City Council Makes Historic Change with Remote Meeting Amid COVID-19

Atlanta City Council
3 min readMar 19, 2020
The Atlanta City Council typically meets in the Chamber at City Hall. Following the closure of City facilities, a telework protocol was activated, promoting the first remote meeting.

The Atlanta City Council made a historic change to operations Tuesday by holding its first remote meeting. The Council meets regularly the first and third Monday of each month at Atlanta City Hall, but amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus, City facilities, including City Hall, remain closed indefinitely. The closure of facilities activated the City’s telework protocol, prompting the Council’s regularly scheduled Monday meeting to be moved to Tuesday and held through remote access.

The remote meeting began Tuesday at 10 a.m. with Council members able to cast votes electronically and communicate through a phone bridge. Residents were also able to participate by dialing into a toll-free phoneline and listening to the meeting. Audio of the meeting was also broadcast on Channel 26, the city’s local access news source. The public was also able to provide comment through email submissions or by recording a message and submitting a voicemail.

Tuesday’s meeting followed the standard agenda order, excluding proclamation presentations, and as customary, was presided over by Council President Felicia Moore. All 15 members of the Council took part.

“Conducting our first-ever remote Full Council meeting Tuesday was an historic undertaking for both the Council and public. Because of the collaborative efforts of all Council divisions, we were able to engage in thoughtful, deliberative discussions even within this unique environment,” Council President Moore said. “These are unprecedented circumstances, but we remain committed to managing the business of the City while also maintaining our connection to the citizens.”

In anticipation of the closing of the City Hall, the Council held at mock meeting March 12 with Council members participating remotely and residents provided a phoneline to listen. The test was conducted to make sure Council members could continue to communicate with their staff and constituents and that meetings would remain accessible to residents even with City Hall closed.

Council Staff Director Theo Pace, who leads the Office of Research and Policy, which is responsible for reviewing and analyzing legislation, said being able to successfully hold Tuesday’s meeting took a lot of planning and communication between the Council and staff.

“This was an opportunity to really show how even when faced with doing business remotely, the Council could continue to work and engage with the public. As a staff, we were able to effectively coordinate a meeting amongst the Municipal Clerk, Research, IT, and our Communications staff, which can help us in the long run as well.”

Municipal Clerk Foris Webb III, who serves as designated administrator and custodian of the Council’s legislative actions, noted that Tuesday’s meeting helped to show the preparedness of the Council and staff.

“The ability of the Council and members of the Council staff to successfully hold a remote meeting is a true testament to their professionalism,” Webb said. “We want to continue to remain both responsive and proactive during this time and as we look to the months ahead.”

As part of the Council’s legislative work Tuesday, several items were adopted in response to coronavirus.

The Council approved legislation ratifying Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ executive order to allocate up to $7 million to provide emergency assistance to those affected by coronavirus. The funds will go toward helping children and seniors in the community, the City’s homeless population, and small businesses. It will also help ensure the City’s technology system for teleworking continues to work properly.

The Council also approved legislation to provide relief to aviation concessionaires and car rental companies at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by temporarily reducing rental requirements to help employees experiencing potential reduced hours and lost wages from coronavirus.

Legislation was also approved requesting that the governor of Georgia enact a concurring ban on the operation of bars and restaurants at an occupancy in excess of 50 people or such number and time period as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may recommend in the future.

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