On several occasions Duluth city council members have asked to participate in meetings from offsite locations. In an effort to accommodate the need, Duluth’s city attorney Stephen Pereira investigated restrictions in state law for giving an individual staff member the opportunity to participate remotely.
Guidelines dictate remote access be limited to individuals physically out of the jurisdiction on meeting day, or members too ill to attend in person. In either case, state law limits such remote participation to two meetings per calendar year per elected official.
The city council will explore this further with a pilot program providing remote access through WebEx and telephone. The council will initially restrict this access to council meetings and council work sessions.
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