Ordinance No. 3198-2021 passed in the most recent Kenai City Council meeting. Through passage, it amends municipal code for telephonic participation and provides for remote electronic participation in council meetings by council members. Telephonic participation in council meetings was provided for back in 2005 to increase participation by allowing members to take part in meetings when work or family matters required absence.
Vice Mayor Bob Molloy, “So this ordinance simply applies only to Council. It would, once the emergency declaration goes away, allow council to continue to have remote electronic participation by Zoom when council members are absent for business or medical reasons. The initial cost of this is really minimal. This doesn’t deal with commissions or committees. This doesn’t deal with public participation. I’m hoping to come up later working with the city clerk who has a lot of work to do with a policy that would allow the public to continue to participate remotely by electronic means as we can see in tonight’s meeting. There’s a lot of benefit from that, but that’s not on the table. This is only dealing with how we do our regular, special, and work sessions allowing us to participate that way.”
The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ordinances allowed for remote electronic participation and virtually and council determined that, through the pandemic, virtual remote electronic participation has provided a better experience for the Council member participating remotely and those in-person. Through passage, the amendment to the city code allows for council to participate via electronic means, when the city’s declaration for the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ends, citing the original code for remote participation by members at the council meetings and work sessions will revert back to telephonic participation only.
The ordinance also wouldn’t apply to members of the general public. Council could discuss and may adopt a policy or policies to allow for virtual public participation, using the City’s virtual platform, at Council meetings and work sessions and at meetings of the City’s other Boards, Commissions and Committees.