Council to use a hybrid virtual/in-person meeting model

By Jim Newell

Review Editor

The Lake Orion Village Council declared a local state of emergency during its meeting on Monday, but residents do not need to worry – the emergency declaration only council meeting attendance limitations.

The council passed Resolution 2021-021, Declaring a Local State of Emergency and Appointing an Emergency Management Coordinator, 6-0. Councilmember Ray Hammond was absent from the meeting.

Village Manager Joe Young was named Emergency Management Coordinator.

Declaring a local state of emergency allows the village council to continue to hold its meetings virtually through June 30, but the council chose to use a hybrid model, Young said.

Councilmember Sarah Luchsinger suggested the council adopt a hybrid meeting model, where the council would incorporate in-person meetings, with virtual meetings on Zoom still available for residents.

Young said the council will allow in-person attendance at its meetings – the first being the April 12 meeting – but will also continue to provide a virtual interactive option, allowing residents to participate in public comments from home.

If the council had not made the declaration, it would have to begin meeting in person starting April 1 and could only conduct electronic meetings if a member was absent for military duty, a health condition or a statewide or local state of emergency, according to a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) order.

The council also agreed to put a 90-day time limit on the state of emergency and review it in June and decide if the declaration should be extended.

The council could extend the emergency declaration until Dec. 31, 2021 and continue meeting virtually until that time; or until further MDHHS orders state otherwise; or until an emergency is no longer declared.

Under the MDHHS March 5 Gatherings and Face Mask Order, government bodies in Michigan could begin meeting in person this month but must adhere to a strict 25-person attendance at the meetings. For some larger governments, the attendance could have been exceeded by elected officials and department heads alone.

All meetings covered by the Open Meetings Act, whether virtual or in person, must comply with Public Act 254 of 2020.

While other local public bodies hold virtual meetings per state requirements, those boards have also held in-person meetings, when able.

The Lake Orion Community Schools Board of Education met in person on March 10, the board’s first in-person meeting since October 2020.

The Orion Township Board of Trustees held several in-person meetings in 2020 – the last being the Nov. 16 meeting – until state health guidelines dictated that they only meet remotely.

The last time the Lake Orion Village Council met in person was March 9, 2020 – the day before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Michigan’s first two positive cases of COVID-19, more than a year ago.

The last time the Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors met in person was Dec. 10, 2020.

Throughout the pandemic, village council members and DDA board members have urged the public – through virtual and televised meetings, social media and at events – to support downtown Lake Orion restaurants, shops and events, like the Social District Thursday activities.

Total COVID-19 numbers are also up in the Orion area, with 47 more positive cases in the 48362 ZIP Code on March 24 than on March 17, according to data tracking from the Oakland County Health Department.

See the COVID-19 Update on page 5 for more information.