City Council Hybrid Meetings in Council ChambersCity of Dubuque
City Council Meeting
Action Items # 8.
Copyrighted
May 3, 2021
ITEM TITLE: City Council Hybrid Meetings in Council Chambers
SUMMARY: City Clerk transmitting information for initiating the discussion of City
Council returning to Council Chambers for City Council meetings in a
hybrid meeting format.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Council
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
City Council Hybrid Meetings in Council Chambers Staff Memo
Memo
THE CITY OF
DuB TEE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Adrienne N. Breitfelder, City Clerk
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: City Council Hybrid Meetings in Council Chambers
DATE: April 29, 2021
Dubuque
All -America City
I I
2007.2012.2013
2017*2019
In anticipation of City Council returning to Council Chambers in a hybrid meeting format,
City staff have established the logistics of a hybrid meeting arrangement.
The Mayor would continue to sit at the center spot of the dais. Four Council Members
would also sit on the dais, and the other two Council Members would each sit at the
tables facing the dais. The Council Members who sit at the two tables would constantly
rotate, with the rotation based on the last two Council Members at each meeting's roll
call vote, except for the Mayor. The Mayor would continue to sit at the central location of
the dais even if he is one of the last two Council Members in the roll call vote. The two
Council Members assigned to sit at the tables would use their Pads for the meeting via
wireless connection, and microphones would be provided at the tables. The City Clerk
would sit at a table in the center of Council Chambers. The City Manager, City Attorney,
and Assistant City Manager would sit in the audience and would speak at the podium.
The proposed layout for City Council and the City Clerk is a follows:
Council Ox Mayor OX Council
Member Member
O O
O O
Council Council
Member Dais Member
Table 1: Table 2: Table 3:
Council City Clerk Council
Member Member
Attendance at the meeting in Council Chambers will be limited to City staff and
members of the public with business for the City Council. The media will also be able to
attend, and the intent is to dedicate a space with area for writing in the back of Council
Chambers for use by the media. Staff and members of the public who do not have
presentations or input will be requested to continue viewing the meeting virtually.
Meetings will continue to be hosted on GoToMeeting, and will continue to be streamed
live via CityChannel Dubuque, the City's website, and Facebook. City Council, City staff,
and the public can continue to fully participate virtually via GoToMeeting if they are not
able to attend in person.
A police officer and other City staff will manage traffic flow before and during the
meeting. City staff who will present to City Council will wait in one of two staff
conference rooms in the building, while members of the public will be asked to wait in
the lobby and view the meeting from the TV in the lobby until City Council reaches the
agenda item they would like to speak to. The member of the public would inform the
Police Officer at the entrance of Council Chambers what item they would like to speak
to, and once City Council reaches that designated agenda item, the person would enter
Council Chambers and immediately approach the podium to speak to the item. After the
completion of their agenda item, both City staff and members of the public will be
requested to immediately exit Council Chambers. Members of the public could also
provide input via the GoToMeeting chat and the City Clerk's email. The City Clerk would
continue to announce the options for public input at the beginning of the meeting.
Members of the public who plan on providing input at the City Council meeting will be
strongly encouraged to contact the City Clerk in advance of the meeting to provide
notice of their intention to speak. This will help City staff adequately plan for social
distancing. Many Iowa City Councils, including Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Iowa City,
Ankeny, and Bettendorf have implemented policies where the public must notify the City
Clerk in advance of their intention to speak at a City Council meeting. If staff anticipates
a high number of people may attend the meeting, then staff may emphasize participants
use virtual public input options to ensure we do not extend beyond the capacity of
Council Chambers.
Closed sessions would occur in Council Chambers to adequately social distance.
Anyone not authorized to attend the closed session would be requested to immediately
exit Council Chambers before the start of the closed session.
Masks will be required by everyone until the date that City Council rescinds the Face
Covering Ordinance.
Information about these procedures will be communicated via signs placed outside of
Council Chambers, and the first page of the City Council agendas would also be
updated.
These guidelines will change based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
recommendations and other public health guidance.
City staff will continue to work on a strategy that includes requesting bids for technology
that would upgrade Council Chambers to a more intuitive, integrated hybrid meeting
system, including the ability for video conferencing. The timeframe to obtain this
equipment will impact the date by which hybrid meetings can be implemented.
Therefore, we are not prepared at this time to provide a date when City Council will
implement this hybrid meeting option. Future updates will be provided once staff have
additional information.
Thank you,
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Specialist
Chris Kohlmann, Information Services Manager
Randy Gehl, Public Information Officer
Mark Dalsing, Chief of Police
Jeremy Jensen, Assistant Chief of Police