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ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
[Call to Order]
IT'S FRIDAY, MARCH 20TH, 2020, IT'S 9:00 A.M.WE HAVE CALLED AN EMERGENCY MEETING OF OUR CITY COUNCIL.
WE ARE IN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS AS AUTHORIZED BY SECTION 551.071 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, THIS MEETING MAY BE CONVENED INTO CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE PURPOSE OF SEEKING CONFIDENTIAL LEGAL ADVICE FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY ON ANY AGENDA ITEM HEREIN.
THE CITY OF ROWLETT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO RECONVENE, RECESS OR REALIGN THE REGULAR SESSION OR CALLED EXECUTIVE SESSION OR ORDER OF BUSINESS ANYTIME PRIOR ADJOURNMENT.
SO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE MAIN REASON WE HAVE CALLED THIS EMERGENCY MEETING IS THERE'S NOT NEW INFORMATION OUT THERE THIS MORNING CAUSING THIS.
THIS IS TO RECAP WHERE WE'RE AT AND TO DETERMINE HOW AND IF WE EXTEND OUR DISASTER DECLARATION. OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS DISCUSS, RECEIVE PUBLIC INPUT AND TAKE
[2. Discuss, receive public input and take action on approving a resolution consenting to the extending and continuation of the Mayor’s Declaration of Local Disaster for Public Health Emergency. ]
ACTION ON APPROVING A RESOLUTION CONSENTING TO THE EXTENDING A CONTINUATION OF THE MAYOR'S DECLARATION OF LOCAL DISASTER FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.WHY DON'T YOU COME UP HERE? HE'S ASKING ME FOR A PASSWORD AND I DON'T WANT TO SHARE IT WITH THE PUBLIC. SORRY ABOUT THAT.
HE HAS MY PHONE BECAUSE I'M THE FIRST PERSON THAT GETS CALLED IF THERE'S ANYTHING.
NO, YOU CAN'T HAVE THAT PIECE OF PAPER.
YOU HAVE TO MEMORIZE IT. SORRY.
OKAY. YOU'RE SEEING EVERYTHING IN ACTION.
SORRY I HAD TO GIVE ED MY PHONE BECAUSE I'M THE FIRST PERSON THAT'S NOTIFIED IF WE HAVE A SITUATION IN ROWLETT THAT WE NEED TO KNOW.
ALL RIGHT. SO WHAT I WANT TO DO BEFORE WE START DISCUSSING THE AGENDA ITEM, I JUST WANT TO KIND OF GO OVER WHERE WE'RE AT.
THERE'S LOTS OF DETAILS WE CAN GIVE.
SO I'M GOING TO TRY TO DO THIS TO GIVE YOU ENOUGH INFORMATION OF WHERE WE'RE AT, BUT NOT, YOU KNOW, REHASH EVERYTHING.
LOTS OF INFORMATION THERE OUT IN THE PUBLIC.
AS OF YESTERDAY, THE NUMBER OF CASES WORLDWIDE, 227,743.
THE NUMBER OF CASES IN THE U.S.
WE DECIDED AS OF YESTERDAY TO START PUBLISHING THOSE ON OUR WEB SITE.
THOSE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN READILY AVAILABLE IN THE PUBLIC EVEN PRIOR TO THAT.
BUT WE WILL START PUBLISHING THOSE ON THE WEB SITE ON A DAILY BASIS.
OK. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A DELAY IN THOSE NUMBERS COMING TO US OFFICIALLY.
SO THERE'S LOTS OF OTHER NUMBERS OUT THERE.
WE'RE JUST GOING TO PUBLISH THE CONFIRMED CASES THAT COME TO US ON A DAILY BASIS.
DON'T GET ALL CAUGHT UP IN WHY THERE'S DIFFERENCES IN NUMBERS.
YOU DON'T NEED TO ANSWER THAT. OK.
I WANT TO KIND OF RECAP WHAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR IN THE CITY OF ROWLETT.
FRIDAY LAST WEEK, FRIDAY THE 13TH ISSUED A DISASTER DECLARATION.
DALLAS COUNTY DID THE SAME AND THE GOVERNOR DID THE SAME ALL ON FRIDAY THE 13TH, WHICH IS VERY APPROPRIATE, OBVIOUSLY.
ON MONDAY OF THIS WEEK, DALLAS COUNTY AMENDED THEIR ORDER AND MADE THEIR RESTRICTIONS MUCH MORE RESTRICTIVE.
AND CERTAINLY, AS MOST OF OUR CITY IS IN DALLAS COUNTY, WE WERE SUBJECT TO THOSE ORDERS AND THE DALLAS COUNTY ORDER ON MONDAY.
I QUICKLY AMENDED MY ORDER FOR THE ENTIRE CITY OF ROWLETT, WHICH INCLUDES THE ROCKWALL COUNTY PORTION, AND MIRRORED THAT ORDER OF DALLAS COUNTY.
ON WEDNESDAY, DALLAS COUNTY AMENDED THEIR ORDER OF THIS WEEK.
DALLAS COUNTY AMENDED THEIR ORDER AGAIN.
WE ARE SUBJECT TO THAT AMENDED ORDER AS RESIDENTS IN THE COUNTY AND THE DALLAS COUNTY AREA. I CHOSE NOT TO AMEND THE CITY OF ROWLETT ORDER BECAUSE WE WERE BASICALLY ALREADY ADHERING TO ALL OF THAT IN THE CITY OF ROWLETT.
THE CHANGES WERE WHILE THEY'RE NOT MINOR, THE CHANGES REALLY DIDN'T IMPACT THE PRACTICES THAT WERE OCCURRING IN THE CITY OF ROWLETT.
AND I KNEW WE WERE GOING TO BE MEETING HERE ON FRIDAY MORNING.
AND I ALSO KNEW THINGS WERE GOING TO CHANGE BETWEEN WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY MORNING.
SO RIGHT NOW, THE WHOLE CITY OF ROWLETT IS UNDER THE ORDER THAT WAS ISSUED ON MONDAY.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE DALLAS COUNTY PORTION IS ALSO UNDER THE ORDER THAT WAS ISSUED BY DALLAS COUNTY ON WEDNESDAY.
ON THURSDAY, YESTERDAY, ROCKWALL COUNTY ISSUED THEIR DISASTER DECLARATION.
WAS IT YESTERDAY? AND THAT IS APPLICABLE TO ROCKWALL COUNTY.
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AND THAT ORDER IS LESS RESTRICTIVE THAN THE CITY OF ROWLETT ORDER OR THE DALLAS COUNTY ORDER, SO THERE REALLY IS NO REASON TO AMEND OUR ORDER AS A RESULT OF THAT.THEY MAY THEY WILL AMEND THEIR ORDER PERIODICALLY ALSO.
AND THEN YESTERDAY THE GOVERNOR ISSUED A PRETTY STATEWIDE ORDER.
AND I'M GOING TO GO OVER THAT BECAUSE THAT'S THE MOST RECENT ONE.
AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW IS THAT THESE ELECTED OFFICIALS, INCLUDING MYSELF, ARE FOLLOWING CDC GUIDELINES WHEN WE ARE PUTTING THESE ORDERS IN PLACE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER YESTERDAY WILL ALLOW FOR CONSISTENCY THROUGHOUT THE STATE, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL AND CERTAINLY CRITICAL TO THE NORTH TEXAS REGION.
WE WERE HAVING INCONSISTENCIES ON HOW COUNTIES AND INDIVIDUAL CITIES AND COMMUNITIES WERE PUTTING ORDERS IN PLACE, AND THAT PUTS OUR WHOLE REGION AT RISK.
AND SO I PERSONALLY AND I'M SURE MOST OF US ON COUNCIL, IF NOT ALL OF THIS COUNCIL, WE'RE VERY GLAD TO SEE THE GOVERNOR PUT THAT ORDER OUT YESTERDAY.
THE ORDER THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER WAS EVERY PERSON SHALL AVOID SOCIAL GATHERINGS AND GROUPS OF MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE, SHALL AVOID EATING OR DRINKING AT BARS, RESTAURANTS AND FOOD COURTS, VISITING GYMS OR MASSAGE PARLORS.
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE USE OF DRIVE THRU PICKUP OR DELIVERY OPTIONS IS ALLOWED AND HIGHLY ENCOURAGED THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF HIS ORDER.
PEOPLE SHALL NOT VISIT NURSING HOMES, RETIREMENT CENTERS OR LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES UNLESS CRITICAL ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED AND SCHOOLS SHALL TEMPORARILY CLOSE.
SO THAT WAS THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER YESTERDAY.
AND THEN DALLAS COUNTY MET LAST NIGHT, THEIR COMMISSIONERS COURT.
AND THE SUMMARY IN REGARDS TO THE DALLAS COUNTY LAST NIGHT IS THE.
WELL, LET ME LET ME BACK UP FOR A MINUTE.
WHEN YOU ISSUE A DECLARATION OF DISASTER AS A MAYOR OR AS A COUNTY JUDGE, THAT ORDER IS GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.
THAT ORDER THAT I ISSUED ON FRIDAY OF LAST WEEK EXPIRES THIS MORNING AT 11:00 A.M.
IN ORDER TO EXTEND THAT ORDER AS A CITY.
YOU AS A COUNCIL HAVE THAT AUTHORITY TO EXTEND OR NOT.
AND THEN I AS A MAYOR AND I'M LOOKING AT DAVID TO MAKE SURE I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING INAPPROPRIATELY I HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE WHAT IS IN THAT ORDER.
SO I WANT TO DISCUSS WHAT'S IN OUR ORDER, OUR PROPOSED ORDER, BECAUSE I WANT US AS A COUNCIL TO MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CONSIDERING EVERYTHING WE NEED TO CONSIDER FOR ME TO PUT IN THE REVISED ORDER THIS MORNING.
AND I CERTAINLY WANT OUR PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS POTENTIALLY AND SHOULD BE IN THE REVISED ORDER THIS MORNING.
BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND, IF YOU EXTEND THE DISASTER DECLARATION TO WHATEVER PERIOD OF TIME, THEN I HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO AMEND THE ORDERS WITHIN THAT DISASTER DECLARATION AT MY DECISION. OK. AND WHAT I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW AND I WANT WHAT I WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW IS THAT IN THIS PROCESS TODAY, I HAVE BEEN VERY CLEARLY FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES OF THE HEALTH OFFICIALS AND THE CDC.
AND I HAVEN'T BEEN FOLLOWING NECESSARILY THE THE RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES AND MADE THEM RECOMMENDED FOR THE CITY OF ROWLETT.
I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES AND PUTTING THAT AS PART OF THE ORDER.
AND THAT'S NOT A 100 PERCENT ACCURATE STATEMENT BECAUSE THIS HAS CHANGED DAILY AND HOURLY, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW.
AND CERTAINLY THAT IS WHAT DALLAS COUNTY HAS BEEN FOLLOWING.
AND CERTAINLY THAT'S WHAT THE GOVERNOR IS NOW FOLLOWING.
DALLAS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT MET LAST NIGHT AND THEY APPROVED, JUST LIKE YOU ALL HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO APPROVE THE EXTENSION.
THE DALLAS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT HAS THE AUTHORITY TO APPROVE JUDGE JENKINS EXTENSION. SO THEY EXTENDED THEIRS LAST NIGHT TO APRIL 3RD.
THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE COMMISSIONERS COURT.
THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT DATE.
THE GOVERNOR HAS HIS DECLARATION IN PLACE THROUGH APRIL 3RD.
I THINK THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS THEIR DECLARATION IN PLACE THROUGH APRIL 30TH.
I'M PRETTY SURE THAT'S ACCURATE.
SO AND THEN ROCKWALL COUNTY HAS THEIR DECLARATION IN PLACE.
AND MY GUESS IS, IS, WELL, ROCKWALL COUNTY IS MEETING, JUST LIKE WE MEET.
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EVERYBODY'S FIGURING THIS OUT AS WE GO.SO I'M GOING TO STOP THERE BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT EXTENSION OF THE DISASTER DECLARATION AND CONTENT OF THE ORDER AND SEE IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS THEY'D LIKE TO MAKE AS AN OVERVIEW, BRIAN, OR ANYBODY ON COUNCIL OR DAVID.
I DO HAVE TWO PIECES OF JUST GENERAL INFORMATION, SO WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO SAY THAT, WE CAN DO THAT. DO YOU THINK THAT THAT SHOULD BE BEFORE WE DISCUSS THE CONTENTS OF THE ORDER AND THE DECLARATION TIMING OR AFTER? I THINK IT SHOULD BE RIGHT AFTER THAT.
IT'S JUST GENERAL PHONE NUMBERS AND THINGS TO CALL FOR ASSISTANCE.
OK. HELP ME REMEMBER, IN CASE I FORGET.
I SHALL. OK. ANYONE ELSE? ALL RIGHT. SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS NOW TURN TO THE PROPOSED ORDER THAT WAS CIRCULATED TO COUNCIL LAST NIGHT AND HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS FOR THE PUBLIC'S SAKE.
IF YOU START WITH THE CITY OF ROWLETT ORDER THAT WAS ISSUED ON MONDAY OF THIS WEEK, THE CHANGES THAT ARE IN THIS PROPOSED AMENDMENT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW ARE BASICALLY THE FOLLOWING: PROHIBITS SOCIAL GATHERINGS OF 10 PERSONS OR MORE IN ANYWHERE IN THE CITY OF ROWLETT, PROHIBITS SOCIAL GATHERINGS OF 10 PERSONS OR MORE ANYWHERE IN THE CITY OF ROWLETT. THE PREVIOUS ORDER SAID BARS, LOUNGES, TAVERNS, PRIVATE CLUBS AND ARCADES SHALL CLOSE.
THIS NEW PROPOSED ORDER INCLUDES GYMS SHALL CLOSE.
AND THAT'S REALLY I MEAN, THERE'S DETAILS AND MORE INFORMATION TO HELP CLARIFY SOME THINGS, BUT THAT'S MAINLY THE TWO CHANGES.
DOES ANYBODY SEE ANYTHING ELSE? SORRY. GO AHEAD.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO RAISE YOUR HAND. I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOUR VOICE IS COMING FROM.
IT'S SOMEWHERE OVER THERE. OK, SO IF WE EXTEND THIS EMERGENCY DECLARATION, COUNCIL CAN COME BACK AT ANY TIME AND AMEND THAT EXTENSION IF WE NEED TO.
THAT'S CORRECT. OK. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT PROPOSING WEEKLY MEETINGS. YEP. YOU CAN REVISIT THE ISSUE AND THE ORDER AND IT'S EFFECT ONCE A WEEK AT LEAST. IF I SAY THIS RIGHT, YOU'RE NOT EXTENDING THE ORDER, YOU'RE EXTENDING THE DECLARATION. YES.
YES. NOT TRYING TO PICK APART WORDS.
I GET IT. SO COUNCIL, ANYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE CAN RAISE THEIR HAND IF THEY HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. ANYTHING YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT, MARTHA? WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS PREMATURE OR NOT, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT WE EXTEND THIS TO APRIL THE 30TH.
YES, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THE ORDER FIRST AND THEN I WANT TO OPEN IT UP FOR THAT. IF WE COULD.
SURE. THANK YOU. THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN.
THERE'LL BE NO COMMENTS AND I'LL GO.
OK. LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. DIDN'T THAT HAPPEN TO ME THIS WEEK? EARLIER? IT ALWAYS DOES.
I'M SORRY. I HAVE TO DO THINGS IN A VERY ORGANIZED MANNER.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THE ORDER? I BELIEVE THAT THE ORDER IS CONSISTENT WITH THE OTHER GENERAL PRACTICES THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE AREA AND THAT YOU'VE ACTED WITH GOOD FAITH AND INTEGRITY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS. SO I THANK YOU FOR THAT.
THANK YOU. MARTHA JUST SAID THAT'S WHAT SHE WAS GONNA SAY NEXT.
ALL RIGHT. SO NO OTHER COMMENTS.
OBVIOUSLY, WHAT WILL HAPPEN THEN IS WE'LL TALK ABOUT DATE.
I'LL SIGN THE ORDER THIS MORNING BEFORE 11:00 A.M.
AND THEN YOUR EXTENSION WILL EXTEND THAT AND MAKE IT EFFECTIVE 11:01 A.M.
ALL RIGHT. LET'S TALK ABOUT DATES.
MARTHA. I BELIEVE THAT THE APRIL 30TH EXTENSION DATE IS APPROPRIATE, AS WE'VE ALL SEEN, THESE THINGS CHANGE DAILY, SOMETIMES HOURLY.
AND BECAUSE WE ARE FOLLOWING BEST PRACTICES AND THE GUIDELINES THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED BY OUR GOVERNOR, BY THE CDC, BY OUR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE WITH EXTENDING THAT TO APRIL 30TH PARTICULARLY BECAUSE WE WILL MEET ONCE A WEEK AS COUNCIL.
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AND IF THERE ARE ANY MAJOR REVISIONS THAT NEED TO BE DONE, THEN WE CAN DO THAT.BUT JUST UNDERSTANDING FOR HOUSEKEEPING PURPOSES, BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A FLUID SITUATION AND THINGS CHANGE SOMETIMES BY THE HOUR.
OUR MAYOR IS IN CONFERENCE CALLS, OFTEN WITH WASHINGTON, D.C., WITH AUSTIN AND WITH OUR LOCAL OFFICIALS, MAYORS AND THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PEOPLE.
I JUST THINK FOR EFFICIENCY SAKE, THAT SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE REVISIONS AS NEEDED WITHOUT HAVING TO CONVENE COUNCIL EVERY TIME.
AND SO MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO EXTEND THIS TO APRIL 30TH.
I WOULD AGREE WITH THE APRIL 30TH DATE.
JUST GIVEN THE FACT THAT THIS VIRUS IS DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE GOING ANYWHERE ANYTIME SOON.
SO I UNDERSTAND WE CAN CHANGE THAT AT ANY TIME.
YEAH. I JUST HAD A QUESTION ABOUT APRIL 30TH.
THAT IS A. I'LL GET MY CALENDAR BACK UP.
WE HAVE A MEETING ON THE 27TH SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING AND WE HAVE A REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING ON THE 5TH OF MAY.
SO WOULD YOU JUST WANT THIS ON LIKE THE 5TH OF MAY.
SO IT'LL BE ON A MEETING DATE.
THAT'S PRETTY GOOD IDEA THERE, BROWNIE.
I COME UP WITH THEM EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
IT DOESN'T MATTER. IT DOESN'T MATTER.
YOU KNOW, IF IF THIS IS ME TALKING.
BUT IF THE GOVERNOR RESCINDS HIS ORDER, WE'RE GOING TO BE MEETING TO FIGURE OUT IF WE SHOULD RESCIND OUR ORDER. IF DALLAS COUNTY RESCINDS THEIR ORDER WE'LL BE DOING THE SAME THING. SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF VALIDITY TO MAKING IT CONCURRENT WITH THE MEETING DATE. BUT I DON'T REALLY CARE.
CINCO DE MAYO. BUT IT'S A GOOD RECOMMENDATION.
IT'S HARD FOR THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU PICK MAY 3RD.
IT'S AS IT'S EASIER FOR THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU PICK APRIL 3RD, BECAUSE THAT'S THE GOVERNOR'S DAY OR APRIL 30TH BECAUSE IT'S THE END OF THE MONTH.
RIGHT. MAY 3RD IS JUST BECAUSE THAT'S A TUESDAY AND IT'S A REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING.
BUT THAT IN INTRICACY IS GOING TO GET LOST WITH THE PUBLIC WHEN THE ORDER COMES OUT.
YOU KNOW, SINCE WE MEET THAT MONDAY, WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR THE PUBLIC'S SAKE IS WE'RE GOING TO KEEP OUR REGULAR TUESDAY COUNCIL MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, TWICE A MONTH ON THE FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY. BUT IN THOSE OFF WEEKS, WE'LL BE MEETING ON MONDAYS ON A WEEKLY BASIS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN CONVENE AND HAVE THAT ON OUR CALENDARS.
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW WE'RE GONNA DO THAT AND A LITTLE BIT.
LET ME SAY, TOO, THAT MAY 3RD DATE IS NOT GOING TO WORK BECAUSE THESE ORDERS GO AWAY AT 11:00 A.M. AND WE DON'T MEET UNTIL 7:30.
SO IT WAS A GOOD IDEA, BROWNIE.
IT WAS IT WAS A GREAT IDEA UNTIL THAT POINT.
I THINK THAT APRIL 30 IS FINE, GIVEN THAT WE'RE MEETING ON THE 27TH, BECAUSE AT THAT POINT ON THE 27TH, WE CONSIDER AN EXTENSION IF WE NEED TO.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION OR COMMENTS? SOMEBODY MAKE A MOTION.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO EXTEND THE EMERGENCY DECLARATION TO APRIL 30TH, 2020 AND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETS WEEKLY UNTIL NO SUCH DECLARATION EXISTS.
I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION.
CALL THE VOTE, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.
I WANT TO SAY ONE MORE THING BEFORE I OPEN IT UP TO WHAT YOU WANTED TO SAY, AND THAT IS.
I DON'T I DON'T THINK I SAID THIS THIS MORNING.
THE PROCESS HAS BEEN THAT, YOU KNOW, BRIAN AND MYSELF AND ED BALDERAS, THE EMERGENCY MANAGER COORDINATOR AND CHIEF HOWER, WHO'S IN CHARGE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
WE HAVE BEEN ON CALLS, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE CLOCK.
WELL, PROBABLY NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, HOPEFULLY NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF NIGHT YET.
BUT WE ARE TALKING TO WASHINGTON OFFICIALS.
WE'RE TALKING TO STATE OFFICIALS, WE'RE TALKING TO LOCAL OFFICIALS, WE'RE TALKING TO COUNTY OFFICIALS. AND THE PROCESS.
EVERYBODY'S WORKING INCREDIBLY WELL TOGETHER IN A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION.
THE PROCESS TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS ON HOW TO AMEND THESE ORDERS OR PUT THESE ORDERS IN PLACE AND THEN AMEND THEM FROM A COUNTY STANDPOINT HAS BEEN THAT JUDGE JENKINS HAS BEEN PROPOSING PRELIMINARY LANGUAGE THAN HE HAS BEEN SENDING THAT OUT TO THE MAYORS WITHIN HIS COUNTY. AND THEN HE HAS BEEN GETTING THE MAYORS ON PHONE CALLS WITH THAT SPECIFIC LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF THEM. THE MAYORS HAVE PROVIDED INPUT ON CHANGES THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE. AND THEN JUDGE JENKINS HAS CONSIDERED THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND THEN JUDGE JENKINS HAS REVISED HIS PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS AND ISSUED THE ORDER.
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AND THEN MYSELF, AS A MAYOR OF CITY OF ROWLETT, HAS FOLLOWED SUIT FOR THE CITY AS A WHOLE. THAT'S BEEN OUR PROCESS TODAY.AND THAT'S THE PROCESS THAT I WOULD CONSIDER WHAT I WOULD IMAGINE WILL CONTINUE.
ALL RIGHT. SO LET ME ASK ONE QUESTION.
SO THE ORDER SAYS A THROUGH DATE.
I ASSUME WE JUST USE THAT APRIL 30TH DATE THEN.
HE IS A MAN OF FEW WORDS THIS MORNING.
THAT'S A GOOD THING. I'M WAITING TO SEE IF THEY WANT US TO.
ALL RIGHT. SO ARE WE DONE WITH ITEM 2 FROM A PROCEDURAL STANDPOINT? MAYOR. THE ONE THING THAT WE ALSO WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS FOR THE FUTURE.
THE SPECIAL MEETINGS THE GOVERNOR HAS SUSPENDED CERTAIN ORDERS RELATED TO THE OPEN MEETINGS REGARDING TELECONFERENCING AND VIDEOCONFERENCING.
SO WE HAVE SOME INFORMATION WE WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS WITH THE COUNCIL ON THAT HAPPEN AND GET SOME DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL.
RIGHT. THANK YOU. LET ME OPEN UP TO WHITNEY, WHAT HE WANTED TO SAY AND THEN WE'LL MOVE TO THAT, IF THAT'S OK. THANK YOU, MAYOR.
AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING, WE FORMED A NEW COMMITTEE TO ASSIST IN RECOVERY DURING AND AFTER A DISASTER THAT AFFECTS ALL ROWLETT RESIDENTS.
THE ROWLETT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN DISASTER COMMITTEE OR COAD IS READY TO HELP YOU THROUGH THE COORDINATE CORONA VIRUS OUTBREAK.
THE ROWLETTREADY.COM WEB SITE IS ABLE TO ACCEPT DONATIONS, COORDINATE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND FACILITATE NEEDS FOR ROWLETT RESIDENTS.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE OUR RESIDENTS TO REACH OUT AND TAKE A LOOK AT THAT WEB SITE.
AGAIN, THAT IS ROWLETTREADY.COM.
THE SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT I HAVE IS THAT DURING THE GOVERNORS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY, HE ANNOUNCED A NUMBER FOR ASSISTANCE STATEWIDE.
SO IN ACCORDANCE WITH THAT, WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, THEY HAVE SAID THAT NO MATTER WHERE TEXANS LIVE, YOU CAN CALL 2 1 1 OR AN 800 NUMBER.
IT'S 877 541 7905 AND SELECT OPTION 6 TO GET INFORMATION AND REFERRALS FOR COVID 19 SOCIAL SERVICES, INCLUDING TESTING, COMMUNITY CLINICS, UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS AND MORE AT THE STATE LEVEL. SO AGAIN, THAT NUMBER IS 2 1 1 AND THE 800 NUMBER FOR THAT IS 877 541 7905.
BACK TO YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, WHITNEY.
BEFORE WE MOVE TO WHAT BRIAN WANTS TO TALK ABOUT IN REGARDS TO HOW WE DO THESE MEETINGS AND P&Z MEETINGS, ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING? YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE JOINED BY OUR I.T.
YOU HAVEN'T BEEN BUSY AT ALL, HAVE YOU, JOEY? NO, NOT AT ALL. GOOD MORNING.
SO I'M PART OF A TEXAS BASICALLY CIO AND IT MANAGER LISTSERV.
AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS EVER SINCE THE GOVERNOR BROUGHT IT UP.
SO THERE'S THERE SEEMS TO BE TWO OPTIONS THAT THEY'RE DOING AND ONE'S JUST ADDING OR ACTUALLY ONE'S VOICE ONLY AND THE OTHER ONE IS VOICE AND VIDEO.
SO ONE OPTION, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE EASIEST OPTION IS TO ADD A CONFERENCE CALL TO THIS MEETING AND USE OUR CURRENT VIDEO FEED EITHER ON THE TV OR ON THE INTERNET AND ALLOW CITIZENS TO CALL INTO THE CONFERENCE CALL THAT WILL BE AUTOMATED.
AND THEN WHEN THE CITIZEN INPUT COMES UP, WE COULD UNMUTE THEM, GIVE THEM THE THREE MINUTES AND GO FROM THERE.
IF WE PUT THAT ON A SPEAKER PHONE IN FRONT OF ALL THESE MICROPHONES, WE WOULD ALSO RECORD IT BECAUSE THIS MEETING'S RECORDED.
THAT SEEMS TO BE THE THE LEAST POINTS OF FAILURE TO DO THIS.
ONE DRAWBACK IS IF YOU GUYS DIDN'T WANT TO BE HERE, YOU WOULD CALL INTO THAT THAT CONFERENCE CALL AS WELL, YOU'D HAVE TO OBVIOUSLY ADDRESS YOURSELF WHEN YOU WERE SPEAKING
[00:25:04]
AND YOU'D BE UNMUTED FOR THE ENTIRE MEETING.HANG ON. THIS LAST SENTENCE YOU JUST SAID, IF WE DIDN'T SAY THAT AGAIN, IF WE DIDN'T WANT TO BE HERE, WE WOULD BE ON THE CONFERENCE CALL, TOO.
AND YOU WOULD BASICALLY JUST YOU WOULD ATTEND BY VOICE ONLY.
SO YOU WOULD WANT TO ADDRESS YOURSELF.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, WHEN YOU'RE WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING SO PEOPLE KNOW WHO'S TALKING, BUT THAT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE CHANGE.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS WONDERING IF YOU SAID.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAID NOT OR IT WOULD BE.
SO AT SOME POINT WHEN IT'S APPROPRIATE, TALK ABOUT HOW YOU ADMINISTER YOUR TWO OPTIONS, LIKE AM I RUNNING A BOARD? IS LAURA RUNNING THE BOARD IS HOW DO WE DO THAT? BUT GO AHEAD. THE CONFERENCE CALL WILL HAVE A MODERATOR AND THE MODERATOR WILL BE THE ONES UNMUTING AND MUTING WHEN NECESSARY.
AND RIGHT NOW, OUR CURRENT PLAN IS FOR SOMEONE FROM MY STAFF TO DO THAT.
I THINK LAURA'S A LITTLE TOO BUSY.
SO YOU JUST HAVE SOMEONE, YOU KNOW, AVAILABLE TO BASICALLY BE THE MODERATOR FOR THE CONFERENCE CALL. BUT HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT WHO'S IN THE QUEUE AND WHO HAS PRIORITY AND ALL THAT? I MEAN, IF I HAVE A COUNCIL PERSON WANTING TO SPEAK THAT'S REMOTE, THEY'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK.
AND HOW DO WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE? HOW DOES THAT WORK? THE COUNCIL PERSON WILL BE MUTED FOR AN UNMUTED FOR THE WHOLE MEETING.
AND THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW WHO'S WHO'S ON THERE, IF THERE'S MULTIPLE PEOPLE, MULTIPLE COUNCIL ON THAT CALL IS FOR THEM TO.
OKAY. AND THEN START TALKING. THERE IS NO WAY FOR US TO GO.
OKAY. NOW IT'S PAM'S TURN AND NOW IT'S THEY JUST HAVE TO SPEAK WHEN THEY WANT TO SPEAK.
CORRECT. OK. BUT THE RESIDENTS AND I ASSUME APPLICANTS AND STAFF WOULD ALL BE RECOGNIZED TO SPEAK AT A POINT IN TIME.
WE CAN DO THAT. BUT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A LOT OF COMMUNICATION TO DO THAT.
YEAH. THERE'S NO REAL YOU KNOW, THE MODERATOR CAN'T SEE WHO'S WHO WHEN THEY'RE UNMUTING AND MUTING. SO REALLY, WE WOULD UNMUTE ANYONE THAT WOULD NEED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTUAL MEETING. PROBABLY STAFF AND THEN STAFF WOULD ASK AN APPLICANT TO UNMUTE, TO TALK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. CORRECT.
AND THAT'S DETAILS WE CAN FIGURE OUT.
SOUNDS COMPLICATED. IT'S ACTUALLY THE LEAST COMPLICATED OPTION.
THE OTHER ONE IS USING THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE TO DO VIDEO AND VOICE CHAT.
SO FOR THAT, ANYONE THAT WANTED TO ATTEND THE MEETING AS A VIDEO TO WHERE THEY CAN FACE TIME, BASICALLY YOU WOULD NEED A MICROPHONE AND A WEB CAMERA AT WHEREVER LOCATION, INTERNET CONNECTIVITY AND THEN JOIN, YOU KNOW, STARTED A GROUP MEETING THAT WAY.
WE PROBABLY HAVE TO HAVE A MONITOR SOMEWHERE IN HERE AND SPEAKERS TO DISPLAY THAT AS WELL. THE CITIZENS CAN RAISE THEIR HAND WITH THE SOFTWARE BASICALLY VIRTUALLY FOR CITIZEN INPUT. AND THEY COULD ALSO DO CHAT AND WE COULD OPEN CHAT TO EVERYONE, HAVE A CHAT, JUST A MODERATOR. YOU KNOW, WE CAN DO THAT.
YEAH. THIS THE FEEDBACK WE'RE GETTING ON THIS IS IS ACTUALLY JUST THAT.
THERE'S A LOT OF. YEAH, THERE'S THERE'S A LOT OF.
THEY'RE GETTING A LOT OF ECHO WHEN PEOPLE DON'T MUTE THEMSELVES, THEY'RE GETTING A LOT OF FEEDBACK AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT JUST ADDS A LOT MORE COMPLICATIONS IN POINTS OF FAILURE.
YEAH. I'M JUST WONDERING IF WE IF WE USE THE CALL IN NUMBER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE UNMUTED FOR THE WHOLE TIME JUST SO THAT WE'RE NOT STEPPING ON EACH OTHER.
COULD WE POSSIBLY TEXT THE MAYOR MAYBE IF WE HAD A COMMENT, IF THERE WAS DISCUSSION SO THAT THERE'LL BE AN ORDERLY WAY FOR HER TO RECOGNIZE WAY THAT SHE DOES UP HERE, EXCEPT MAYBE USE TEXT MESSAGING, TOO? YEAH, YEAH. THAT COULD BE DONE.
I MEAN, IS THAT ACCEPTABLE? IS THAT OK? SURE. OK.
WELL, WE'RE IN UNCHARTED TERRITORY HERE OF ALL THIS.
BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK, BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN ON THOSE CONFERENCE CALLS, WHERE IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT, YOU DON'T YOU DON'T HAVE THAT EYE CONTACT.
AND SO IT'S REALLY EASY FOR EVERYONE TO BE TALKING OVER EACH OTHER AND JUST MIGHT BE A WAY TO ORDER THAT CONVERSATION.
I THINK MARTHA WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IF LEGALLY WE WERE BEING IN TROUBLE WITH THAT.
JUST DON'T TEXT ALL. DON'T REPLY ALL, DON'T TEXT ALL.
WERE YOU DONE WITH YOUR PRESENTATION? BUT I'LL JUST ADD THAT THE CITY OF BENBROOK DID THE FIRST OPTION LAST NIGHT.
[00:30:05]
AND I SPOKE TO THEM THIS MORNING.ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THEY CAME UP WITH IS IF YOU'RE WATCHING IT ONLINE, THERE'S A BIT OF A DELAY. WE TALKED TO DREW AND HE SAID THAT HE NOTICED UP TO A 10 SECOND DELAY.
SO REALLY, IF WE WENT THAT OPTION, THE THE FIRST THING WE WANT TO DO IS TO WATCH IT ON TV BECAUSE THERE'S NO DELAY THERE.
BUT IF THEY DO WATCH IT ONLINE, THEY COULD EXPERIENCE SOME DELAY DEPENDING ON THEIR CONNECTION. YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT.
OKAY. I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
SO IT'S NOT THE PHONE CONNECTIONS, THE DELAY, IT'S THE WATCHING IT.
AND THEN LIKE IF THEY SAID IF I SAID, OKAY, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? I NEED TO WAIT 30 SECONDS IN CASE PEOPLE ARE ONLINE AND THEY CAN INDICATE TO THEM HOWEVER THEY INDICATE THAT THEY HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SAY, BRIAN? WE JUST NEED TO BE PURPOSEFUL ABOUT IT AND TAKE OUR TIME AND GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO SPEAK. I HAVE ALL KINDS OF COMMENTS, BUT I WANT YOU TO FINISH.
SORRY. THERE IS SOME COST INVOLVED WITH ONE OF THE SOLUTIONS WE'RE LOOKING AT.
WE HAVE TO PROVIDE A TOLL FREE NUMBER.
IT CAN'T BE A LONG DISTANCE NUMBER.
SO ONE OF THE ONES WE'RE LOOKING AT IS LIKE 4 CENTS A MINUTE FOR EVERY CALLER THAT CALLS IN. AND, YOU KNOW, IF THEY TALK OR NOT IS STILL GOING TO BE A 4 CENTS A MINUTE COST.
ON MONDAY, LAURA, ON MONDAY'S AGENDA AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THIS ON MONDAY.
CAN WE CAN WE PUT IT ONE OF THE AGENDA ITEMS TO TALK ABOUT THE COST OF EMERGENCY AND WHAT WE'RE DOING ACTUALLY.
WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THAT. OK.
THANK YOU. WHAT ELSE, JOEY? THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAD. OK. SO.
SO MY OVERRIDING COMMENT IS WE NEED A SOLUTION THAT'S QUICK TO IMPLEMENT.
AND THAT. CAN BE MODELED CAN BE MOLDED TO A POTENTIAL EVENTUALITY THAT NONE OF US ARE IN THIS ROOM. SO TO ME, OPTION 2 IS NOT A GOOD OPTION BECAUSE YOU SAID SOMEBODY HAS TO BE HERE AND WE COULD BE IN A SITUATION AT SOME POINT THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE PHONE.
THAT'S MY COMMENT. I TOLD BRIAN AND HE PROBABLY RELAYED TO YOU.
YOU KNOW, I WANT AN OPTION THAT I CAN PHYSICALLY BE.
HERE AT A MINIMUM, AND I'M NOT ASKING ANYBODY ELSE TO MAKE THAT DECISION ON THIS COUNCIL, BUT I DO WANT AN OPTION IF POSSIBLE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WE CAN HAVE SOME VIDEO FUNCTIONALITY, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE OPTION 1 AND 2 BOTH HAVE THAT.
OPTION ONE DOES NOT. WELL, IT HAS THE VIDEO FEED THAT'S ALREADY HERE.
RIGHT. RIGHT. I MEAN, IF WE'RE ALL HOME, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A VIDEO FEED.
RIGHT. OPTION 1 WOULD USE THAT.
AND ALL IT IS, IS JUST ADDING A CONFERENCE CALL THAT PEOPLE CAN CALL.
RIGHT. BUT OPTION 1 ALLOWS US TO JUST HAVE A CONFERENCE CALL TOO IF THERE IS A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE ALL AT HOME. CORRECT.
CAN I CLARIFY? I WAS UNDER THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THESE FUTURE MEETINGS WOULD JUST BE.
WELL, I GUESS WOULD NOT BE PHYSICALLY HERE.
BUT I'M JUST MAKING THE DECISION, PERSONAL DECISION THAT I WANT TO BE IN FRONT OF THE VIDEO CAMERA AS THE MAYOR AND AS THE MEETING LEADER.
SO I WANT THE TECHNOLOGY TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT MIGHT BE WHAT WE DO.
OK. DOESN'T MEAN THE REST THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO OR WILL WANT TO BE HERE.
I MEAN, YOU CAN TELL ME YOU DON'T LIKE MY DECISION, BUT I IF POSSIBLE, I WANT OUR MEETINGS THAT I'M PHYSICALLY HERE.
BUT I'M NOT GOING TO PUT STAFF AT RISK TO DO THAT.
AND I'M NOT GONNA PUT MYSELF AT RISK TO DO THAT.
BUT IF POSSIBLE, I WANT TO DO THAT.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? MAYOR, I'D I AGREE WITH YOU ON THAT ONE.
I ALSO THINK THAT I WOULD NOT BE IN FAVOR OF A COMPLETE CONFERENCE CALL WHERE YOU CAN'T SEE US. I THINK PART OF THIS AND WHAT YOU'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB AT AND BRIAN IS BEING LEADERS DURING THIS. AND TO DO THAT, I THINK YOU NEED TO PHYSICALLY SEE SOMEBODY, WHETHER THAT'S UP HERE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
YOU STILL NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT.
PLUS, WE ALL KNOW HOW CONFERENCE CALLS GO.
THERE'S A LOT OF TALKING OVER.
I DON'T MIND THE CONFERENCE CALL IDEA AS LONG AS WE'RE STILL BEING ABLE TO BE HERE AND IS GOING THROUGH THE NORMAL VIDEO AND WE CAN WORK WITH THAT LAG IF IT GETS TO THE POINT.
I WOULD NOT BE IN FAVOR OF US GOING TO US PHYSICALLY NOT BEING HERE UNTIL WE FIGURE OUT THE TECHNOLOGY WHERE PEOPLE COULD STILL SEE US ONLINE IN SOME MATTER OR FASHION.
THE THING I DON'T WANT TO HAPPEN IS FOR ME TO MAKE A DECISION FOR THE OTHER SIX PEOPLE ON
[00:35:04]
THIS AT THIS DAIS.SO IF PAM DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE AND WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF JOINING BY TELECONFERENCE AND WE ONLY HAVE OPTION 1 FUNCTIONALITY IN PLACE, I WANT PAM TO FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT SHE CAN DO THAT. BUT I HEAR YOU, MATT.
SO, I MEAN, WHAT YOU WOULD BE PROPOSING IS LET'S SEE IF WE GET OPTION 2 TECHNOLOGY UP AND RUNNING IS WHAT I'M HEARING.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, START WITH OPTION 1.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT, JOEY? THERE'LL BE SOME CHALLENGES.
I MEAN, IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE A WEB CAMERA AT HOME, THEY'RE HARD TO FIND RIGHT NOW BECAUSE EVERYONE'S DOING THIS.
LIKE I SAID, THEY'LL THERE'LL BE SOME CHALLENGE CONNECTIVITY AND FEEDBACK AND THINGS LIKE THAT. IT'S NOTHING WE CAN'T OVERCOME, BUT IT'LL BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CLUNKY, I GUESS.
WELL, I'M SEEING THAT THERE'S MORE AND MORE SOFTWARE THAT'S STARTING TO COME ONLINE.
WE WORK REALLY WITHIN MICROSOFT TEAMS, WITHIN OUR OFFICE, AND THAT'S WORKED REALLY WELL.
AND THEY'VE THERE WAS JUST A REPORT YESTERDAY THAT THEY'VE GONE UP 50 PERCENT.
AND SO THEY STARTED TO ADD A BUNCH OF NEW FEATURES TO IT.
SO THERE MAY BE SOME SOFTWARE OUT THERE THAT'S GETTING UPDATED AS WE SPEAK, BECAUSE THIS IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE MORE OF A NORM IN THE COMING MONTHS.
SO WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT BE THERE AS WE CONTINUE DO THIS AND AS MORE CITIES DO IT, THAT'S GOING TO OPEN UP IDEAS, TOO, I WOULD THINK.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE NEED RIGHT AWAY, BUT AT LEAST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE INVESTIGATING AND I THINK IS A GOOD WAY TO GO.
AND WE HAVE IF WE WENT THAT ROUTE, WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT A PROGRAM CALLED ZOOM.
IT'S LIKE WEBINAR SOFTWARE. BRIAN, ANY COMMENTS? A.LL I WAS GONNA SAY IS THAT THE STATE'S DEPARTMENT INFORMATION HAS RELEASED THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO THIS TECHNOLOGY AND HOW WHAT THE RULES WOULD BE IF YOU DID IT THROUGH TELECONFERENCE, VIDEO CONFERENCING.
SO THERE'S SOME PRETTY GOOD HOW TO GUIDE INFORMATION IN HERE.
FOR AS LONG AS WE COULD DO THIS, WE DO THAT.
BUT THEN WE WE DON'T MAKE CITIZENS FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE TO PHYSICALLY BE PRESENT.
THAT'S A WIN, I THINK THE OTHER THING IS, THOUGH, I THINK THE TIME COULD BE COMING WHERE WE WON'T EVEN GET THAT WIN BECAUSE WE REALLY CAN'T BE HERE.
SO IF THAT HAPPENS, THEN, THEN WE MAY HAVE TO GO TO A PURE CONFERENCE AND CALL.
BUT BUT WE HEARD WE'VE HEARD EVERYBODY WE WILL TRY TO DO OUR DAMNDEST TO HAVE THE VIDEO CONFERENCING OPTION TESTED AND BE READY TO GO IF WE HAVE TO.
THE FIRST PRIORITY IS GET US ON THE CAPABILITY FOR TELECONFERENCING WITH VIDEO HERE.
ARE YOU ALL OKAY WITH THAT? WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE AT ON THAT? I'M JUST ADDING A CONFERENCE CALL TO THIS MEETING.
WE'VE TESTED IT WITH A FEW PEOPLE.
WE HAVEN'T TESTED WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WHEN WE MEET WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE DOING IT AND WE HAVEN'T TESTED IT LIKE A CONFERENCE.
BASICALLY, SPEAKERPHONE WILL BE HAVE TO BE IN FRONT OF ALL THESE MICROPHONES TO MAKE SURE THAT IT GETS RECORDED.
WE'VE TESTED IT WITH A FEW PEOPLE.
THE ONE THING WE HAVEN'T DONE IS BROUGHT IT IN HERE AND TRIED TO RECORD IT.
SO DO YOU THINK WE WILL TRY TO TEST IT ON MONDAY'S COUNCIL MEETING? WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
AND IT HASN'T BEEN POSTED YET, BUT WILL POST IT TODAY.
WE WILL HAVE A COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY OF NEXT WEEK STARTING AT 5:30 P.M.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE THOSE MONDAY MEETINGS IN THOSE WEEKS WHERE WE DON'T ALREADY HAVE A REGULARLY SCHEDULED TUESDAY MEETING.
AND WE'LL NEED TO. SORRY TO INTERRUPT.
WE NEED TO POST THE CALL A NUMBER AND THEN THE MEETING NUMBER AS WELL.
WE'LL NEED TO OBVIOUSLY ADVERTISE THAT WHEN YOU'RE READY.
IT IS FRIDAY. IT IS FRIDAY, ISN'T IT? YES, IT IS. OK. ALL RIGHT.
JOEY OR BRIAN OR ANYBODY ON COUNCIL, ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT? ALL RIGHT. SO ARE WE MOVING TO ITEM 3? ALL RIGHT. ITEM THREE, DISCUSS AND RECEIVE PUBLIC INPUT ON THE GOVERNOR'S PROCLAMATION
[3. Discuss and receive public input on the Governor’s proclamation regarding May 2, 2020 General Election regulations and the possible postponement of the election until November 3, 2020.]
REGARDING MAY 2ND, 2020 GENERAL ELECTION REGULATIONS AND THE POSSIBLE POSTPONEMENT OF THE ELECTION UNTIL NOVEMBER 3RD, 2020.I WILL NOT BE PARTICIPATING IN THIS DISCUSSION.
LAURA, ARE YOU TAKING THIS? DAVID, I CAN TAKE IT.
DOESN'T MATTER. I DON'T MIND AT LEAST KICKING IT OFF.
THE GOVERNOR HAS ISSUED A PROCLAMATION THAT HAS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, SUSPENDED A GREAT
[00:40:01]
DEAL OF THE DEADLINES IMPOSED BY STATE LAW.ONE OF THEM INCLUDES THE ELECTION CODE PROVISIONS.
WE HAVE THE OPTION WE'RE NOT REQUIRED TO BUT HAVE THE OPTION TO RESCHEDULE OUR MAY ELECTIONS FROM MAY 2ND TO A UNIFORM ELECTION DATE IN NOVEMBER.
THAT WILL BE NOVEMBER 3RD OF 2020.
IN DENTON COUNTY, I KNOW THAT THE DENTON COUNTY ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR HAS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT ALL CITIES AND TOWNS, ALL POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS IN THAT COUNTY POSTPONE THEIR ELECTIONS. WE HAVE THE OPTION TO DO THAT, AND I THINK IT'S ON THE AGENDA TODAY FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES.
SHOULD WE DECIDE TO RESCHEDULED THE MAY ELECTIONS, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO IT TODAY.
WE CAN DO IT NEXT WEEK IF WE WANT TO.
THE WAY THAT IT WORKS IS THAT IF THE ELECTION IS POSTPONED, EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW OR ON THE DATE OF POSTPONEMENT IS LOCKED IN PLACE.
THERE WILL BE NO NEW CANDIDATES.
THERE WILL BE NO NEW PROPOSITIONS AND NO NEW MEASURES ON THE BALLOT.
EVERYONE WHO IS CURRENTLY AUTHORIZED TO RUN WILL BE RUNNING AND NO NEW CANDIDATES WILL BE PRESENT. EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE NOW IS LOCKED IN PLACE SO THAT IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING UNOPPOSED, YOU WILL CONTINUE TO BE UNOPPOSED ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT.
IF WE CHOOSE TO RESCHEDULE IT.
WE HAVE SOME OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO PROBABLY SHOULDN'T CONTRIBUTE TO THIS CONVERSATION EITHER. I FORGOT ABOUT THAT.
WELL. SORRY, I FORGOT ABOUT THAT.
I DON'T HAVE AN ISSUE WITH WITH PARTICIPATING IN THE DISCUSSION, WE'RE NOT VOTING ON IT TODAY ANYWAY. THE AGENDA DOESN'T PROVIDE FOR ACTION.
IT'S JUST SIMPLY DISCUSSION PURPOSES.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT IF YOU WANT TO IN MORE DETAIL AND ACTUALLY ACT ON IT NEXT WEEK, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU GUYS WANT TO DO.
THERE ARE OTHER DETAILED PROVISIONS DEALING WITH ABSENTEE BALLOTS AND BALLOTS BY MAIL, BUT BY AND LARGE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH DALLAS COUNTY ELECTIONS AND THEY'RE THE ONES WHO WILL RUN OUR ELECTIONS.
I WOULD GUESS AND I'M LOOKING AT LAURA FOR SUPPORT.
LAURA HAS AN UPDATE ON DALLAS COUNTY'S POSITION.
YEAH, EXACTLY. AND THE COST DIFFERENCE TOO, MIND YOU, BECAUSE POSTPONING THE ELECTIONS MAY INCUR AN ADDITIONAL COST.
SO, LAURA, WOULD YOU GIVE US THE DALLAS COUNTY COMMUNICATION LATE YESTERDAY? SURE. AND WE ALSO CONTRACT WITH ROCKWALL COUNTY.
YES. BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD A COMMUNICATION FROM ROCKWALL COUNTY YET.
ROCKWALL COUNTY FROM THE LATEST WAS WHAT DO YOU ALL WANT TO DO.
RIGHT. BUT THE DALLAS COUNTY COMMUNICATION WAS MUCH STRONGER YESTERDAY.
YESTERDAY, THE JOINT PARTICIPANTS WITH DALLAS COUNTY RECEIVED AN EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE FROM TONY PIPPINS-POOL, THE ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR.
AND SHE STATED THAT AT THIS TIME, DUE TO THE HEALTH ISSUE AND THE GOVERNOR'S DECLARATION AND SO FORTH, AND THAT COUNTY JUDGES THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE CONDUCTING THE CITY'S ELECTION ON MAY 2ND.
NOW, BY LAW, THEY ARE NOT LEGALLY REQUIRED TO DO SO DURING AN EVEN NUMBERED YEAR DUE TO THE PRIMARIES AND SO FORTH.
SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY DID AS A SERVICE TO CITIES AND ISDS AND SO FORTH.
BUT SHE STATED YESTERDAY THAT THEY WILL NOT BE CONDUCTING THE MAY 2ND ELECTION.
SO THEY'VE ESSENTIALLY MADE THE DECISION FOR US.
AND JUST TO FURTHER EXPAND ON WHAT DAVID SAID.
IT IS A POSTPONEMENT OF THE ELECTION.
IT'S NOT A RESCHEDULING AND IT'S A ONE TIME DEAL.
THAT DOESN'T CHANGE OUR GENERAL ELECTION TO NOVEMBER FOR PERPETUITY.
AND JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, THERE IS NOTHING ON THE MAY ELECTION REGARDING GISD.
SORRY. IS THAT CORRECT? AS FAR AS I KNOW.
BUT THERE IS IF THERE IS SOMETHING ON THE ELECTION IN REGARDS TO ROCKWALL ISD, ROCKWALL COUNTY CAN STILL HAVE THEIR ELECTION AND OUR RESIDENTS IN ROCKWALL COUNTY WOULD FOLLOW WHATEVER THEY DECIDE.
RIGHT. OKAY. QUESTION FOR YOU, DAVID.
IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE SOMETHING.
I UNDERSTAND THAT IN REGARDS TO THE ITEMS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON OUR BALLOT, BUT CAN'T WE ADD THINGS IN THE NOVEMBER 3RD ELECTION? I THINK WE CAN.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE CAN. BECAUSE WE MAY HAVE SENATE BILL 2 STUFF WHICH WE'RE ALL GOING TO HAVE TO SORT THROUGH, WHICH IS A WHOLE NOTHER DISCUSSION.
WHICH MAY ALSO BE SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF THE DECLARATION.
YEAH. BUT THERE MIGHT BE OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE CAN HOLD A SEPARATE INDEPENDENT GENERAL ELECTION IN NOVEMBER NOTWITHSTANDING THE POSTPONEMENT. SO, YES, WE CAN ADD THINGS TO THE BALLOT.
OKAY. MARTHA, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? CAN YOU ADDRESS A COST DIFFERENTIAL OR DO YOU KNOW? ACTUALLY THERE WON'T BE A COST FOR US TO POSTPONE.
BUT IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO US LATER ON IN NOVEMBER BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE NATIONAL ITEMS ON THE BALLOT. SO THERE WOULD BE MORE PARTICIPANTS TAKING PLACE AND SO ARE OUR COSTS
[00:45:02]
COULD POSSIBLY GO DOWN.MARTHA, IF I COULD SAY THIS TOO, IF WE WERE TO TRY TO HOLD IT OURSELVES.
FIRST, THERE IS A SCRAMBLE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
SECONDLY, WE'VE GOT TO FIND PEOPLE THAT CAN DO ALL THAT.
AND THIRD, WE WILL BEAR 100 PERCENT OF THE COST.
SO NOT ONLY DO YOU SAVE MONEY BY GOING TO NOVEMBER, BUT THE COST OF FOR US TO RUN IT BY OURSELVES WOULD BE EXTRAORDINARY.
AND THAT'S EVEN IF WE CAN DO IT.
SO. OK, SO THIS WAS THE DISCUSSION SO WE COULD LET THE GENERAL PUBLIC KNOW WHAT WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW IN REGARDS TO RECOMMENDATIONS FROM DALLAS COUNTY.
AND COUNCIL, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION ON THIS ON MONDAY'S MEETING.
ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING? ALL RIGHT, SO I WANT TO DO SOMETHING.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED AT THE TOWN HALL MEETING AND THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING ABOUT CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SUCH.
WHAT I WANT TO DO IS I WANT THIS COUNCIL TO STAND UP AND RECOGNIZE THE CITY EMPLOYEES ACROSS OUR EMPLOYEE BASE THAT HAVE JUST DONE AN UNBELIEVABLE JOB KEEPING THIS CITY OPERATIONS RUNNING AND MAKING DECISIONS.
AND I'D ALSO LIKE WHEN WE STAND UP TO KNOW THAT WE'RE ALSO RECOGNIZING OUR RESIDENTS THAT ARE OUT THERE COMPLYING AND KEEPING INFORMED AND DOING THE RIGHT THING TO PROTECT OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. SO IF YOU WOULD, JOIN ME, COUNCIL.
ALL RIGHT. WE ARE ADJOURNED AND WE WILL MEET AGAIN AS A BODY ON MONDAY AT 5:30 P.M..
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.