brown Act (Cal. Gov. Code section 54950 – 54963), so that any member of the public may attend, participate, and watch the City’s legislative bodies conduct their business; and
WHEREAS, AB 361 allows legislative bodies to use abbreviated teleconferencing procedures during a declared state of emergency upon the making of required findings, so as to allow a body to conduct remote teleconference meetings without compliance with paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of section 54953 of Brown Act; and
WHEREAS, On March 17, 2020, the City Council of the City of Tracy ratified the declaration of an emergency by the City Manager due to COVID-19 in accordance with Chapter
3.26 of the Tracy Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, While the City has allowed in-person attendance at City Council meetings, the City is experiencing an increase in rates of COVID-19 cases within the County of San Joaquin and amongst the City staff pool; and
WHEREAS, The San Joaquin County Public Health Services provided an update of the increasing rates at the June 7, 2022, City Council meeting; and WHEREAS, The Human Resources Department of the City of Tracy has documented an increase in COVID-19 positive test rates amongst City staff in recent weeks; and WHEREAS, To minimize the exposure to COVID-19 from this recent surge, the City reinstated social distancing protocols at in-person attendance at City Hall and encouraged the use of teleconferencing for City Council meetings; and now therefore be it RESOLVED:
Section 1. Recitals. The Recitals set forth above are true and correct and are incorporated into this Resolution as findings of this City Council by this reference.
Section 2. Findings. The City Council hereby finds the following:
Resolution 2022-
August 2, 2022
A. That due to COVID-19, including the recent surge being experienced in the City of Tracy, holding City Council and other legislative body meetings exclusively in person will present imminent risk to the health and safety of attendees.
B. That COVID-19 has caused, and will continue to cause, conditions of peril to the safety of persons within the City that are likely to be beyond the control of services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the City, and desires to affirm a local emergency exists and re-ratify the proclamation of a state of emergency by the Governor of the State of California.
Section 3. Remote Teleconference Meetings. The City Council, including Council subcommittees, and all Boards and Commissions of the City of Tracy are hereby re- authorized and directed to take all actions necessary to carry out the intent and purpose of this Resolution including, continuing to conduct open and public meetings in accordance with Government Code section 54953(e) and other applicable provisions of the Brown Act for the period of August 3, 2022 through September 1, 2022. * * *
* * * * * * * * * * *
The foregoing Resolution 2022-_____ was adopted by the Tracy City Council on August 2, 2022 by the following vote:
AYES:
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSTENTION: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
___________________________________________
NANCY
D. YOUNG
Mayor of the City of Tracy, California
ATT
EST:
ADRIANNE RICHARDSON
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Tracy, California