Ordinance 2025-08
- Published: May 22, 2025
— Public Notice —
REPEALING AND REPLACING CHAPTER 220 OF THE YELLOW SPRINGS CODE OF ORDINANCES TO PERMIT REMOTE MEETING FORMAT FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS UNDER SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES
ORDINANCE 2025-08, VILLAGE OF YELLOW SPRINGS, OHIO
Interested persons will take note that the Village Council of Yellow Springs on Monday, May 19, 2025, gave first reading to an ordinance, text to follow. Council will give a second reading and hold a public hearing on this ordinance on Monday, June 2, 2025.
WHEREAS, the Village of Yellow Springs Charter Section 3 specifies it reserves all powers, expressed and implied, of local self-government and benefits of municipal home rule; and
WHEREAS, the Village of Yellow Springs has set forth rules and procedures for meetings and notices in Yellow Springs Code of Ordinances Section 220.01; and
WHEREAS, Village Council, acknowledging that remote meeting technology contains inherent limitations, and should be used only when necessary to preserve the health of the community,
NOW, THEREFORE, COUNCIL FOR THE VILLAGE OF YELLOW SPRINGS, OHIO HEREBY ORDAINS THAT:
Section 1. The following Section of Chapter 220 of the Village Codified Ordinances shall be amended to read as set forth below, with new language underlined and bolded and deleted language in strikethrough:
220.02: REMOTE MEETINGS
(A) Members of municipal bodies may hold and attend meetings, and conduct public hearings by means of teleconference, video conference, or any other reliable remote technology and shall be counted as “present in person” for purposes of R.C. 121.22(C) for quorum and voting The Clerk or Staff shall confer with the Chair of each municipal body in advance of the notice date for each meeting to confirm remote resources are available to conduct meetings to permit hybrid attendance with some members physically present while others attend remotely as well as public accessibility, and the Clerk shall provide notice accordingly. During any local, state or federal declared emergency or upon determination of necessity by the President of Council in conjunction with the Village Manager, meetings may be fully remote if noticed accordingly.
(B) Any motion, ordinance, recommendation, resolution or other formal action of the body taken or adopted by the municipal body during a remote session has the same effect as if done during a regular meeting without the use of remote technology.
(C) All notice requirements of Section 220.01 remain in effect. The Clerk shall encourage public access to the discussions and deliberations of the body to the extent that the public would have been able to during an in person meeting.
(D) Any use of remote meeting technology shall ensure that the public is able to hear the discussions of each member of the body and be heard as would be permitted at an in-person meeting. Quasi-judicial hearings shall not be held remotely except during a local, state or Federal declared emergency.
(E) With the exception of emergencies, if all elected officials attend a Council meeting remotely but the meeting place cannot be opened for public hybrid access, the meeting must be cancelled.
—Kevin Stokes, President of Council
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