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R2021-011 2021-01-11RESOLUTION NO. R2021-11 A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Pearland, Texas, adopting interim health and safety protocols for access to City Council and other public meetings. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS: Section 1. That the interim health and safety protocols for access to City Council and other meetings, attached hereto as Exhibit "A," are hereby adopted. PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED this the /1 day of Strida 1/4ej , A.D., 2021. J. t •'VIN COLE AYOR ATT C AL RO ' N, TRMC, CMC CITY SECRETARY APPROVED AS TO FORM: DARRIN M. COKER CITY ATTORNEY ��� Q• PR ....... Appendix - A CITY OF PEARLAND Emergency Operations Center STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE SUBJECT: Council Meetings and Public Meetings Last Modified: 01.04.2021 v1.0 PROCEDURE: Protocols for In -Person with Virtual Option for City Council and other City Public Meetings INTENDED AUDIENCE: City Council, City of Pearland Personnel and Citizens PURPOSE: To provide guidance related to operating in person City Council meetings and other public meetings. I. Knowledge The purpose of this message is to provide protocols and guidance communicating that government access and transparency are top priorities during this ongoing public health emergency. Accordingly, the City of Pearland will ensure that the community continues to have access to public meetings in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) and can provide feedback electronically, listen or watch via electronic means, or attend Council Meetings in person. Participation from the public is encouraged to continue virtually by electronic means. However, the City recognizes that some members of the public may be unable to easily participate electronically or prefer to be at a meeting in person. Therefore, the following guidelines are designed to ensure the health and safety of the community, elected officials and City staff during council meetings and/or any other public meetings to occur at City facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. II. Safety Measures Through the C.A.R.E S. Act funding the City was able to enhance safety for public meeting attendance at City Hall. • Upgrades to the ventilation system include MERV-13 filtration to reduce the spread of the virus. • Temporary tempered glass partitions were placed between seats on the dais to improve the safety of council and staff. • Automatic door openers were installed to allow hands-free operation of doors entering City Hall ® Hand sanitizing stations are in the lobby of City Hall and at the entrance to the City Council Chambers. • The public speaker podium has been moved to the back of the room to improve social distancing and reduce foot traffic. III. Public Meetings For all public meetings held in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 3519 Liberty Drive, electronic means exist, as they have for an extended time, for broadcast and recording. The City of Pearland as host of meetings will ensure that meeting attendees practice social distancing when seated in the chambers. Again, the City recommends virtual attendance as the preferred platform for public participation at council meetings and/or any other public meetings to occur at City facilities during COVID-19 pandemic. Public occupancy of the City Council Chambers, other than City Council members and City Staff, cannot exceed 15 persons to effectively maintain safe distancing. Page 1 1 5 CITY OF PEARLAND Emergency Operations Center STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE SUBJECT: Council Meetings and Public Meetings Last Modified: 01.04.2021 v1.0 These recommendations are in effect until community control of the COVID-19 pandemic is reached and sustained. IV. City Council and/or Board member seating: To facilitate meetings within Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, temporary tempered glass barriers have been placed between seated positions at the main and lower daises. Council members should occupy their designated space at the main dais. As there is insufficient distance, the lower dais will not be utilized simultaneously with the main dais. Mask wear is optional when Council members are seated because protective barriers are in place.. Council members with symptoms and/or exposure to, COVID-19 should refrain from in-person attendance and attend virtually, if possible. V. Executive Sessions: Council Executive Sessions are only open to the Council and invited City Staff as per State law. Such Executive Sessions will be held within the Council Chambers. During the public meeting portion of the scheduled meeting, the Mayor will announce the executive session and ask all third parties to exit the City Council Chambers. Council members attending virtually will need to exit the public Council meeting platform and enter the private Executive Session virtual platform. The police officer providing security will control access to the Council Chambers. Presentations to Council will be made to computer monitors in Executive Session rather than on projector screens. Upon conclusion of the Executive Session, Council members attending virtually will return to the public Council meeting platform. Public attendees may return to the Council Chambers when the meeting returns to regular session. The Mayor will announce that the Executive Session has concluded, and the public meeting has resumed. Council members attending virtually will need to exit the private Executive Session platform and enter the public Council meeting virtual platform. VI. Joint Meetings/Hearings: Joint meetings will be attended by Council and virtually by the subordinate board or commission. Council will be in attendance either in-person or virtually. The subordinate board or commission will participate, at the same time, via virtual means. VII. Prior to the Meeting Meals will not be provided prior to meetings for the City Council, boards, or staff Everyone will be responsible for making individual provisions beforehand or thereafter. Space for dining is insufficient and congregating beforehand is discouraged. Signage to the exterior of the building and to the Council Chambers shall be managed by the Communications Department, and explicitly state the expectations and provisions for safe participation in the public meeting. VIII. City Staff City Staff shall attend council meetings virtually unless there is an item on the agenda requiring a presentation. In-person staff presentations will be specifically approved by the City Manager's office and confirmed at a Senior Staff meeting. Page 2 1 5 CITY OF PEARLAND Emergency Operations Center STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE SUBJECT: Council Meetings and Public Meetings Last Modified: 01.04.2021 v1.0 The meeting will be attended by the City Manager, Deputy City Manager, Assistant City Manager, City Attorney City Secretary, Communications support, a Police Officer providing security, and Staff designated by the City Manager for presentations. IT Support will be readily available within the building. The City Manager, City Attorney, and City Secretary may use their designated seats. All other staff must utilize unsealed seats within the staff area. Staff may remove masks when occupying unsealed seats City Staff with exposure to, or symptoms of, COVID-19 shall follow reporting protocols and will not attend any part of the meeting in person. IX. Vendors - Applicants Vendors and applicants with business before the Council should continue to attend meetings virtually. Applicants with business before the Council who choose to attend should follow the General Public guidelines for attendance and addressing Council. X. General Public Seating: The City of Pearland will use the CDC guidelines and supporting recommendation from AM Trace Consulting to establish six feet of separation between meeting attendees. Public seating is designated approximately six feet between every occupant with a row between each row that is occupied. It is difficult to provide a Targe number of seats and meet safety guidelines because the room was constructed as a gathering space. Seats unavailable to the Public are sealed. There are 15 unsealed seats within the gallery and three available seats in the staff area. Attendance at meetings will be limited to the available space to maintain adherence to CDC guidelines for maximum community safety. Reserved access to the Council Chambers will be on a first -come -first-served basis. To respect the time of persons wanting to attend public meetings in person, the City Secretary's Office will take reservations by phone to account for available seating within the Council Chambers. • Attendees may call City Hall to reserve a seat at a public meeting beginning on the Monday of the week prior to the scheduled meeting. • The receptionist will take the name and phone number for each person requesting a seat. The phone number is requested to notify callers in the event of a change in meeting schedule, location, or status. • The staff member will inquire as to whether the attendee intends to speak at the council meeting. If so, the receptionist will offer to email an In -Person Speaker Request Form, which the speaker can print out and complete, providing a contactless option. • In -Person Speaker Request Forms will also be available at City Hall at the time of the meeting. These forms must be submitted to the City Secretary 15 minutes prior to the start of the public meeting. • Once all available seats are accounted for, the staff member will inform additional callers of the space restriction and suggest viewing the meeting on-line. • Staff will regulate access to reserved seats until the time of the scheduled meeting. Vacant seats may be filled by lobby attendees after that time. • Limited space for observation will be available in the City Hall lobby. When that lobby space is filled, public attendees will be asked to wait outside the building until space is available Page 315 CITY OF PEARLAND Emergency Operations Center STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE SUBJECT: Council Meetings and Public Meetings Last Modified: 01.04.2021 v1.0 In the event the occupancy limit for the City Council Chamber is exceeded, staff will suggest virtual attendance or ask attendees to wait for available space. The City staff will designate a Safety Officer, who will be present and is responsible for setting and enforcing occupancy limits. As members of the public enter the Chambers, they need to be instructed to find a seat that is designated for use. If someone sits in a seat that is restricted from use, a staff member will ask them to relocate Except for infants and toddlers, family members are not allowed to sit closer or disregard the social distancing requirements as set forth as the seating is tied off to provide consistent spacing. While mask wearing is preferred, attendees may remove their masks when seated in the gallery. The Safety Officer will conduct temperature checks of persons entering the City Council Chamber to verify that persons attempting to enter do not have a temperature in excess of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, or higher than the the current recommendation of the Center for Disease Control, whichever is lower. Individuals with temperatures in excess of the acceptable temperature threshold will be denied admittance to the chamber and required to leave City Hall. Attendees are asked to maintain distance from the dais. The safety officer will monitor this distance to maintain a safe environment. If meeting attendees remove face coverings when not seated in the City Council Chamber, the safety officer will ask them to replace the face covering or leave the chamber. Refusal to wear a face covering will be addressed at the discretion of the mayor or other presiding officer of the meeting and attendees, who refuse to wear face coverings, may be removed. Xl. Waiting Area The main open space in the lobby and the front outside space will be designated as overflow standing room. The audio of the meeting will be provided over the lobby speakers. Social distancing will also be expected to be complied with in these locations. A minimum of six feet must be abide by when standing in any of these areas. Occupancy of the lobby cannot exceed 10 persons to effectively maintain safe distancing. XII. Addressing the City Council Addressing City Council virtually is recommended and preferred. Applications for virtual comments will continue to be accepted until 1200 p.m. on the day of the Council meeting. Priority order for speakers to be recognized will be first those signed up virtually, second those who have signed up for speaking in attendance in-person. Those in attendance may complete a request to address Council at the meeting. Speakers shall address Council from the podium at the rear of the chambers. The microphone and the surface of the podium will be wiped down by the Communications Department staff with antibacterial wipes between each use. It is recommended that residents who wish to speak on a topic with broad public interest pick a spokesperson to attend while others attend virtually. This will limit in-person attendance and enhance the safe environment of the Council Chambers. XIII. Leaving the Meeting Page 415 CITY OF PEARLAND Emergency Operations Center STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE SUBJECT: Council Meetings and Public Meetings Last Modified: 01.04.2021 v1.0 Administration and Staff shall leave the Chambers using the Washington Conference Room door. The Council should leave via the door behind their chairs. All visitors should be asked to leave through the main doors in an orderly fashion, adhering to the six-foot social distancing requirements. XIV. Cleaning of the Room Before and after a meeting, the custodial staff shall conduct a thorough cleaning of the Council Chambers, to include wiping down each of the chair handles and cleaning the floors and surface areas. The Council Chambers will be fogged with disinfectant at least one hour prior to a scheduled public meeting. XV. Meeting Security A police officer will be assigned for meeting security at all Council meetings. Final Note The situation and information continue to evolve with the virus and corresponding response. The protocols herein are the best information and approach from the City of Pearland local government at this time, balancing many needs and changing local versus state/national threats. All information here is subject to update and modifications as time progresses. Page 515