ELECTRONIC MEETING RULES & PROCEDURES

Attica Township adopts these procedures to govern participation by staff, councilpersons and members of the public in all Township meetings held electronically pursuant to PA 228 of 2020.

  1. Meetings of the Township Board, Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals or committees thereunder may meet electronically or permit electronic participation in such meetings insofar as (1) the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services restricts the number of persons who can gather indoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) persons have an illness, injury, disability or other health-related condition that poses a risk to the personal health or safety of members of the public or the public body if they were to participate in person; or (3) there is in place a statewide or local state of emergency or state of disaster declared pursuant to law or charter by the governor or other person authorized to declare a state of emergency or disaster.
  2. All meetings held hereunder must provide for two-way communication so that members of the public body can hear and respond to members of the general public, and vice versa.
  3. Members of the public body who participate remotely must announce at the outset of the meeting that he/she is in fact attending the meeting remotely and by further identifying the specific physical location (by county, township, village and state) where he/she is located. The meeting minutes must include this information.
  4. Notice of any meeting held electronically must be posted at the Township Offices at least 18 hours before the meeting begins and must clearly explain the following: (a) why the public body is meeting electronically; (b) how members of the public may participate in the meeting electronically, including the specific telephone number, internet address or similar log-in information needed to participate in the meeting; (c) how members of the public may contact members of the public body to provide input or ask questions on any business that will come before the public body at the meeting; (d) how persons with disabilities may participate in the meeting.
  5. The notice identified above must also be posted on the Township’s website homepage or on a separate webpage dedicated to public notices for nonregular scheduled or electronic public meetings that is accessible through a prominent and conspicuous link on the website’s homepage that clearly describes the meeting’s purpose.
  6. The Township must also post on the Township website an agenda of the meeting at least 2 hours before the meeting begins.
  7. Members of the public may offer comment only when the Chair recognizes them and under rules established by the Township.
  8. Members of the public who participate in a meeting held electronically may be excluded from participation in a closed session that is convened and held in compliance with the Open Meeting Act.